Oh, hi again. Before we jump into today’s newsletter, I’m looking to speak with retirees who rely mostly on CPP and OAS for their retirement income for an upcoming story. If that’s you, or someone you know, please e-mail me at mraman@globeandmail.com

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming. Today we’re talking about the gamification of investing… and what that could mean for buying and selling stocks.

When someone brings up managing money or personal finance, the first thing that comes to mind probably isn’t: This is going to be fun. But that might be starting to change.

You may have noticed that more investing platforms now have elements that feel a little like a game. Maybe it’s a satisfying sound when you make a trade, a progress bar showing your portfolio growth, or even a leaderboard comparing your performance with others.

Earlier this year, during the Olympics, Wealthsimple ran a promotion called Spin the Coin. Users could spin a digital gold coin in the app for a chance to win a one-ounce gold coin.

It’s a small feature, but it taps into something powerful: People are more engaged when there’s an element of play.

In a 2022 study, the Ontario Securities Commission gave investors small “points” with almost no real value for buying or selling stocks. Trading frequency jumped by nearly 40 per cent. In follow-up research, the OSC found that social features, such as social interactions, led to a 12 per cent increase in trading of promoted stocks.

But gamification doesn’t just push people to trade more. It can also encourage better behaviour, a recent OSC study found.

In a large experiment involving more than 4,000 Canadians, the OSC had participants use a simulated investing platform with game-style features designed to reward diversification, including scores, progress goals, leaderboards, and digital badges.

All four features improved how diversified participants’ portfolios were.

In other words, gamification can push people toward riskier behaviour, but it can also nudge them toward better investing habits depending on what is rewarded. The real lesson is that it’s more nuanced than simply saying gamification is good or bad.

And investing isn’t the only place where finance is becoming more game-like.

Prediction markets, platforms where people bet on the likelihood of real-world events, are also gaining attention. They are generally off-limits Canada, but there are some versions that are purely for entertainment.

The Toronto Prediction Exchange, for example, gets people to predict the answers to questions such as whether Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau will get engaged in 2026 (currently a coin flip) or whether Jesus will return in 2026 (about 2 per cent odds).

The questions can be silly, but that’s kind of the point. People like finance when it feels interactive and engaging.

Earlier this month, The Globe and Mail wrapped up its inaugural Trade Off simulation stock-picking game. Participants started with $100,000 in virtual cash and built their own portfolios over 12 weeks, with a leaderboard tracking the top performers.

And the contest is coming back. If you want to try your hand at stock picking, you can create a free Globe account and register for the next round. You have until March 22 to sign up and compete for a $5,000 grand prize.

What Canadians think they need, on average, to retire comfortably, according to a recent BMO survey. This number has been plastered everywhere recently, and it makes sense why: People like having a benchmark to aim for. Seeing it can either bring a sense of relief if you’re on track… or the opposite.

My take: After speaking with many financial planners over the past year, most say a single “magic number” for retirement savings isn’t all that helpful. Everyone’s situation is different. A better approach is to estimate what you expect to spend in retirement and then work backward from there.

This retired teacher-turned-entrepreneur is helping schools navigate AI

The situation: Rick Guetter retired in December 2023 at 60 after a career that included 25 years as a high school teacher and the final 12 years running an IT services company. After selling the business, he initially spent a few months enjoying the lack of structure in retirement, including a family trip to Mexico. Soon after returning home to Guelph, Ont., he began consulting educators on how to navigate artificial intelligence in schools.

The numbers: Rick and his wife rely on pensions, investments and the proceeds from selling his business. Even with a financial adviser guiding their spending, he says shifting from decades of saving to spending in retirement has taken some adjustment.

His advice: Retirement left Rick with far more free time than expected. He now spends a few days a week writing a blog, running workshops, and working with students, often for free. The rest of his time is filled with pickleball, workouts at the YMCA, coffee with friends and time at the couple’s cottage. “Once you leave full-time employment, you can become pretty irrelevant in the work world unless you reinvent yourself,” he said.