Retirement Planning

Maximize your Retirement Income

Transition into retirement with confidence. As you transition into retirement, keep in mind your income could come from multiple sources at different times of the month. You’ll need to know where that income will come from, how much you’ll receive, and when you’ll receive it. Before you retire, you’ll need to complete a variety of employer and government forms. This checklist will help you move into your retirement seamlessly.

A clear path to retirement requires a clear plan. If retirement is now on the horizon and no longer a distant goal, you’ll want to make sure preparing for it is a priority. Using this time to continue to save and build your assets, while paying off outstanding debt can really make a difference. This is also the perfect time to put some serious thought into what your retirement will look like. This checklist will help you do just that.

Prepare now to retire well later.

While your retirement date may still be several years off, and the goals you set today may seem even further off, it is never too early to begin preparation.

Investing in a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (“RRSP”) is one of the soundest ways to ensure you enjoy a financially secure retirement. In order to maximize the benefits of an RRSP, it’s important to have a basic understanding of the rules that govern them.

A formalized savings plan that uses a registered plan, such as a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP), Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) or a Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF), is one of the soundest ways to realize your retirement goals. Here are some strategies you can use to maximize the benefits of your RRSP, TFSA and RRIF.

RRSP Withdrawals

The locking-in of pension benefits is an important concept. Pension regulations are designed to ensure that the pension benefits promised by an employer are available at the employee’s retirement date and that the accumulated pension funds are used to provide a lifetime retirement income for the employee. In response to the growing demand for more flexibility, many provinces, as well as the Federal government, have amended their pension acts to allow additional maturity options.

A RRIF is very much like an RRSP in reverse. An RRSP is an account designed to help you save for retirement – a RRIF is an account designed to provide annual income in the form of withdrawals from a registered plan during your retirement.

The RRIF Payout Schedule

Here are some general considerations to keep in mind when deciding what age to start collecting the CPP retirement benefit and determining how much it will be.