The Best of 2025: Maclean’s Top 10 Money Stories

A lethal combination of inflation, housing costs and Trump-induced chaos tightened Canadians’ wallets this year. Jeni Gunn, a writer in B.C. wrote a funny and eye-opening memoir about what it’s like to be a secret member of Canada’s working poor, living off gig work and hiding her money struggles from her wealthier friends. Courtney Shea, meanwhile, investigated Canada’s doom spenders: a generation of young people so nihilistic about their financial futures that they’re racking up thousands of dollars in debt. We also documented the precipitous condo crash in Canada’s biggest cities, talked to overqualified university grads who can’t find jobs and even heard from a millionaire who wants to pay more taxes. Here, our top money stories of 2025.

NO. 10

Why Is Vancouver So Insanely Expensive?

The city has built homes faster than any other in North America, but it’s still the priciest place to live on the continent.

By Patrick Condon

NO. 9

I’m a Millionaire. Tax Me More, Please.

Wealthy Canadians like me can afford to pay extra for the greater good

By Avi Bryant

NO. 8

Canada Protects Banks From Fraud. Why Not Investors?

One scam can erase a lifetime of savings. A compensation fund can bring some of it back.

By Jean-Paul Bureaud

NO. 7

Give Canadian Kids $10,000 at Birth

Children are expensive. Government-managed investment accounts would give everyone a leg up.

By Joe Canavan

NO. 6

The Secret Tax on Being Single

More than 15 million Canadians are single. Why are we being charged for it?

By Renée Sylvestre-Williams

NO. 4

The Condo Crash

For years, low interest rates fuelled a big-city condo-flipping frenzy. Profits got bigger and condos got smaller. Now the bubble has popped, leaving behind thousands of unsellable, unlivable units.

By Ali Amad

NO. 2

The Doom Spenders

Faced with an uncertain future, young Canadians are racking up more debt than ever before. Portrait of a generation on the instalment plan.

By Courtney Shea

NO. 1

The Rich List

There’s a new billionaire topping our list this year. Here are Canada’s 40 wealthiest people—and how they made their money.

Research by Sandy Yong
Produced by Claire Gagné
Written by Alex Cyr, Claire Sibonney, Charlie Wagner-Chazalon and Caitlin Walsh Miller
Photo illustrations by Lauren Cattermole