My Long-Term Investment Strategy for Financial Freedom
I’ll be sharing the exact investment approach I’m using, why I believe in it, and why it’s worked for so many everyday people before me.
This isn’t a get-rich-quick strategy - This isn’t day trading - This isn’t about timing the market or picking the next hot stock.
This is about long-term, boring, consistent investing—the kind of strategy that quietly builds wealth over time.
And honestly, this approach comes directly from what we’ve seen work again and again inside the financial independence space. Regular people. Average incomes. No special insider knowledge.
So if you’re someone who wants financial freedom without constantly stressing about markets, this episode is for you.
What financial freedom means to me
Before I talk about investments, I want to define what financial freedom actually means to me. For me, financial freedom isn’t about luxury cars or massive houses. It’s about options.
It’s about:
Not being forced to work a job I hate
Having control over my time
Being able to say no when I want to
And knowing my money is working harder than I am
The key thing I’ve learned is this: Financial freedom isn’t built overnight—it’s built through systems and consistency. That’s where my investment strategy comes in.
Why I choose the long term Approach
Almost a decade ago I remember closing on my condo, having 40k in savings and watching a disappear in 3 months
My dream of buying my s2000 was gone from having to pay for closing on my condo (those expenses get you), paying for a dental implant and having to get straight with my taxes . I had to get myself in financial shape to pay off prior taxes.
After all these events I was like damn; what's going on, your boy cant get ahead.
That when I asked myself the question: How can I get ahead and what’s the key to financial stability.
Starting the youtube search and alot of Dave Ramsey's videos popped up. Other financial thoughts leaders such as Ramit Seti, Graham Stephan, The Wallstreet trapper, David Bach and a Canadian youtuber Brandon Beavis. It was good to get some input about personal finance from a Canadian perspective.
My favourite and probably most down to earth and relatable content was from a youtube channel titled: Our reach journey. This was a husband and wife with 2 kid that reached financial freedom with 8 years
Our Rich Journey
I was also reading a lot to find answers as well. Some of my favourite books are The latte factor by David Bach, Everyday Millionaires by Chirs Hogan and the classic Psychology and Money by Morgan Housel.
The book that had the biggest impact on me was Playing With F.I.R.E. by Scott Rieckens. It goes through a famlies 1 year transformation in getting their finances together after discovering the F.I.R.E. movement.
With reading that book and consuming information from the our Rich journey youtube channel, that introduced me to the F.I.R.E movement and their investing style that had worked for thousands of people to achieve financial freedom.
In my opinion, most people don’t fail financially because they don’t make enough money.
They fail because they:
Chase hype
Overcomplicate investing
Or give up too early
I didn’t want investing to feel like a second job.
I wanted a system where:
I could invest consistently
Stay invested during good and bad markets
And let time do the heavy lifting
That’s why I chose long-term ETF investing. This approach removes emotion and guesswork. It allows me to focus on earning, saving, and living my life.
My Core ETF Strategy
Most people who achieve F.I.R.E stick a simple investing strategy. They invest in the total US stock market.
90-95% of day traders lose money by trying to pick the big winners and score big returns. Just investing steadily in the whole US stock market, would give you an average return of10%.
A very popular fund for people seeking F.I.R.E. is the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index fund - or in short: VTSAX. Our rich journey claims that fund help them tremendously achieve fire.
Others also recommend a s&p 500 ETF which is another popular choice for long term investors.
Just like the F.I.R.E. strategy, I’m following and doing the same. Well sort of.
I’m heavily invested in the US stock market but in a mix of three funds.
The first is a US Total stock market ETF from blackrock. The ticker symbol for the fund is XUU.TO.
Instead of betting on one company, I’m betting on:
American innovation
Business growth
And the overall economy long term
Historically, the U.S. stock market has rewarded patient investors. There are downturns, crashes, recessions—but over decades, the trend has always moved upward.
The second fund is a s&p 500 ETF from Vanguard. The ticket symbol is my VFV.TO.
This a staple for most Canadians investors. By owning an S&P 500 ETF, I’m automatically invested in leaders across technology, healthcare, finance, consumer goods, and more.
The last ETF is a Nasdaq 100 ETF from blackrock. The ticker symbol is XQQ.TO.
The Nasdaq 100 is an index which includes 100 of the world's largest non-financial companies listed on the broader Nasdaq sharemarket, based on their market capitalization.
The Nasdaq-100 is heavily weighted toward innovative and technology-driven companies. These are the businesses shaping how we live, work, and communicate.
Yes, it’s more volatile and yes, it moves more during downturns.
But long term, innovation has been one of the strongest wealth-creating forces in history.
I’m willing to accept short-term volatility for long-term growth.
Why This Strategy Works for me and I think It can work for average people
This is the part I think most people underestimate. This strategy works because it’s simple.
You don’t need:
Insider information
Perfect timing
Or a finance degree
You need:
Consistent investing
Time
And discipline
Most people in the financial independence space didn’t become wealthy from crazy stock picks.
They became wealthy by:
Investing every paycheck
Increasing contributions as income grew
Staying invested during crashes
And not panicking when markets dropped
To wrap this up, my investment strategy is simple on purpose.
I focus on:
Long-term ETF investing
Broad market exposure
Consistency over perfection
And patience over hype
This strategy has helped millions of everyday people move closer to financial freedom—and I believe it can do the same for anyone willing to stay the course.
