Canadian money, explained by someone who actually does taxes.
I’m ML Jallow in Ottawa. I file taxes for a living, and I invest in public — follow my $250 case study as it happens. Finance Snapshot is where I break down TFSAs, FHSAs, RRSPs, ETFs and tax season in plain language, with no US advice that doesn’t apply here.
Education only — not financial advice. See the disclaimer at the bottom of the page.
TAX SEASON IS COMING
Deadlines, slips, FHSA and RRSP room, and the mistakes I see every spring. Start here if taxes are the thing stressing you out.
I ONLY HAVE A LITTLE TO INVEST
I run a $250 Questrade account to share the journey — documented video by video. See what I buy, why, and what I get wrong.
WHICH ACCOUNT FIRST?
TFSA, FHSA or RRSP? The answer depends on whether you’re buying a first home, your income this year, and when you’ll need the money. I walk through how I decide.
Hi, I’m Momodou Jallow — everyone calls me ML.
I live in Ottawa. By day I work in healthcare settings. On the side — and honestly, it’s the work I love most — I run City Tax Filing, my bookkeeping and tax business. I started doing taxes in 2025 and looked after about 100 clients in my first tax season. I’m a CRA-registered representative with EFILE and RepID credentials, and I specialise in personal returns (T1), self-employed returns (T2125), GST/HST filings, and corporate returns (T2).
I hold a Business Administration Management degree. That mix is why this site sounds the way it does: I spend my days with people who work hard for their money, and I got tired of Canadian finance advice that was either American, vague, or trying to sell something.
So I started Finance Snapshot, and I started showing my face on camera — which, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t comfortable with at first. Everything here is me learning, filing, and investing in the open. If I get something wrong, I’ll say so in the next post.
— Momodou Jallow (ML)
I put $250 of my own money into Questrade. Here’s what happened.
In September 2026 I started a $250 case study in a Questrade account — not to get rich, and not to prove a point. I’ve been investing for a while and I’ve seen the benefits firsthand, so I’m sharing the journey as it happens: what I buy and why, the fees I pay, what confuses me, and what I’d do differently — so you can follow along.
Every step is documented on TikTok and written up here: what I chose and why, what fees I paid, what confused me, and what I’d do differently. Some picks will be boring. That’s kind of the point — boring, regular, and Canadian is how most of us will actually build anything.
This is a personal case study for education. It is not a recommendation to buy anything I bought.
| Topic | What the reader gets |
|---|---|
| Investing basics | How investing works at all — accounts, risk, and why cash under the mattress loses value. |
| ETFs | What an ETF is, what MER means, and how to compare two funds without a finance degree. |
| Dividends | What a dividend actually is, when VFV and similar funds pay, and why it isn’t free money. |
| FHSA | Who qualifies, how room builds, and the December 31 rule that catches first-home buyers out. |
| TFSA | Contribution room, why withdrawing in December vs January matters, and the over-contribution trap. |
| RRSP | When an RRSP beats a TFSA, when it doesn’t, and the March deadline. |
| Saving & budgeting | Systems that survive shift work and irregular pay — not budgets that assume a perfect month. |
| Taxes | T1s, T2125s for the self-employed, credits people miss, and what to do before year-end. |
| My $250 account | The case study itself — every decision, in order, with the receipts. |
Before December 31, 2026: the Canadian tax moves that actually have a deadline
Most “year-end tax tips” lists are recycled. These aren’t — FHSA room, RESP grants, and TFSA timing all turn on what you do before December 31, and I see the missed versions of all three every tax season. Here’s the short list, in the order I’d do them.
Short videos first. Written backup when you need it.
I post the short version on TikTok — a myth, a mistake, a hard truth, a how-to. Every video that needs receipts gets a written version here, with the numbers, links and the fuller explanation that won’t fit in 60 seconds.
Reading about it is one thing. Getting it filed is another.
Finance Snapshot is education. If you’d rather have it done for you, my business City Tax Filing handles personal returns (T1), self-employed returns (T2125 — $150 if your books are done, $300 if they’re not), corporate returns (T2, from $500), monthly and catch-up bookkeeping, and payroll and HST filing — by appointment in Ottawa, or remotely.
One short email when there’s something worth your time.
No daily tips, no spam, no “10 stocks to buy now.” Just the new case-study update, the seasonal deadline you shouldn’t miss, and the one post I’d read if I only had five minutes. That’s it.
Finance Snapshot is for education and general information only. It is not financial, investment, tax, or legal advice for your specific situation, and nothing here creates a client relationship. Tax rules and contribution limits change — check the Canada Revenue Agency or speak to a qualified professional before you act. If ML / City Tax Filing files for you as a client, that work is covered by a separate engagement.
Finance Snapshot is written by Momodou Jallow (ML), Ottawa. Tax services are offered separately through City Tax Filing — citytaxfiling.ca.