I’ve been on this financial independence journey living with a disability for about a decade now.
I started 2018. I went back and looked at my youtube playlists and organized things into a podcast.
It is wild. 
So the quick back story is that I’m on Canadian disability benefits specifically first it is the Ontario Disability Support Program then Canada launched the Canada Disability benefit after 5 years of protesting and advocacy in the pandemic which will be a whopping $204.20 a month July 2026.
Starting from July 2025 it was $200 a month and one Canadian province Alberta clawbacks this amount from their provincial disability program called AISH or ADAP. They made some horrible changes for their people with disabilities.
Whatever you get from AISH or ADAP they will reduce it by the amount of the CDB to balance out and keep you in poverty.
I live in Ontario the premier exempt it.
I think he did that to not seem like a bad guy.
Short Example: A single person (not married and no children) on ODSP if they have market rent or a mortgage. The shelter allowance is $599 and basic living $809 so they would get $1,408 then if they have the DTC (Disability Tax Credit) and then apply for the CDB they would get the $200 a month (indexed to inflation) but it is going to be $204.20 July 2026.
ODSP will increase by 1.9% July 2026 That is the increase on the shelter $599 and basic living $809 then if there are people on ODSP who are able to work, work is optional and voluntary they could also get $100 added on. if they earned net income $100.
I hate this circus 
Anyway I met with my financial planner he is all impressed with how I’m doing based how I started with a negative net worth I got on ODSP 2011. Met my CFP 2012 and now my net worth is over 100,000 and the kicker is I’m still eligible for ODSP. so now I must save and investment outside of their exempt assets which is annoying policy rules that I follow until I’m stable enough to send in my written request to leave ODSP.
My nervous system is calm.
I work in a contraversial industry that I hear is over saturated but I can not tell I work from home for 23 years and counting I never see the other people in the adult industry unless I venture out of the country to an industry event that means saving for international travel.
I’m soo bored with my investments 
The way my financial planner explains the economy and the performance of my portfolio and how what is happening in the USA affects my portfolio. It is like listening to Charlie Brown, then I leave his office and I get back to work so that I can add more money to my investments. 
That is the whole thing about investing why did I take so long, right I got a life changing diagnosis and became disabled and that made this whole process have a huge delay with obstacles and bureaucractic red tape.
But I do remember before I started I had nothing saved for retirement (April 2017 I was 32) and if I did nothing I will remain in disability poverty which is a lot Canadians with disabilities estimates 4 million ages 15 and older have a disability. Which is about 27% of the population and every government disability income program is 50-60% below the poverty line.
I have MS Summer 2025 I had a horrible horrible relapse that affected the functioning of my hands, arms and back the “MS hug”. Where I needed in home assistance and it was rejected because according to the home visit the nurse she thought I was not disabled enough.
So that activated me to work harder with muscle spasms to build my savings and investments and while I had the relapse I went into more debt to cover what I was rejected for by the Ontario Canadian government.
Family helped a little, but they gave me a lot of ableism, judgement, gashlight, and stigma about it. Then my mother eventually realized how serious my diagnosis of MS is. I also live with bipolar disorder, ADHD, OCD, PTSD, CPTSD, and we are working on lowering my cholestoral and the feet swelling hyperlympdema has stopped or it is less.
But since then I switched DMT - covered by the government, and I switched neurologist, who I see in the fall for a follow up and my blood work is good and I just ordered myself a spin bike paid with my tax credits that was set to be a lump sum in 2024 tax year filed in 2025 then arrived in 2026.
So my brain has a very hard time with the “I’m doing well” compliment.
Details to show you how I don’t see how I am doing well. but the investments say so.