About this episode

Hanif Bayat discusses the Canadian economy and housing market, sharing insights from his experience as the founder of WOWA.ca.

Our guest this episode is Hanif Bayat — founder and CEO of WOWA.ca, one of Canada's largest personal finance platforms. A former quantitative analyst at BMO and RBC with a Ph.D. in theoretical chemical physics from the University of Toronto, Hanif left banking in 2018 to build WOWA into a resource of over 1,000 calculators, guides and market reports now used by millions of Canadians every year. In this episode, Dave and Hanif dive into the state of the Canadian economy, starting with the story behind WOWA and how it grew into a platform reaching millions of page views. They explore the drivers of Canada's housing affordability crisis, why asset prices have climbed so far beyond the Consumer Price Index, and how loose monetary policy has reshaped what Canadians can actually afford. Along the way, Hanif shares his perspective on policy solutions for Canada's real estate market, the looming US debt, the lack of financial knowledge among consumers, and where the mortgage industry stands today. Whether you're trying to make sense of Canada's housing market or curious about the bigger economic forces shaping your finances, this episode is packed with sharp analysis and practical…

People in this episode

Host: Dave

Guest: Hanif Bayat

Topics covered

• Macroeconomics
• Entrepreneurship
• Housing Affordability
• Personal Finance
• Monetary Policy
• Financial Knowledge

Keywords

• Canada
• housing market
• WOWA
• macroeconomics
• entrepreneurship
• financial literacy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: WOWA.ca, BMO, RBC

Books & works: The Wealthy Barber Podcast

Places: Canada, US, University of Toronto

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• #63 — Sandi Martin: Financial Lessons from One of Canada’s First Advice-Only Planners · July 7, 2026 · 49 min
• #62 — Ben Rabidoux (Returns): Canada’s Real Estate Outlook in 2026 · June 23, 2026 · 51 min
• #61 — Andrea Thompson: The Growth of Advice-Only Planning & Cross-Border Tips · June 16, 2026 · 52 min

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