Our story

After retiring as a commercial consultant, I needed a project. As a long-time DIY investor, I couldn't understand why there wasn't a community, with practical software tools, that promoted sound investing practices. Investing isn't taught in school, and I had made plenty of avoidable mistakes along the way. I enjoy a technical challenge, so I started piecing together a vision of what such a community could be.

My investment mistakes included not taking saving and investing seriously enough when I was young, buying high-cost mutual funds, and working with an expensive wealth advisor. Eventually, after a great deal of research, I became a DIY investor and wrote my first investment plan in 2006. It was time to get serious.

Asset allocation, risk management and low-cost index ETFs became the foundation of my investment strategy. I built a series of spreadsheets to track my portfolio, measure performance and rebalance as things changed. When the markets crashed in 2008, I was able to stay calm because I knew that market downturns were an inevitable part of investing. By sticking to my plan through 2026, I had more than doubled the goals I had set in 2006.

Then came the ultimate spreadsheet challenge: How do you turn accumulated assets into sustainable retirement income?

My situation was more complicated because I also own a holding company with considerable investment assets. The tax implications were daunting. After many months of research and analysis, I finally had a solution. But I realized I couldn't be the only DIY investor facing this problem.

In 2024, we formed Lexarry Financial Management Ltd. with the goal of creating a home for DIY investors. Our goal is to provide the tools, information and community support you need to make better investment decisions throughout your investment journey.

The bottom line is this: being a DIY investor doesn't mean doing it alone. You need good tools, good information and the opportunity to learn from others, from your first dollar invested through retirement and, ultimately, the transfer of your wealth to the next generation.

Spreadsheets have their limits. If we learn from each other and work together, I believe we can do better.

I hope you'll join the Portfolio Club—and help us build something that makes all of us better investors.