Turning $7,000 into $70,000 might seem impossible, but it’s anything but. All it takes is a combination of time, smart investing, and discipline. The beauty of Canada’s Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) is that every dollar you earn inside it, whether from dividends, capital gains, or compound growth, stays yours, completely tax-free. The key lies in using the TFSA not as a savings account, but as an investment vehicle, where compounding can work its magic over time.
Getting started
Think about where you invest — not just how much. A TFSA packed with cash or Guaranteed Investment Certificates (GICs) won’t get you anywhere near your goal. Instead, you’ll need investments that produce both capital appreciation and growing dividends. Over time, a diversified mix of dividend and growth stocks can easily average 8% to 12% annually, especially if you reinvest all distributions through a DRIP (dividend reinvestment plan). If you prefer a simpler approach, a low-cost exchange-traded fund (ETF) strategy can achieve similar results with less effort.
Discipline and contributions play just as big a role. Even small top-ups over time dramatically accelerate your results. Contributing an extra $100 per month into your TFSA could add more than $60,000 in additional wealth over 20 years at a 10% return. Consistency, not luck, is what builds the most powerful TFSA portfolios. Investors who stay the course through market volatility tend to outperform those who panic and sell during downturns.
Finally, it’s crucial to think in the long term. A TFSA shouldn’t be used like a trading account or emergency fund. It’s one of the most effective tools for lifelong wealth creation. Holding quality companies that can grow earnings and dividends for decades gives you compounding’s full benefit. Add occasional contributions, reinvest every dividend, and stay invested through thick and thin, and the results can be even greater.
Consider BAM
Brookfield Asset Management (TSX:BAM) is one of those rare Canadian stocks that gives investors both scale and growth. BAM sits at the intersection of global infrastructure, renewable energy, private credit, and real estate, industries that underpin the modern economy. What makes it powerful is its asset-light business model, earning steady, recurring management and performance fees on the more than US$560 billion in fee-bearing capital it oversees, without tying up its own balance sheet. That means as Brookfield grows its client base and raises new funds, profits scale rapidly with minimal incremental cost, the perfect recipe for long-term compounding.
The company’s most recent second-quarter (Q2) 2025 results underscored that growth engine. Fee-related earnings (FRE) climbed 16% year over year. Fundraising momentum remains strong, with US$22 billion raised in the quarter. Even more impressive, BAM has roughly US$128 billion in uncalled commitments, meaning investors have already pledged that capital. This gives the company one of the most visible and predictable growth runways in Canadian finance.
Furthermore, through its subsidiaries, the firm invests in renewable power, data infrastructure, and energy transition projects. These are sectors benefiting from massive structural shifts as the world decarbonizes and digitizes. From a valuation standpoint, BAM trades at a premium of 38 times earnings at writing, but that’s typical for high-quality, compounding businesses. Its return on equity sits near 21%, and the company’s dividend yield of roughly 3.2% adds a modest but growing income component, with management targeting steady increases supported by fee-related earnings growth.
Bottom line
In short, turning $7,000 into $70,000 isn’t about luck; it’s about time, strategy, and patience. With a focus on growth-oriented, dividend-paying investments, consistent contributions, and the tax-free compounding power of a TFSA, you can quietly build a small nest egg into a significant source of long-term wealth. The earlier you start, the more your money does the heavy lifting, especially with a long-term compounder like BAM on board. Altogether, that’s how modest beginnings turn into life-changing results.
