If you'd maxed out your TFSA every year… what would it have been worth at the end of ? All values in CAD, dividends reinvested.
| Investment | Timing | Contributed | Value end of | Gain | Multiple |
|---|
- Each year you contribute that year's full TFSA limit (2009–12 $5,000; 2013–14 $5,500; 2015 $10,000; 2016–18 $5,500; 2019–22 $6,000; 2023 $6,500; 2024+ $7,000), and never withdraw.
- Quarterly splits the limit into four buys on Jan 1, Apr 1, Jul 1 and Sep 1. Yearly low/high buys the whole limit on the day the (total-return, CAD) price hit its lowest/highest close that year.
- Buys happen on the first trading day on or after the target date. No fees, no fractional-share rounding.
- * VGRO, VBAL and VCNS launched Feb 2018, and VEQT Feb 2019. Before that they're approximated by a daily-rebalanced blend of their underlying ETFs, less their 0.24% fee: VEQT = 43% VUN / 30% VCN / 20% VIU / 7% VEE, and VGRO / VBAL / VCNS = 80% / 60% / 40% of that, with the rest in VAB bonds. Before those ETFs existed (2011–13), they're extended with VTI, XIC, VEA, VWO and XBB. Over the years both exist, the blend tracks the real ETFs within about ±1% a year.
- † Bitcoin prices start Sep 2014; earlier contributions sit as cash until then. Gold is the spot-ish front-month futures price, with no storage costs. (Neither could actually go in a TFSA before ETFs for them existed — that's hindsight for you.)
- NVIDIA and gold are converted to CAD at each day's USD/CAD rate. Prices are Yahoo Finance adjusted closes through Dec 31, , updated once a year. Hindsight is not investment advice!