Project how a TFSA, RRSP or FHSA could grow with regular deposits, using a return after fees, and compare scenarios side by side.
This projector compounds monthly: each month the balance grows by one-twelfth of the annual return you enter, then your contribution is added. Enter a return after fees (for example an assumed 6% gross return minus a 1.5% MER gives 4.5%). Every return figure is an assumption, not a forecast; markets do not grow in straight lines.
Reading the results: the projected balance is what the account would hold. A TFSA withdrawal and a qualifying FHSA withdrawal for a first home are tax-free, so the last line equals the balance. An RRSP or RRIF balance is fully taxable when it comes out: multiply the projected balance by (1 − your expected marginal rate in retirement) for a rough after-tax figure, and remember the RRSP contributions were made with pre-tax dollars, so compare like with like.
Worked example (illustrative): $10,000 already invested, $500 a month for 25 years at 4.5% after fees grows to roughly $307,000, of which $160,000 is contributions. Rerun at 5.75% (the same gross return with a 0.25% MER instead of 1.5%) and the balance is roughly $375,000: about $68,000 of difference from fees alone.
Limits: the projector ignores contribution limits, inflation, withholding on foreign dividends and taxes. Check that your monthly amount fits your room: $7,000 a year in a TFSA for 2026, and your RRSP deduction limit on your notice of assessment.
Limits, Fees and 2026 Account Rules
How 2026 RRSP room is built from 18% of 2025 earned income up to $33,810, the pension adjustment, carry-forward, the March 1, 2027 deadline and contributing in kind.
Limits, Fees and 2026 Account Rules
A practical 2026 overview of the RRSP, TFSA, FHSA and RRIF: limits, who each account suits, how withdrawals work, fees, protection and the Quebec differences.
Limits, Fees and 2026 Account Rules
How TFSA room builds from age 18, the yearly limits since 2009, how withdrawals come back, worked room calculations and how to reconcile CRA My Account with your records.
Worked Scenarios and Checklists
A decision order for registered accounts at seven life stages, from student to retiree, covering employer matches, first homes, irregular income, parents and pre-retirees.
