A Tax-Free Financial savings Account (TFSA) feels bulletproof till markets get bizarre. In 2026, “safety” means greater than hiding in money. You need room to breathe when volatility spikes, and also you need your holdings to do helpful work whilst you wait. Deal with diversification, money era, and valuation. If a place wants excellent situations to look good, it could flip a TFSA right into a stress check. So, let’s have a look at one transfer to think about.
The transfer
Right here’s one easy transfer that may shield you this yr: swap one high-hype holding for a worthwhile Canadian compounder that pays you whilst you wait. A gradual dividend plus buybacks can soften drawdowns, and it can provide you money to reinvest when costs dip. Whenever you receives a commission to carry, you panic much less.
This transfer additionally forces self-discipline round place sizing. Choose a single “anchor” inventory, set it as a core slice of the TFSA, and cease tinkering with it each time headlines change. Do it as soon as, then go away it alone for a full yr until the basics break. You continue to preserve development names, however you stability them with one thing that may grind by means of a sluggish economic system.
If you wish to preserve it really easy, reinvest the earnings mechanically. A dividend-reinvestment plan (DRIP) inside a TFSA turns volatility into extra shares with none additional effort. You add on schedule, you accumulate the dividend, and also you let compounding do its quiet factor. Over time, that reinvested money turns into dry powder with out you timing something.
GSY
goeasy (TSX:GSY) suits the “anchor” concept as a result of it runs a lending enterprise that may keep worthwhile even when sentiment turns. It lends to Canadians with near-prime to non-prime credit score by means of easyfinancial, and it additionally affords point-of-sale financing by means of LendCare. The corporate earns curiosity earnings, manages credit score losses, and scales distribution by means of branches and digital channels.
The previous yr examined investor confidence. In September 2025, a short-seller alleged hidden losses and questioned credit score metrics, and the inventory took a success. Over the yr, its market cap additionally fell sharply, which left it buying and selling extra like a “downside” than a compounder. In December 2025, goeasy introduced a CEO transition, with Patrick Ens taking up on Jan. 1, 2026, and it renewed its regular course issuer bid quickly after.
Earnings confirmed each the power and the stress factors. Within the third quarter (Q3) of 2025, goeasy reported income of $440 million, up 15% yr over yr, and working earnings of $166 million. Diluted earnings per share (EPS) got here in at $1.98, whereas adjusted diluted EPS was $4.12. Credit score high quality stayed entrance and centre, with a internet charge-off price of 8.9%, barely higher than the prior yr. Trying ahead, the bull case rests on managed development, not heroic assumptions. If it retains increasing its mortgage e-book whereas holding losses in verify, earnings can rebound, and the market can re-rate it. The bear case stays apparent: a deeper shopper downturn can push delinquencies increased, compress margins, and pressure tighter underwriting that slows development.
Backside line
So, might or not it’s a purchase for others? Sure, if you’d like a TFSA anchor with actual earnings energy, a significant dividend, and a valuation that doesn’t assume perfection. In actual fact, its dividend sits at 4.53% at writing, so right here’s what even $7,000 can herald.
| COMPANY | RECENT PRICE | NUMBER OF SHARES | ANNUAL DIVIDEND | ANNUAL TOTAL PAYOUT | FREQUENCY | TOTAL INVESTMENT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GSY | $129.04 | 54 | $5.84 | $315.36 | Quarterly | $6,978.16 |
Nonetheless, it might be a no in the event you can not tolerate credit-cycle threat, as a result of even a well-run lender can look ugly in a recession. The easy TFSA transfer will not be “purchase goeasy.” It’s constructing an income-plus-compounding cushion, and goeasy is one candidate that may try this job in 2026.
