When I was a young boy living on the more rural outskirts of Chilliwack, BC, my brother and I would often go over to our cousin’s place just up the road and sleep outside overnight. This was in the summertime, of course. We would look...
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If you have worked in Canada, you will have contributed to the Canada (or Quebec) Pension Plan (CPP/QPP) and will be eligible to receive regular monthly payments from the plan as early as age 60. If you have been a resident of Canada for at...
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The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) seems to get all the press these days. There are these debates about whether one should take it as early as age 60, wait until the “normal” retirement age of 65, or even delay the start until as late as...
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Defined Benefit pension plans are required to use a funded ratio, also referred to as a solvency ratio, in determining whether the plan is sufficiently funded. This approach can also be used to assess the funding adequacy, or solvency, of your own retirement savings. What is...
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“Why not both?” This is the answer the wife gives to her husband when he asks whether they should install an indoor or an outdoor hot tub. Perhaps you recall that commercial from one of the major providers of reverse mortgages in Canada. While the...
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After a working career of three or four decades or more, you hope you have put away an adequate amount of money in your employer pension plan and/or your RRSP so that you can live an adequate lifestyle in retirement. You are concerned, however. Living...
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Old Age Security (OAS) and the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) are the two major federal programs that provide financial assistance for Canadian seniors. OAS is available to almost any qualified resident or citizen of Canada although it can be reduced depending on years of residency...
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I have written before about retiring on a low income, in this blog post. Much of that post relied on the writing of John Stapleton, an expert on benefit programs for low-income earners, and a retired Ontario civil servant. Periodically, Stapleton makes live presentations via programs...
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This is the fourth of four blog posts on the election platforms of the national parties that had seats in the House of Commons at dissolution. I exclude the Bloc Quebecois because they do not appoint candidates outside of Quebec. In the previous posts, I...
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What is Longevity Risk? “Nothing is more difficult than retirement income planning.” I have heard or read variations of that phrase multiple times in the last few years. Why is it so difficult? After all, people are retiring every day in Canada. Hasn’t this been figured...
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