You can build a very attractive, diversified portfolio of stocks with $10,000. It is the ideal amount to build a decent position in each stock, while keeping trading costs affordable (that is if your brokerage still charges commissions).

The Canadian market has been a little unsteady on fears about trade wars, rising interest rates, and a slowing economy. Yet, the TSX Index has still delivered a solid year with an 11% gain.

If you are looking to start some new positions, here are four TSX stocks worth buying with $10,000 today.

A top infrastructure stock

If you want an attractive mix of income and growth, AltaGas (TSX: ALA) looks to be well positioned. Half of its income comes from a regulated gas utility that spans across the northeastern United States. The utility has grown by a high single-digit rate over the past five years, and management sees an opportunity to keep growing by a similar rate forward.

The other half of its income is from an integrated liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) network in Western Canada. It processes, transports, and exports LPGs primarily to countries in Asia. Constraints in the Middle East have pushed up pricing and volume demands for LPGs.

That has been a substantial tailwind for AltaGas in 2026. It further favours the outlook for new export terminals and infrastructure set to come into service next year.

AltGas stock yields 2.6% today. Regardless of strong returns over the past five years, this stock’s valuation remains reasonable given its growth profile.

A top Canadian space stock

MDA Space (TSX: MDA) is set to win from Canada’s major defence growth initiatives, as well as a new global space race taking place. MDA has been a leader in satellites, space components and robotics, and earth observation.

Recent strategic partnerships and acquisitions give it new expertise, capacity, and geographic reach in the U.S. and Europe. This should support a continued uptick in its backlog (which currently sits at $4 billion, or two years’ worth revenue).

MDA Space trades at a significant discount to other space sector peers. After its stock recently consolidated, it looks like a very attractive opportunity.

A top software stock

Another Canadian stock worth buying now is Descartes Systems Group (TSX: DSG). The market has perceived Descartes as a simple software business set to be disrupted by AI. Yet, in reality, the opposite is occurring.

Descartes operates a crucial logistics network that connects trade participants across the world. It collects a massive amount of data through the network. It is just starting to unlock AI applications to unleash that data as tools for customers.

The company is cash rich, extremely profitable, and growing by a mid-teens rate. To make the investment thesis even better, it is trading just off its lowest valuation multiple in the past 10 years.

A top Canadian retail stock

Speaking about high-quality companies, Aritzia (TSX: ATZ) has to be a top retail stock in Canada. Despite declining 20% in the past three months, this Canadian stock is still up 420% in the past three years.

The pullback makes for an attractive entry point. Aritzia stock can be incredibly volatile. It has had six drawdowns of 15% or worse in the past three years. Those pullbacks have been great long-term buying opportunities.

Aritzia continues to make waves in the U.S. It could still more than double its store count before expanding into Europe and Asia. The growth runway remains substantial. At 23 times earnings, it looks like an attractive buy right now.

The post 4 Canadian Stocks to Buy Right Now With $10,000 appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

More reading

• For Both Income and Growth, Consider Canadian Natural Resources and AltaGas stocks
• AltaGas and Pembina Pipeline Stock Are Great Choices for Both Stability and Growth
• My Top Canadian Stock Picks for Long-Term Wealth
• This Quality Stock Has Fallen: I Don’t Think the Business Is Broken
• 2 Dividend Stocks Worth Holding for the Next 7 Years

Fool contributor Robin Brown has positions in Aritzia, Descartes Systems Group, and MDA Space. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Aritzia. The Motley Fool recommends Descartes Systems Group and MDA Space. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

A Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) gives Canadians valuable space to build wealth tax-free, but the annual contribution limit isn’t necessarily the same as your personal contribution room. That’s an important distinction investors can easily miss.

For 2026, the TFSA dollar limit is $7,000. But your actual available room also includes unused contribution room from previous years and withdrawals made in 2025, minus any contributions already made in 2026. So, depending on your TFSA history, you could have much more or less than $7,000 available. Contributing beyond your available room can also trigger tax on the excess. Once you know how much room you actually have, the next step is putting it to work thoughtfully.

In this article, I’ll highlight two TSX stocks that could be attractive long-term TFSA holdings.

Brookfield stock

If you have TFSA room available for long-term investing, Brookfield (TSX: BN) is one stock that deserves a closer look despite its recent weakness.

It’s a global investment firm with businesses spanning asset management, wealth solutions, infrastructure, energy, private equity, and real estate. BN stock currently trades at $51.70 per share with a market cap of $126.9 billion and a 0.8% annualized dividend yield. Its shares are down 19% over the last year and 18% year to date.

BN’s weak stock performance contrasts with the company’s latest operating results. In the second quarter of 2026, Brookfield’s distributable earnings before realizations increased 15% year-over-year (YoY) on a per-share basis to US$0.61.

Its asset-management business remained a major growth driver. The company’s fee-related earnings jumped 20% from a year earlier as fee-bearing capital increased 19% to US$672 billion. Its Wealth Solutions earnings also climbed 23%, helped by organic inflows, higher net investment income, and the first full-quarter contribution from Just Group.

Just as importantly, Brookfield ended the quarter with a record US$210 billion of deployable capital after raising US$77 billion during the quarter. The firm also completed its Oaktree acquisition in July and continued repurchasing shares.

For TFSA investors focused on compounding wealth over years rather than months, Brookfield’s earnings growth, enormous investment capacity, and expanding global platform make the stock worth considering at its current price.

EQB stock

Another attractive way to put TFSA room to work could be EQB (TSX: EQB), although its recent stock performance tells a very different story.

It’s a Canadian digital financial services firm and the parent of Equitable Bank. Its shares trade at $126.58 per share with a market cap of $5.4 billion and a 1.9% annualized dividend yield. EQB stock has gained 36% over the last year and 22% year to date.

Meanwhile, its underlying business continues to expand. In the third quarter of 2026, EQB’s adjusted revenue rose 27% YoY to $393 million, while adjusted diluted earnings per share increased 2% to $2.12.

The bank’s net interest income climbed 22% to $319 million as higher-yielding PC Financial credit cards helped increase net interest margin. Its adjusted non-interest revenue surged 55%, supported by credit card fee income, insurance, and fair value accretion.

There was some pressure too, as EQB reported provisions for credit losses of $303 million, including a $219.1 million initial provision related to the acquired PC Financial credit card portfolio.

Still, that acquisition has significantly expanded EQB’s long-term opportunity. Notably, PC Financial increased the company’s directly served customer base to more than four million and lifted combined assets under management and administration to $151 billion. Integration efforts have already produced $15 million in annualized cost savings toward a $30 million target.

For TFSA investors, EQB’s larger customer base, broader revenue mix, and growing banking platform could make it an appealing long-term growth stock even after its strong rally.

The post The TFSA Mistake Most Canadians Are Making appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

More reading

• 2 Stocks to Buy and Hold for the Next Decade
• All the Different Brookfield Stocks Explained
• Here’s the 4.3% Dividend Stock I Keep Coming Back To
• 5 TSX Stocks to Buy With $5,000 for Steady Returns
• The Market’s On Fire — But Should You Be Buying Right Now?

Fool contributor Jitendra Parashar has positions in Brookfield Corporation. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Brookfield Corporation. The Motley Fool recommends EQB. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Waiting until 70 to take the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) can make the monthly payment look spectacular. That said, it doesn’t automatically make the decision a great one.

CPP rises by 0.7% for every month you delay after 65, reaching a 42% increase at 70. That guaranteed, inflation-adjusted income can be enormously valuable later in retirement.

The catch is obvious once you look at what happens before 70. You’ve given up five years of payments. Before delaying, I’d check one number first: your break-even age.

Find the crossover

Suppose your CPP would be $1,000 monthly at 65. Waiting until 70 would increase that payment to roughly $1,420, ignoring any other changes to your CPP calculation. Here’s the trade-off.

After 70, delaying gives you an extra $420 monthly. It would take roughly 143 months for those larger payments to recover the $60,000 you skipped. That’s almost 12 years, and your simple break-even age lands around 82.

That calculation ignores taxes, annual CPP inflation adjustments, investment returns, and changes to your personal CPP entitlement. Yet it gives retirees a useful starting point. If you live well into your 80s or 90s, delaying can become increasingly valuable. If longevity is shorter, the larger monthly payment may never compensate for the income you didn’t collect earlier.

What funds the gap?

This is where the decision gets personal. Someone still working at 67 may have little need for CPP and could benefit from waiting. Someone who retires at 65 may need to pull an additional $12,000 or $15,000 annually from an RRSP to replace CPP they deliberately delayed. Those extra withdrawals can shrink the portfolio during the exact years when retirees want it to keep compounding.

Taxes count too. CPP is taxable income, so a larger payment later can combine with Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF) withdrawals, Old Age Security (OAS), pensions, and other income.

Delaying remains attractive because CPP payments are indexed annually to inflation and continue for life. I’d just compare that benefit with the actual cost of funding ages 65 through 70. That’s a much better retirement calculation than automatically declaring age 70 the winner.

Keep long-term money working

Money specifically needed during those five bridge years shouldn’t depend entirely on the stock market. I’d keep enough cash and fixed income available for near-term spending, while allowing the portion of a retirement portfolio meant for later decades to continue to hold equities. One stock I’d consider for that long-term portion is Hydro One (TSX: H).

Hydro One operates Ontario’s electricity transmission and distribution network. Nearly all of its business is regulated, meaning approved investments expand the asset base on which it can earn returns.

Second-quarter earnings per share rose to $0.62 from $0.54 a year earlier. Hydro One also invested $812 million during the quarter as Ontario’s electricity system continues expanding and replacing aging infrastructure.

Slow growth can work

Hydro One currently pays $0.35 quarterly, or about $1.41 annually. At $51.06, that’s a dividend yield near 2.8%. It’s not the highest yield among Canadian dividend stocks. The attraction is potential growth. Hydro One has been targeting roughly 6% annual earnings-per-share (EPS) and dividend growth through 2027.

The stock isn’t cheap at roughly 21 times forward earnings. Higher financing costs, regulatory decisions, and expensive grid projects could also pressure returns. Therefore, I’d buy gradually for long-term income growth rather than use shares to fund next year’s grocery bill.

Retirees with available contribution room could also hold suitable investments inside a TFSA, where eligible withdrawals won’t add to taxable retirement income.

Bottom line

Waiting until 70 gives CPP a powerful 42% boost versus starting at 65. However, that doesn’t settle the decision.

Using a simple example, the delayed pension may not catch the age-65 option until around age 82. Your taxes, health, portfolio size, work plans, and retirement spending could shift the calculation further.

I’d therefore start by checking the break-even age. Then decide whether the bigger cheque at 70 is worth the five years you spend waiting for it.

The post Taking CPP at 70 Isn’t Automatically Smarter: Here’s the Number I’d Check First appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

More reading

• Why Utility Stocks Are Looking Good Right Now
• 3 Top Canadian Stocks for Income and Growth
• Canada Wants to Become an Energy Superpower: 3 TSX Stocks I’d Buy Now
• Is Too Much Cash Holding Back Your TFSA?
• Canada’s $500 Billion Investment Push: 3 TSX Stocks I’d Buy Now

Fool contributor Amy Legate-Wolfe has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Investing in the right high-yield dividend stocks today can grow into a substantial income stream tomorrow. The key is finding the right stocks and weighing what you give up by prioritizing income.

A high yield can be attractive, especially for those investors looking to build a passive income stream. That being said, there’s more to picking the right stock for a portfolio than the yield. There are also growth and debt considerations, as well as the broader state of the economy.

Fortunately, there’s plenty of great high-yield dividend stocks to choose from. There are three in particular that offer the income levels that investors want, as well as impressive defensive moats that come from operating in mature markets for decades.

Let’s look at those three high-yield dividend stocks to consider for your portfolio.

Enbridge offers income backed by essential infrastructure

The first stock to consider is Enbridge (TSX: ENB). Enbridge is one of the largest energy infrastructure companies on the planet. Enbridge operates natural gas and oil pipelines across North America as well as renewable energy assets and a natural gas utility.

The pipeline segments generate the bulk of the company’s revenue and are tied to long-term contracts. In other words, Enbridge earns a recurring and stable revenue stream by transporting crude and natural gas regardless of how the market is moving.

And the sheer volume that Enbridge transports across that network makes the company one of the most defensive picks on the market. Specifically, Enbridge hauls nearly one-third of all North American-produced crude and one-fifth of the natural gas consumed by the U.S. market.

That same defensive appeal and necessity extends to Enbridge’s renewable and natural gas utility operations.

Collectively, the segments generate cash that allows Enbridge to invest in growth initiatives from its massive backlog and pay a quarterly dividend. As of the time of writing, the yield on that dividend works out to an impressive 5.9%.

Adding to that appeal, Enbridge has provided investors with annual upticks to that dividend for three decades without fail. Between the defensive business and generous (and still growing) dividend, it’s hard not to consider Enbridge as one of the must-have high-yield dividend stocks for any portfolio.

Don’t forget Canada’s big banks

It’s hard to compile a list of the high-yield dividend stocks without mentioning one of Canada’s big bank stocks. Today, that bank to consider is Bank of Nova Scotia (TSX: BNS).

Scotiabank isn’t the largest of the big banks, but it is the most international. The bank generates revenue from lending, deposits, and wealth management activity from both its domestic and international operations.

The bank’s access to international markets provides Scotiabank with long-term growth potential. In recent years, Scotiabank has shifted its focus away from developing markets in Latin America. Instead, it now focuses on mature markets such as the U.S. and Mexico.

Turning to dividends, Scotiabank has paid dividends for well over a century without fail. As of the time of writing, the bank offers a 3.5% yield.

Between the mature domestic market at home and its growth-focused international segment, Scotiabank offers investors looking for high-yield dividend stocks a hard-to-ignore combination.

Introduce some monthly income

Rounding out the three high-yield dividend stocks is RioCan (TSX: REI.UN). RioCan is one of Canada’s largest REITs and owns a portfolio of shopping centres and mixed-use residential properties.

Many of those retail sites sell essential retail. This means that they offer some defensive appeal while also generating more foot traffic to the sites. That helps to keep occupancy high, which in the most recent quarter hit 98.8%.

The mixed-use residential properties are primarily located along transit corridors in major metro markets. This also provides a source of foot traffic for the retail sites in those properties, leading to higher demand overall.

In terms of income, RioCan offers a monthly distribution that carries a yield of 5.7%. The monthly income that the REIT provides helps to offset the less frequent payouts of the two other stocks.

Final thoughts on your high-yield dividend stocks

No stock is without risk. That’s why the importance of diversifying cannot be stated enough. Fortunately, the trio of options mentioned above offer some defensive appeal and growth in addition to their attractive payouts.

In my opinion, one or all of the above should be core holdings in any well-diversified portfolio.

The post 3 High-Yield Dividend Stocks Worth the Risk Right Now appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

More reading

• Dividend Investors: 2 Discounted TSX Stocks to Consider Now
• Everyone’s Snapping Up These Stocks: Should You?
• 2 Slam-Dunk Dividend Stocks to Buy Now
• Here’s What $250,000 in the Right Stocks Could Pay You Every Month
• 5 TSX Stocks to Buy With $50,000 for Retirement Income

Fool contributor Demetris Afxentiou has positions in Bank of Nova Scotia and Enbridge. The Motley Fool recommends Enbridge. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Long-term investing matters now more than ever, especially with the advent of commission-free trades (or commissions that are low and marching ever lower) and the growing appetite for hyper-growth plays that promise quick gains (and perhaps losses) over just a span of weeks or months.

Indeed, the stock market might be a tad frothy as we move into October and the start of the fourth and final quarter of 2026. That said, investors should continue to stay the course, play the long game, and ignore all of the short-term-focused noise surrounding what someone smart thinks is up next (usually in the coming weeks) for markets.

Sure, market strategists might be well-educated, with a decent track record of calls, but, at the end of the day, nobody knows what’s next, and it’s really hard to maintain a stellar near-term trading record. Instead, forget about trading and focus on investing, not just for a few years, but for the next decade and perhaps even a bit longer than that!

So, if you’re an investor who’s looking for appreciation over the next 10 years, and not just the next 10 days, consider the following pair of names that I think could be in for substantial appreciation.

Brookfield Corp.

First, we have Brookfield Corp. (TSX: BN), a fantastic alternative play that I think is well-positioned for an AI infrastructure buildout boom that may very well last for several years. Indeed, we have so many data centre plays moving so fast, taking on considerable sums of debt to floor the growth. On the other hand, we’ve got prudent firms, like Brookfield, that are playing the long game from different angles.

From providing clean energy to power all these data centres to the real estate and other essential ingredients that go into making next-generation AI a thing, Brookfield is on the right track. Add the firm’s solid capital recycling focus into the equation, and I think Brookfield stands out as a name that’s not quite fully priced if management can execute on its game plan. What’s better than a seat to the AI boom?

A seat and someone in the seat who can operate at a very high (and efficient) level. Either way, BN stock is a standout name to just hang onto for the long haul, regardless of what the next year or two holds for a trade that some consider to be overheated and overdue for a big drop.

Meta Platforms

Oh boy, what a pop that was for shares of social-media, mixed-reality, and AI kingpin Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META). With Meta’s Muse agentic platform taking the world by storm, questions linger as to whether the real AI agent revolution has arrived for the average person. With OpenAI following up with a similar offering with Dots, I do think that Meta has kicked off a race that may very well help it keep up with the AI labs at the frontier.

Add the Meta model’s incredible capability (they have gone beyond LLaMA with Muse Spark and Glimmer) into the equation along with a very aggressive data centre expansion plan (and Meta has the cash flow to pay these bills!), and I find it hard to pass up on the name at just 27.8 times trailing price-to-earnings (P/E).

The Mag Seven darling is genuinely making strides in AI, and I think it’s perhaps the best big-tech play to stash away. Meta’s Muse is a big deal, and it might offer a glimpse into the future of consumer-facing AI hardware with its intriguing Muse Charm.

The post 2 Stocks to Buy and Hold for the Next Decade appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

More reading

• The TFSA Mistake Most Canadians Are Making
• All the Different Brookfield Stocks Explained
• Your Cash Is Sitting There Doing Nothing: This Dividend Stock Won’t Let It
• Here’s the 4.3% Dividend Stock I Keep Coming Back To
• 5 TSX Stocks to Buy With $5,000 for Steady Returns

Fool contributor Joey Frenette has positions in Meta Platforms. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Brookfield Corporation. The Motley Fool recommends Meta Platforms. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

There’s a touch of a problem when it comes to dividend stocks these days. That boring Government of Canada bond is suddenly paying more.

Canada’s 10-year benchmark government bond yielded 4% on September 28. Meanwhile, one of the country’s most reliable dividend growers currently yields about 3.4%.

If I needed dependable income for the next few years, that bond would deserve my attention. Give me 10 years, though, and I’d still want Fortis (TSX: FTS).

A bond wins one round

Government bonds have an enormous advantage, and that’s certainty. Buy an individual Government of Canada bond and hold it to maturity, and the future payments are known, assuming the federal government meets its obligations. Stocks don’t offer anything comparable. Dividends can be cut, and share prices can plunge.

That’s why bonds belong in plenty of portfolios, particularly when money will be needed soon. The weakness appears over longer periods. A fixed bond doesn’t decide five years from now that inflation has become annoying and increase your coupon. Its payments remain fixed.

A quality dividend stock can potentially grow its payment. That’s an important distinction for investors building passive income that may need to fund increasingly expensive groceries 10 years from now.

FTS

Fortis owns nine regulated electric and natural-gas utilities serving about 3.5 million customers across Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean. Regulated doesn’t mean Fortis can charge whatever it likes.

Utilities invest in approved infrastructure. Regulators then allow them an opportunity to earn a return on that investment. As Fortis expands its rate base, earnings can grow with it.

Management plans to spend $28.8 billion between 2026 and 2030. That investment is expected to increase the rate base from $42.4 billion in 2025 to $57.9 billion in 2030, representing roughly 7% annual growth. Furthermore, Fortis expects that expansion to support annual dividend growth of 4% to 6% through 2030.

Ten years of growth

Fortis has increased its dividend for 52 consecutive years. The annual dividend declared in 2016 was $1.55 per share. Today’s $0.64 quarterly payment represents a $2.56 annualized run rate. That’s roughly 5.1% compound annual growth over a decade!

That historical growth isn’t a promise for the next decade. It does show why I’d compare more than today’s yields. At Fortis’ recent price of $74.66, the current dividend yield is approximately 3.4%. The government bond wins the starting-income contest.

Fortis gets the opportunity to increase its payout. That growing income, combined with potential earnings and share-price growth, is why I’d prefer the stock for money I can leave invested for a decade.

The price isn’t perfect

Fortis isn’t cheap in an obvious way. Its shares have held up well while higher bond yields have made utilities compete against increasingly attractive fixed-income investments. That’s a real risk.

Higher rates also increase financing costs for utilities, while major infrastructure projects can face cost overruns, regulatory delays, and disappointing allowed returns. Fortis needs its $28.8 billion capital plan to translate into earnings rather than merely produce an impressive collection of construction invoices.

I’d therefore buy gradually rather than chase the stock. Investors building a diversified collection of Canadian dividend stocks can also use bonds alongside equities instead of forcing one investment to do both jobs.

Bottom line

A 4% government bond yield is attractive precisely because investors don’t need a heroic outcome to earn it. For money I need predictably, I’d take that seriously.

For money I can invest for 10 years, Fortis offers something the bond can’t: the possibility that my income cheque becomes larger along the way. The bond may pay more today. I’d rather give Fortis a decade to catch up.

The post Government Bonds Are Paying More: I’d Still Buy This Canadian Dividend Stock for the Next 10 Years appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

More reading

• New to Investing? Here Are 5 Canadian Stocks to Hold Forever
• Investing During a Trade War? Sure, With These 3 Blue-Chip Stocks
• Why Utility Stocks Are Looking Good Right Now
• TFSA Investing: How to Use Dividend Stocks to Build Significant Retirement Savings
• When the Market Drops, This Dividend Just Keeps Showing Up

Fool contributor Amy Legate-Wolfe has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Fortis. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Despite cooler-than-expected U.S. personal consumption expenditure (PCE) inflation data, Canadian stocks continued to fall for the third consecutive session on Wednesday as weaker metals prices and continued Canada-U.S. trade tensions kept investors on edge. The S&P/TSX Composite Index plunged by 224 points, or 0.6%, to settle at 35,236, extending the benchmark’s weekly decline to 1.6%.

Even as some shares from the energy and technology sectors saw renewed buying, steep losses in healthcare, mining, and financial stocks kept the broader TSX benchmark under pressure throughout the session.

Top TSX Composite movers and active stocks

First Quantum Minerals (TSX: FM) tanked by more than 15% to $38.23 per share, making it the worst-performing TSX stock. The sharp selloff followed an update on the future of its Cobre Panamá mine. A Panamanian ministerial commission recommended opening formal negotiations with the company to explore a new agreement that could resolve pending international arbitrations and establish terms for the project to move toward an orderly closure, with no possibility of an extension.

Now, First Quantum plans to engage constructively and is awaiting guidance from the Panamanian government on the next steps. The prospect of an eventual closure rather than a long-term restart heightened investor concerns about Cobre Panamá’s future and pressured FM stock.

Curaleaf Holdings, Franco-Nevada, and Stella-Jones also dived by 3.2% each, making them some of the day’s worst-performing TSX stocks.

On the brighter side, Russel Metals, BlackBerry, Aecon, and Telus climbed by more than 3% each, making them the session’s top-performing TSX stocks.

Based on their daily trade volume, Telus, First Quantum Minerals, Canadian Natural Resources, Brookfield, and Ivanhoe Mines were the five most active stocks on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

TSX today

Copper prices fell sharply in early Thursday trading, while crude oil prices extended their gains, creating mixed signals for the commodity-heavy TSX at the open today. While stronger energy prices could support oil and gas stocks, continued weakness in copper may weigh on Canadian miners and limit broader upside.

Canadian investors will also monitor weekly U.S. jobless claims and the ISM manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for fresh clues about the strength of the American economy and the interest-rate outlook.

At the same time, the Canada-U.S. trade dispute remains a key source of uncertainty after U.S. President Donald Trump intensified his criticism of Canada following the implementation of new import restrictions on selected Canadian products.

Meanwhile, developments in the U.S.-Iran conflict could add another layer of volatility after Trump reiterated that Washington could either reach a deal with Iran or consider further military action. Any signs of diplomatic progress could ease pressure on global energy markets, while renewed escalation could quickly push crude prices and inflation expectations higher, potentially adding volatility to TSX energy, financial, and other rate-sensitive stocks.

Market movers on the TSX today

Financial Market Data copyright © 2026 QuoteMedia. Data delayed 15 minutes unless otherwise indicated (view delay times for all exchanges). RT=Real-Time, EOD=End of Day, PD=Previous Day. Market Data powered by QuoteMedia. Terms of Use.

The post TSX Today: What to Watch for in Stocks on Thursday, October 1 appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

More reading

• 4 Canadian Stocks to Buy Right Now With $10,000
• The TFSA Mistake Most Canadians Are Making
• Taking CPP at 70 Isn’t Automatically Smarter: Here’s the Number I’d Check First
• 3 High-Yield Dividend Stocks Worth the Risk Right Now
• 2 Stocks to Buy and Hold for the Next Decade

Fool contributor Jitendra Parashar has positions in BlackBerry, Brookfield Corporation, and Canadian Natural Resources. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Brookfield Corporation. The Motley Fool recommends Canadian Natural Resources, Russel Metals, Stella-Jones, and TELUS. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Canadian telecommunications giant BCE (TSX: BCE) has tested the patience of income investors. Down more than 60% from its five-year peak and falling roughly 12% in September 2026 alone, BCE stock has lost investors’ money for some time now. However, something could be shifting behind the recent capital losses veil to make a potential rebound possible, and the stock now offers an eye-catching 6.1% dividend yield for a juicy passive income stream. Could this be the time to buy the dip?

Why Canadian investors may buy BCE stock in October

Following May 2025’s painful 56% dividend cut, which reset BCE stock’s annual payout from $3.99 to $1.75 per share, many income seekers abandoned the stock. However, that capital allocation reset is helping to fundamentally repair the balance sheet. And the free cash flow payout ratio has gone down to a comfortable 43% to 48%, rendering the current 6.1% yield fully sustainable and well-covered by organic cash generation.

Operationally, clear signs of a bottom are surfacing. Second-quarter 2026 results revealed that postpaid mobile churn dropped to 1%, marking its lowest comparable level in three years as customer retention stabilized. Further, average revenue per user grew 0.7% year-over-year, as core subscription pricing remains resilient despite market noise today.

By curtailing low-margin domestic fibre builds following adverse regulatory wholesale access rulings, BCE is successfully redirecting capital into higher-return opportunities, including its acquisition of U.S.-based Ziply Fiber and its Bell AI Fabric initiative featuring a 300 MW data centre infrastructure footprint targeting Canadian sovereign AI workloads.

Ziply Fiber gave BCE a platform from which to expand with the U.S. market for growth, while artificial intelligence (AI) investments could generate high-margin cash flows.

The valuation also favours buyers entering the stock in October. BCE stock trades at approximately 11 times forward earnings and a forward enterprise-value-to-earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EV/EBITDA) multiple of 6.6 times, compared to trailing levels of 7.6 times and historical North American industry price-to-earnings (P/E) averages near 18 times to 20 times.

Given the heavy depreciation inherent in telecom networking, EV/EBITDA serves as a vital earnings and cash-flow valuation proxy, and current levels represent a historically depressed and undervalued entry point.

Why you may wish to stay away

Despite recent operational green shoots within BCE, cautious investors have valid reasons to remain hesitant right now. The primary headwind facing BCE is high potential for an extended national price competition. Quebecor continues its aggressive expansion of Freedom Mobile beyond traditional Quebec strongholds, and renewed discounting across wireless plans is a possibility. Price competition hurts margins and it is capping long-term revenue growth for the entire industry.

Additionally, corporate leverage remains elevated relative to historical norms. While net debt-to-EBITDA improved sequentially to 3.7 times in the second quarter, high debt levels leave the company sensitive to persistent elevated interest rates, which consume cash that could otherwise be earmarked for balance sheet deleveraging, accretive capital expenditures, or future dividend increases.

My verdict on BCE stock as an investment in October 2026

BCE stock is no longer the yield trap it was prior to its 2025 dividend adjustment. The painful reset successfully de-risked the cash flow payout, customer retention has reached a multi-year high, and valuation multiples reflect deeply pessimistic expectations.

While ongoing wireless price wars present real top-line headwinds, the stock’s discounted valuation and well-covered 6.1% yield provide a generous margin of safety. For contrarian income investors willing to endure near-term sector volatility, accumulating BCE stock in October offers a compelling blend of sustainable income and long-term turnaround potential.

The post Is BCE Still a Buy? Here’s My Verdict appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

More reading

• Why I Keep Passing on Telus and BCE for This Dividend Stock Instead
• What Happens When a Large RRSP Becomes Retirement Income?
• 3 High-Yield TSX Stocks to Consider Now if You Have $7,500 to Invest
• Canadian Stocks Post Their First Weekly Gain in a Month as Volatility Rules the TSX
• 3 Savvy Ways Canadians Can Invest in the Country’s Infrastructure Boom

Fool contributor Brian Paradza has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Thinking that your Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) strategy is evergreen and perfect for retirement is a bit like assuming the same pair of shoes will work for every part of your journey. While you’re earning a paycheque, you can afford to let your TFSA focus heavily on growth because you don’t need it to pay the grocery bill. Once that paycheque disappears, you’d want the account to behave differently.

Turning a retirement TFSA into an ultra-conservative portfolio may feel reassuring, but you could still need that money working for another 20 or 30 years. That means you might want to balance steady income with continued growth so you aren’t forced to sell investments too often. But unfortunately, some common TFSA habits could make achieving that balance more difficult.

Let me highlight two habits I’d reconsider in retirement and how some fundamentally solid Canadian stocks could help solve the problems they create.

Relying too heavily on capital gains

Chasing capital appreciation could work well when your retirement is years away, and you do not need portfolio income. After retirement, however, relying on selling shares to generate cash could make your portfolio more dependent on market fluctuations. And a quality stock like Canadian National Railway (TSX: CNR), or CN, shows how investors could keep pursuing growth without depending entirely on selling shares for cash.

CN operates a nearly 20,000-mile rail network connecting Canada’s eastern and western coasts with the U.S. Midwest and Gulf Coast. After gaining 27% over the last 12 months, its stock currently trades at $169.87 per share with a market cap of $102.2 billion. At this market price, it offers a 2.2% annualized dividend yield.

In the second quarter, CN’s revenue jumped 11% year-over-year (YoY) to about $4.8 billion, while its revenue ton-miles rose 5%, driven mainly by strong grain and energy volumes. As a result, the company’s net profit climbed 7% YoY to roughly $1.2 billion.

During the first half of 2026, CN also generated about $1.8 billion in free cash flow. That cash generation matters for a dividend-paying business as it gives the company flexibility to fund its operations, invest in its rail network, and return capital to shareholders.

Moreover, CN has room for further growth as it plans roughly $2.8 billion in capital investments this year alone. For retirees, that great combination of income and growth is what makes CNR attractive.

Becoming too conservative after years of saving

If the first mistake is depending too much on growth, the second is giving up on it altogether. And a stock like Great-West Lifeco (TSX: GWO) could help retirees avoid that extreme by pairing dividend income with rising earnings.

Simply put, this Winnipeg-based company provides retirement, wealth, workplace benefits, and solutions across Canada, the United States, and Europe. GWO stock trades at $91.42 per share with a market cap of roughly $81.5 billion. Despite its 68% gain over the last year, the stock still offers a 3% dividend yield.

Great-West’s second-quarter base earnings rose 11% YoY to nearly $1.3 billion. Its U.S. business has also been strong. This segment’s base earnings jumped 34% YoY in constant currency last quarter, helped by higher fee income from growing client assets, positive plan and wealth net inflows, and lower credit-related impacts.

Meanwhile, the company is also investing capital to accelerate its future growth. On September 2, Great-West’s subsidiary Empower completed its acquisition of Milliman’s retirement plan and benefits administration business. The deal added about 400 defined benefit plans and more than 1,100 defined contribution plans, representing roughly US$130 billion in combined client assets.

Retirees who become too defensive could still get a 3% dividend yield while maintaining exposure to a business growing earnings and expanding its retirement platform. In other words, retirement does not have to mean giving up on growth.

The post 2 TFSA Habits That Work While Saving But Backfire in Retirement appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

More reading

• New to Investing? Here Are 5 Canadian Stocks to Hold Forever
• The Dividend Snowball That Starts With Just 1 Share
• When the Hottest Stocks Cool Off, I’d Look at This TSX Business
• The Lazy Canadian’s Path to a Bigger Retirement: 1 Stock to Start With
• I’m Still Buying These Stocks Despite the Economic Slowdown

Fool contributor Jitendra Parashar has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Canadian National Railway. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

When it comes to dividend investing in Canada, Telus (TSX: T) continues to be a stock I find difficult to ignore – although not for the same reasons as before. A year ago, investors could point to its excellent long dividend-growth track record. Today, however, Telus stock is down about 45%, and its quarterly dividend was recently slashed by 55%.

Normally, that combination would have me moving on pretty quickly. But with Telus stock now trading close to its lowest level since 2011 and offering an over 6% dividend yield, I think the opportunity may be getting more attractive rather than less.

In this article, I’ll look at whether Telus stock still deserves a place in a long-term portfolio today.

A closer look at the recent selloff in Telus stock

At the time of writing, Telus stock traded at $12 per share, giving the company a market cap of around $19 billion. At that price, the stock also offered a juicy 6.3% annualized dividend yield.

The stock has had a rough run in 2026 as it has fallen about 45% over the last year and 34% year-to-date. As a result, it’s now sitting very close to its lowest level in around 14 to 15 years.

Notably, several factors have weighed on Telus investor sentiment of late. For example, competitive pricing pressure has hurt its revenue trends, and slower subscriber demand has added another challenge. On top of that, the company reduced its 2026 guidance and reset the dividend in July, hurting investor confidence.

The latest results show where the pressure is coming from

In the second quarter, the telecom giant posted $4.9 billion in operating revenue and other income, down 3% year-over-year (YoY). Its consolidated service revenue slipped 1% from a year ago as weaker Telus Digital revenue and lower mobile phone average revenue per subscriber weighed on growth.

Still, its ability to consistently generate cash came as a big relief for investors. Last quarter, the company’s cash provided by operating activities climbed 15% YoY to $1.3 billion with the help of working capital changes and lower income taxes paid. Similarly, its free cash flow rose 2% to $545 million as lower tax and lease payments offset higher interest costs and weaker adjusted EBITDA.

Why Telus still looks interesting at this price

With those challenges, Telus’s long-term investing appeal now rests heavily on its efforts to strengthen the balance sheet.

Earlier this year, the company cut its quarterly dividend by 55% to $0.19 per share, bringing the annualized payout down to $0.75. That is clearly painful for income investors, especially those who considered it a reliable source of steadily growing income.

However, Telus expects that reset to save about $2.7 billion in cash through 2028, with those savings directed toward debt reduction.

Meanwhile, the company is also removing its dividend reinvestment plan discount from October 1, which should reduce shareholder dilution.

At the end of the June quarter, Telus had a net debt-to-adjusted EBITDA ratio of 3.5 times. The telecom firm is now targeting about 3 times or lower by the end of 2028. Asset monetizations, tighter capital spending, cost reductions, and lower capital intensity as the PureFibre build approaches completion could all help move it toward that goal.

More importantly, Telus plans to keep investing in areas where it sees stronger long-term returns, including wireless, fibre, and digital and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure.

Is Telus stock a buy today?

Clearly, the weaker outlook and dividend reset are meaningful near-term risks. That said, the stock’s much lower price, 6.3% dividend yield, improving focus on cash generation, and clear deleveraging plan still make it more attractive than its recent share-price performance might suggest, especially if you can hold it through the turnaround over the next few years.

The post Is Telus Still a Buy Right Now? Here’s My Verdict appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

More reading

• Why I Keep Passing on Telus and BCE for This Dividend Stock Instead
• Telus Stock: Buy, Sell, or Hold After Its Dividend Cut?
• Telus Stock: Buy, Sell, or Hold in Late 2026?
• Telus Stock Is Near a 52-Week Low, and It’s a Buy in My Book
• Telus Stock: Buy, Sell, or Hold After the Dividend Cut?

Fool contributor Jitendra Parashar has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends TELUS. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.