TFSA Investors: How to Turn $17 a Day Into More Than $1,000,000

Getting to the first $1,000,000 is the hardest, but going to the next $1,000,000 is much quicker! Here’s how to invest strategically in your TFSA.

| More on:

You think $16.44 a day isn’t much? Perhaps it’d just buy you a meal with a drink. Actually, it can add up quickly — to $115 in a week, $500 in a month, and $6,000 in a year!

$6,000 is this year’s contribution room for the Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA).

If you save and invest $500 a month for 10% total returns compounded annually, you’ll arrive at more than $1,000,000 (specifically, $1,085,660) in 30 years. So, don’t take that $16 and change lightly.

Here are some dividend stocks that I believe will generate more than 10% long-term returns for your TFSA.

Keyera

Right off the bat, Keyera (TSX:KEY) provides a juicy yield of 5.5%, which is protected by a payout ratio of about 60%.

Its return on equity (ROE) has been very impressive. Its five-year ROE is 15%, which is higher than its larger peers’. The consistency of its execution is what sets it apart.

In the last 10 years, its ROE has never fallen below 13%, which are very good returns. It goes to show that management is very picky about where it invests money and only chooses the best projects.

Not surprisingly, the stock has delivered long-term total returns of more than 14% per year since before the last recession about 12 years ago. In the period, it more than doubled its dividend by increasing it 7.9% per year.

$10,000 invested at the start of the period would be more than a five-bagger now. The investment would have generated an initial passive income of $743 and would generate $1,929 of dividend income this year based on the current monthly dividend of $0.16 per share.

This year, Keyera plans to invest $700-$800 million for returns of 10-15%. So, going forward, the undervalued stock can deliver returns of more than 10% per year, when combining its income, growth, and valuation expansion prospects.

Scotiabank

Like Keyera, Bank of Nova Scotia (TSX:BNS)(NYSE:BNS) offers an awesome dividend yield. Its current quarterly dividend of $0.90 per share provides a yield of 4.9%.

Its payout ratio of about 50% gives a big margin of safety to protect the juicy income. Be excited because shareholders should be surprised with a dividend hike soon.

Scotiabank has gone through six years of repositioning to refocus on six core markets that represent 87% of its earnings. The key markets include Canada, the United States, and the Pacific Alliance countries of Colombia, Chile, Peru, and Mexico.

During the multi-year repositioning, incredibly, the bank still managed to increase its adjusted earnings per share by 5.6% per year. However, the stock only appreciated 3% per year.

It’s your opportunity to grab the stock now while it trades at a discount of roughly 15%! Going forward, the undervalued bank stock can deliver returns of more than 10% per year, when combining its income, growth, and valuation expansion prospects.

Investor takeaway

By consistently saving and investing in quality stocks like Keyera and Scotiabank for total returns of 10%, you’ll get to a $1,000,000 TFSA sooner than you think. And from then, going to $2,000,000 will be much quicker. (Specifically, it’d take less than seven years using the same strategy!)

Keyera and Scotiabank’s track record and generous dividend yields will help investors to hold the stocks during downturns. So, they’re the perfect offensive and defensive TFSA holdings!

Should you invest $1,000 in Canadian Natural Resources right now?

Before you buy stock in Canadian Natural Resources, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor Canada analyst team just identified what they believe are the Top Stocks for 2025 and Beyond for investors to buy now… and Canadian Natural Resources wasn’t one of them. The Top Stocks that made the cut could potentially produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider MercadoLibre, which we first recommended on January 8, 2014 ... if you invested $1,000 in the “eBay of Latin America” at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $21,345.77!*

Stock Advisor Canada provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month – one from Canada and one from the U.S. The Stock Advisor Canada service has outperformed the return of S&P/TSX Composite Index by 24 percentage points since 2013*.

See the Top Stocks * Returns as of 4/21/25

This article represents the opinion of the writer, who may disagree with the “official” recommendation position of a Motley Fool premium service or advisor. We’re Motley! Questioning an investing thesis — even one of our own — helps us all think critically about investing and make decisions that help us become smarter, happier, and richer, so we sometimes publish articles that may not be in line with recommendations, rankings or other content.

Fool contributor Kay Ng owns shares of The Bank of Nova Scotia. The Motley Fool recommends BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA.

More on Dividend Stocks

top TSX stocks to buy
Dividend Stocks

This Monthly Income TSX Stock Paying 2.7% Looks Like a Bargain Today

Savaria is a TSX dividend stock that has crushed broader market returns over the past two decades. Is the Canadian…

Read more »

data analyze research
Dividend Stocks

This Canadian Blue-Chip Down 36% Is a Once-in-a-Decade Opportunity 

Rarely does an opportunity come to buy a blue-chip stock at a decade-low price. It helps you catch up on…

Read more »

Silver coins fall into a piggy bank.
Dividend Stocks

Here’s Why at 45, the Average Canadian TFSA and RRSP Isn’t Enough

Get it all with this energy stock that offers dividends now and major future growth.

Read more »

calculate and analyze stock
Dividend Stocks

Where I’d Invest $4,200 in the TSX Today

Take a closer look at these two TSX stocks if you seek long-term wealth growth through your self-directed investment portfolio.

Read more »

A plant grows from coins.
Dividend Stocks

Shelter From Market Storms: 2 Dividend-Growth Stars for Canadian Portfolios

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) and another dividend grower are worth buying on the way down.

Read more »

shopper chooses vegetables at grocery store
Dividend Stocks

1 Relentless Retail Stock Dipping 5% to Buy Now and Hold for Life

This stock is a top choice for investors, with so many of the names you visit every day under its…

Read more »

Hourglass projecting a dollar sign as shadow
Dividend Stocks

Where Will Great-West Lifeco Stock Be in 4 Years?

Great-West Lifeco is a blue-chip dividend stock that trades at a reasonable valuation in 2025. Is the TSX dividend stock…

Read more »

Technology
Dividend Stocks

The Best Canadian Stock to Buy With $5,000 in 2025

If you have $5,000 to invest, then this top choice may be one of the best options out there.

Read more »