When I first started writing about the Smith Manoeuvre nearly two decades ago, I had no idea it would strike such a chord with Canadian DIY investors. What started as a fairly niche discussion about turning regular mortgage debt into tax-deductible investment debt has turned into one of the most-read articles on Million Dollar Journey. As you can see, this Smith Manoeuvre guide now has hundreds of comments, questions, debates, and real-life examples from readers across Canada.

I began using the Smith Manoeuvre myself back in 2007, which was almost comically bad timing in hindsight. If you were trying to pick a moment to start borrowing against your home to invest in stocks, “right before the global financial crisis” probably…