The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) is often debated, with some Canadians feeling that it unfairly penalizes those who die before they can fully collect its benefits. Critics of CPP argue that mandatory contributions, when considering the possibility of early death, result in a system where...
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Meet John and Jane Jane and John are a couple in their early thirties. They own a townhouse in a suburb outside of Toronto. Although the commute is a bit of a burden, their jobs as an architect and software developer, respectively, allow them to work...
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The Canadian Retirement Dilemma As a matter of public policy, Canada has built several safety nets to help mitigate poverty for retirees. Among the most well-known are the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Old Age Security (OAS). Lesser known, but available to lower-income Canadians is the...
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Introducing Ruth and James Ruth and James, born and raised in a smaller community in southwestern Ontario, went to work directly out of high school. They plan to make 2024 their last full year of work as they will turn 65 in 2025. Married at age...
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Retirement marks a momentous transition, a time to reap the rewards of years of hard work and dedication. However, with increased life expectancy, retirees are faced with the challenge of longevity risk – the risk of outliving their financial resources. In this blog post, I...
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The Dawning Realization Siblings Jane and Mike are facing an unwelcome disruption to their routine lives in the form of their elderly parents facing health challenges and financial uncertainties. The emotional impact of this revelation was profound. The equilibrium of their daily lives was upset as they...
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A couple we’ll call David and Marie are on the verge of age 65. They managed to pay off their mortgage back in 2008, but they haven’t saved much of anything since. Neither had employers who provided pensions or group Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs)....
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Retirement is a significant milestone in one's life, representing a well-deserved transition from the daily grind to a more relaxed and fulfilling chapter. However, for many Canadians, the path to a worry-free retirement can be filled with uncertainties and financial challenges. In this blog post,...
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After the cloudy days of preparing and filing your tax return, many Canadians look forward to the silver lining of a tax refund. Last year I wrote about The Problem with Tax Refunds, arguing that rather than a benefit, refunds represent an interest-free loan to...
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“Industry organizations are calling on the federal government to raise the age at which RRSPs must be converted to RRIFs and to reduce the annual RRIF minimum withdrawal rates.” “Industry groups call for changes to RRIF rules,” by Rudy Mezzetta, Advisor’s Edge, March 13, 2023 What is...
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