***SUCCESS STORY***

Dear Team Ivey,

A few year ago, I was doing everything “right.” Great job. Excellent salary. Savings piling up in the bank. But one day I just stopped and asked myself: “What's my life building up to right now?”

Seriously. Numbers on a banking database. That's all I had. Meanwhile, in the real world? Zero. No ownership. No assets. Nothing that was actually mine.

And I realized… I was working immensely hard to make a big real-world impact for my employer — but my own life was stuck on pause.

And then it smacked me in the face: in a capitalist world, you don't get truly wealthy by being a better employee. You get truly wealthy by owning income generating assets (owning capital).

This is how I began to think. I can own one asset, two assets, ten assets — and they all make money at the same time. But my job? One job. One salary. That's it. That's the ceiling. And I thought: “Wait a second, could it be that I've been living with a ceiling over my head this whole time and calling it a career.”

So I changed the script. I became an owner of a condo in Toronto.

The first time I held the keys to my own property? It was like stepping into another dimension. Day one — and BOOM — real income started hitting me. Not theoretical, not “one day”… actual money. I went from being just another guy with a salary to being a landlord with cash flow overnight.

And the wildest part? While I was at work, my investment was at work too. I'd be in a meeting and catch myself thinking: “That Toronto condo is literally earning for me right now while I'm stuck in this PowerPoint.”

That's when it clicked: wealthy people don't just “work harder.” They run multiple streams in parallel. That's how they get rich per unit of time. And here I was, finally playing their game.

And honestly, the other thought that had haunted me was this: “If I don't get a property now while I'm earning… when will I?” That question burned me until I made the move.

SA, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia




***OUR COMMENTS***
 

You've brought up some fantastic points here…

The first thing that really stands out is:

"Numbers on a screen weren't enough — I wasn't actually building wealth."

Those words are key. Most people think a salary and some savings is enough. But the truth? Real wealth comes from owning assets. They earn for you while you sleep, and you can own multiple at the same time. That realization changes everything.

We also loved what you said about:

"While I was still working my job, my investment was at work too."

This is HUGE. Wealth is built in parallel streams. Many expats excel at their job and think that's it. The moment you understand and act on parallel income, you start playing the game on another level.

If you're reading this and thinking: “I want to own some real world assets, not just numbers on a bank's database,” then the next step is simple — take action now.

Check out our guide on how to get started as a property owner for Canadian Expats and create your own streams of income:

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Don't wait — your future self will thank you.
 

***P.S. If you'd like to send us your own Success Story, Question, or Comment, here's how to do it:

1) Keep it short and real. Two paragraphs max.

2) Tell us what insights you've had about your expat story before you ask your question. (Yes, we love hearing “this was really great” — but the specifics matter more. That's what helps other expats see what's possible in their own situation.)

3) If you have a Success Story, write “Success Story” in the subject line of your email. Those are the ones we read first.

4) At the end of your note, drop your initials and where you're currently based (always fun to see where these are coming in from).

Send it to us by just hitting “reply” to this email.

Thanks,
Ivey Investments