Brandon is 28 years old and makes $75,000 working part-time as a registered nurse. Due to his declining mental health, he opted to stop full-time work to protect his family during the pandemic. Now with vaccine rates increasing in Canada, less COVID-19 patients in the unit, he’s seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. His next mission? Move out of his parent’s home.

Evy speaks with financial adviser Jason Heath for recommendations.

All of our participants have been granted anonymity, and so we’ll be using voice actors for their quotes.

If you would like to support the journalism of the Toronto Star, you can subscribe at thestar.com/subscribingmatters.