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This New Year mini-series is built for investors who want a clear plan for 2026—without drowning in market noise.

Across six quick episodes, Mike and Vero cover where markets were in 2025, what could derail portfolios in 2026, how to think about high-yield stocks safely, and how to tighten your process so you can invest with conviction. Here are the three from this week; sneak preview of the last three tomorrow.

How to Invest in 2026: Series Intro

Mike and Vero kick off the year with a fast roadmap of what’s coming in the series and why your process matters more than predictions.

Key takeaways

• A new year is a good trigger to review strategy—even if investing is a long game.
• The market will do what it does; your edge is a repeatable process.

Market Review: What’s Next?

A recap of what drove 2025 and why “waiting on the sidelines” often costs more than it protects. The discussion touches Canada’s surprise outperformance, the AI ripple effect across sectors, and why narratives can get investors into trouble.

Key takeaways

• Three straight double-digit years can create complacency—and bad timing decisions.
• Canada’s strength was fueled by:
  • Banks and life insurers (capital markets + wealth management tailwinds)
  • Gold miners (the “debasement trade”)
  • Utilities/industrials tied to powering and building data centers
• AI isn’t just “tech” anymore—it’s showing up across sectors (and portfolios) in sneaky ways.

Risks in 2026 and How to Protect Your Portfolio

This episode is the “seatbelt” conversation: corrections happen, bear markets happen, and sometimes they start in one corner before spreading. The big message: don’t try to time fear—prepare for it.

Key takeaways

• Know the difference:
  • Correction: down 10%+
  • Bear market: down 20%+
  • Crisis: deeper, longer, mentally exhausting
• AI risk isn’t just valuation—it’s massive infrastructure spending and complex “spider web” partnerships that get hard to track.
• Tariffs and consumer pressure can hit:
  • Consumer discretionary/cyclicals
  • Industrials and transportation (slowdown risk)
• “Protecting” doesn’t mean hiding in cash—it’s about knowing your risk exposure and having rules.

What “protection” looks like

• Clear asset/sector/stock allocation (and what those choices imply in a bad year)
• Written buy rules and sell rules
• Conviction you can actually stick with when volatility hits

More tomorrow.

More By This Author:

Dividend Traps, Yield Chasing & Safety Metrics
Selling Starbucks & More Trades - November Dividend Income Report
The 6 Safest Stocks To Put On Your Buy List For 2026