Building a house without a blueprint; facing off against the opposing team in the Olympics (Go, Canada, go!) without a strategy; trying to reach a destination without a map. What do these things have in common? There’s no plan, and without a plan, it’s hard to succeed at what you are trying to achieve. Here are three steps you can take to help you achieve your life resolutions.

Step One: Charting your way to success

There's an old saying: “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” And having a plan is crucial when it comes to investing. With the proper strategy in place, you’re more likely to save regularly, build your wealth, and achieve your investment goals over time. Your RBC Dominion Securities (RBC DS) Investment Advisor can work with you to ensure you have a plan that reflects your unique circumstances and needs. And, that your plan is up to date and relevant to your circumstances and market conditions.

Step Two: Turning your dreams into reality – the importance of establishing your goals

New Year’s resolutions are wonderful to make, but the problem is they often fall by the wayside in the face of life’s realities and challenges. Why? There is another old saying that states that a goal without a plan is just a wish. So, taking the time to ensure you have a plan that supports the attainment of your goals is time well spent. Reflecting on what’s important to you and your family, what you want to accomplish or achieve, including short- and long-term goals, is an investment into your future and your financial success.
Goal setting is the first step to building your plan because it provides structure into which you can add your efforts. When it comes to investment planning, goals play an important part in determining your time horizon (in the investment world, this means how long you have to invest and grow your money), and the level of risk you need to or can take (establishing the appropriate mix of assets in your portfolio), while also helping to keep you focused on the plan and avoiding common investor pitfalls (i.e., reacting to short-term gyrations or volatility in the market).

Step Three: Putting your resolution into action

After establishing your goals and building the right plan – customized and personalized just for you in partnership with your Investment Advisor – the next step is putting your plan into action. Your Investment Advisor can help keep your plan on track by following the fundamentals of successful investing:

• Invest early: Time is one the most powerful allies or elements of your investment plan. Investing early affords you the ability to stay invested through difficult down periods in markets, knowing you have years or even decades to recover and benefit from periodic and historically normal market volatility.
• Invest regularly: A regular investment plan allows you to choose when and how often you make contributions to ensure that investing remains a priority throughout the year. And, investing regularly through a Regular Investment Plan (RIP) means never having to think about the “when” and the “what” – contributions are set-up to come out of your bank account so you adapt your cash flow to accommodate, and never have to ask yourself what you should do.

• Invest enough: When you know what you are trying to achieve, and have a plan to achieve it, you and your Investment Advisor can assess how much you need to save and grow your savings to reach your goals within your desired timeframe. This also allows for a calibrated and thoughtful approach to saving, freeing you to allocate your hard-earned dollars in the smartest and most effective ways towards other financial goals, like debt repayment.
• Diversify: This means managing the risk and return potential of your portfolio by investing across a variety of asset classes, sectors, companies, and geographic regions, instead of focusing on a few, and missing important opportunities, risk management and growth opportunities. It also means having the appropriate assets to meet your lifestyle goals and needs, like creating enough cashflow from your portfolio to meet your retirement spending needs.
• Get (good) advice: Your Investment Advisor works in your best interest, providing you with impartial, transparent and clear recommendations for your investment portfolio by helping you identify your objectives, risk tolerance and time horizon, along with any other unique and important priorities. From there, they can build your portfolio with these factors in mind, designed to help ensure you achieve your goals in the most effective and efficient way for you.

Resolve to get on – or stay on – track

With a new year upon us, now is an excellent time to check in with your Investment Advisor. You should also plan to do so when important things happen in your life, like a new job, getting married, divorced or having children. This helps ensure that:

• Your plan is updated to reflect any changes to your goals
• Your existing investment holdings are reviewed and you get update son how they are performing
• You are on track to reach your goals, and if not, work with your IA to get them back on track
• You monitor and adjust your portfolio needs

Resolving to establish or review your portfolio and your investment plan is a great way to kick off the year – and working with your trusted RBC DS Investment Advisor will put your mind at ease that you are on the path to achieving your most important life goals. Talk to your Investment Advisor – they are just a call or a click away.

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This information is not investment advice and should be used only in conjunction with a discussion with your RBC Dominion Securities Inc. Investment Advisor. This will ensure that your own circumstances have been considered properly and that any action is taken based upon the latest available information. The strategies and advice in this report are provided for general guidance. Readers should consult their own Investment Advisor when planning to implement a strategy. Interest rates, market conditions, special offers, tax rulings, and other investment factors are subject to change. The information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable at the time obtained but neither RBC Dominion Securities Inc. nor its employees, agents, or information suppliers can guarantee its accuracy or completeness. This report is not and under no circumstances is to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities. This report is furnished on the basis and understanding that neither RBC Dominion Securities Inc. nor its employees, agents, or information suppliers is to be under any responsibility or liability whatsoever in respect thereof. The inventories of RBC Dominion Securities Inc. may from time to time include securities mentioned herein.

RBC Dominion Securities Inc.* and Royal Bank of Canada are separate corporate entities which are affiliated. *Member-Canadian Investor Protection Fund. RBC Dominion Securities Inc. is a member company of RBC Wealth Management, a business segment of Royal Bank of Canada. ® / ™ Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under licence. © RBC Dominion Securities Inc. (2026). All rights reserved.