How to Supercharge Your RRSP Fund as a Recession Looms

NFI (TSX:NFI) stock has been beaten down over numerous issues, but there is hope for long-term-thinking RRSP investors.

| More on:

The recent volatility hailstorm shouldn’t derail your Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) fund if you’ve got a long-term mindset. Remember, by being an investor, you’re signing up for the good days and bad. The bear market of 2022 won’t drag on forever. Odds are, it’ll serve as a magnificent entry point in the grander scheme of things. Now, that doesn’t mean you’ll catch the bottom.

That’s virtually impossible for everyone who can’t see the future. With a dollar-cost averaging (DCA) approach and a disciplined mindset, you can obtain a pretty good cost basis on the way down. Heck, it may even come close to the bottom, as you continue lowering your average price paid with every major leg lower in markets.

Your RRSP is meant for retirement (or buying a home), so if you’re a young investor who’s got many years or decades to invest, you should not let days like Tuesday get you down. For long-term investors, such days are actually desired so that you can pick up more of what you love at lower prices.

Indeed, money managers who need to show consistent gains year after year will dread such big down days. But for RRSP investors, treat it as any big sale on merchandise. If you see something you like, pick up a few shares. If not, there’s no harm in doing absolutely nothing as you wait for the storm to calm.

How to supercharge your RRSP: Buy as others sell!

To supercharge your RRSP, though, you should at least think about nibbling into high-quality, blue-chip stocks that Mr. Market may have completely wrong. You see, when panic and fear are in Bay and Wall Street, sometimes good merchandise gets unfairly dragged lower.

What about those positive developments that induced a rally the week prior? Those tend to be too quickly forgotten by fearful investors. So, if you’ve got the temperament, buying big down days can jolt your RRSP’s long-term returns. But you’ve got to be willing to take a bit of pain and deal with the discomfort that comes with hitting the “buy” button, when so many others around you are selling. It’s not easy to be contrarian, especially when markets are in free fall. That said, it can be tremendously rewarding.

At this juncture, I’m a fan of NFI (TSX:NFI) on the dip.

NFI

NFI is a bus maker that’s under a tremendous amount of pressure, down 53% over the past year and around 77% from its all-time high hit back in 2018. It’s been a difficult drag for the firm, as orders have been quite muted. As a cyclical firm, NFI is bound to face ongoing sales pressure once the recession arrives. With a boatload of debt ($950 million in net debt for a $1.07 billion company) weighing down the balance sheet, NFI finds itself in a tough spot, as rates rise and orders take a hit.

Indeed, things seem bleak for the firm. Still, over the long haul, I think NFI will see better days, as orders pick up and localities look to electrify their fleets. NFI is a stealthy way to play the electric bus boom. Until it can boom again, supply chain hiccups will need to be resolved, and the firm will need to make it through a recession year.

In any case, the stock goes for just 1.1 times price to book, making it a deep-value play on the TSX. There’s a 1.53% dividend yield that I think management should cut if it slogs through 2023.

Fool contributor Joey Frenette has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends NFI Group.

More on Investing

tsx today
Stock Market

TSX Today: What to Watch for in Stocks on Friday, March 27

The TSX pulled back sharply after a three-day rally, but a rebound in commodities could help stabilize sentiment at the…

Read more »

gold prices rise and fall
Tech Stocks

The Only 3 Stocks I’d Consider Buying in March 2026

March 2026 presents unique stock opportunities amid AI spending and geopolitical tensions. Learn which stocks to watch.

Read more »

RRSP (Registered Retirement Savings Plan) on wooden blocks and Canadian one hundred dollar bills.
Dividend Stocks

2 Dividend Stocks I’d Buy and Never Sell in an RRSP

Enbridge (TSX:ENB) stock and other proven dividend heavyweights to keep holding as a part of a top-notch RRSP income portfolio.

Read more »

Couple working on laptops at home and fist bumping
Dividend Stocks

1 Dividend Great I’d Buy Over Telus or BCE Stock Today

Explore the impact of regulations on BCE's and Telus's dividends. Here is a better dividend alternative for investors.

Read more »

dividend stocks are a good way to earn passive income
Dividend Stocks

2 Dividend Stocks for Canadian Investors to Hold Through Retirement

These companies have increased their dividends annually for decades.

Read more »

slow sloth in Costa Rica
Dividend Stocks

2 No-Brainer Dividend Stocks to Buy Hand Over Fist

Cargojet and Spin Master are two dividend stocks built for long-term growth. Here's why Canadian investors should consider buying both…

Read more »

dividend stocks bring in passive income so investors can sit back and relax
Investing

The Best Stocks to Buy With $1,000 Right Now

If you have $1,000 sitting on the sidelines, the current volatility in the TSX is the opportunity you’ve been waiting…

Read more »

young adult uses credit card to shop online
Dividend Stocks

3 Stocks to Double Up on Right Now

These three top Canadian stocks could double your investment in the years to come with their strong fundamentals, reliable dividends,…

Read more »