How My Investments Are Paying for My $10,000 Summer Road Trip

The Best Vacation I've Ever Not Paid For

Right now, I'm somewhere past Medicine Hat, heading toward British Columbia in our 28-foot RV, Wynonna.

Every day we're driving 300–400 kilometres, watching the prairies slowly turn into mountains.

This isn't our first cross-Canada road trip. We did it last year, too. So we know exactly what we're getting ourselves into.

Gas.

Campgrounds.

Ferry fees.

Breweries.

Wineries.

The random roadside bakery you absolutely have to stop at.

By the time these eight weeks are over, we'll have spent close to $10,000.

And here's the crazy part.

I'm not stressed about it.

Because almost the entire trip is being paid for by my investments.

Not because I sold anything.

Not because I timed the market.

Simply because I've been consistently investing for years.

The Money Started Working Before I Left

I've been investing since I was 18 in an aggressive, low-fee index ETF portfolio.

Every year, I kept investing.

Every year, I left it alone.

Some of those investments pay dividends.

A dividend is simply a company's way of sharing a portion of its profits with investors. Since my ETFs own thousands of companies, I receive dividend payments throughout the year just for owning them.

This year alone?

I've received almost $9,500 in dividends.

That's nearly enough to cover our entire summer adventure.

While I was sleeping.

While I was working.

While I was driving across Canada.

The money kept showing up.

That's one of my favourite things about investing.

I Don't Spend My Dividends (Even Though I Could)

A lot of people assume dividend payments automatically become spending money.

They don't have to.

Personally, I have my dividends automatically reinvested through something called a Dividend Reinvestment Plan (DRIP).

Instead of the cash landing in my account and sitting there, every dividend automatically buys a little more of the ETF.

No logging in.

No making decisions.

No trying to time the market.

Just more investments quietly compounding over time.

Every dividend buys more shares.

Those shares eventually earn their own dividends.

Which buy even more shares.

That's compound growth doing exactly what it's supposed to do.

This Is Why Starting Early Matters

People often think investing is about finding the next hot stock.

It isn't.

The biggest advantage most investors have isn't stock-picking.

It's time.

The earlier you start, the more years your money has to compound.

Small, consistent investments made over decades can eventually produce meaningful income without requiring you to constantly trade or monitor the market.

That's the boring part of investing.

It's also the part that builds wealth.

You Don't Need a Million Dollars to Start

One of the biggest myths I hear is:

"I'll start investing when I have more money."

The reality?

Most successful investors didn't start with large portfolios.

They started with whatever they could afford.

They stayed consistent.

They ignored the market noise.

And they let time do the heavy lifting.

You don't have to be perfect.

You just have to start.

Imagine What Your Investments Could Pay For

Maybe it isn't an RV trip across Canada.

Maybe it's annual family vacations.

Taking a sabbatical.

Helping your kids through university.

Retiring a few years earlier.

Having the freedom to work because you want to—not because you have to.

That's what investing is really about.

Not watching numbers go up on a screen.

Buying yourself more choices in the future.

Ready to Learn How to Build Your Own Investment Plan?

If dividends, index investing, and compound growth feel confusing, that's exactly what I teach inside The Broad Money Collective.

Inside, you'll learn how to:

• Reduce high-interest debt.

• Master your cash flow.

• Become a confident investor.

• Increase your net worth.

No complicated jargon.

No overwhelming spreadsheets.

Just practical education, real tools, and a community of bad-ass Broads taking control of their financial future together.

Because the goal isn't just to grow your money.

It's to build a life where your money starts working as hard as you do.