Caisse CEO urges institutional investors to ‘think differently’ + MORE Mar 4th

The chief executive officer of Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec said pension plans and sovereign wealth funds are looking for private investments for their more than $40-trillion of assets

Hong-Kong-based executives of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board first approached officials at Postal Savings Bank of China in 2013 with a view to invest. Two years later, the CPPIB pulled off a deal that would see it invest US$500 million in the company, one of China’s biggest retail banks. That move in late 2015 […]

Q: I am currently separated and I would also like to apply for the CPP benefit split. How much more CPP would I get doing this? How do I find out?
—Leona
A: CPP pension splitting is available to spouses who are applying to receive the Canada Pension Plan as a means to equalize their retirement incomes. But even those with former spouses should be aware of how they can proactively ensure that they are getting the CPP benefits that they deserve.
Contributions that were made by you and your former spouse while you were living together may be eligible to split and may result in an increase in your pension if you contributed less than your spouse during those years, Leona. In much the same way assets may be split in the event of a marriage breakdown, future pension entitlement–whether a private pension or the CPP–are also relevant for purposes of a post-marriage equalization.
Ask a Planner: Leave your question for Jason Heath »
The relevant period of cohabitation for purposes of the pension split does not include:
– when one of you was younger than age 18;
– when one of you was older than age 69; or
– when one of you was already receiving the CPP retirement pension…

The RRSP deadline for the 2015 tax year is approaching quickly. If you have not made your contribution for the year or you want to catch up on your unused contribution room, you may want to consider taking out an RRSP loan. This strategy can help to maximize your contribution and give the funds in your plan more time to grow on a tax-free basis. Will this strategy work for you?
Why an RRSP Loan May Work for You
Taking out an RRSP loan isn’t the right financial move for everyone. Here are some scenarios where it could be to your benefit.

You just don’t have the cash to make an RRSP contribution,
Maximizing your RRSP contribution would help decrease your taxes owed and might get you a healthy tax rebate.
You are able to your tax refund to pay down the RRSP loan to eliminate it completely, making the interest costs to carry the loan almost nil.
You use the rebate to pay down your high interest rate loans.
The benefit of tax-deferred growth through the power of compounding would exceed your cost of borrowing…

RRSP contribution levels among Canadians have remained steady from last year, finds a BMO survey.
The bank says 53% of Canadians contributed to their RRSP before the February 29 deadline, down from 57% this time last year and 65% in 2014.
While the number of Canadians who contributed is down slightly from last year, the amount that Canadians have contributed has increased. On average, Canadians contributed $4,117 this year, compared to $3,737 in 2015 and $3,518 in 2014.
RRSP vs TFSA: Which one is right for you? »
Of the people surveyed by BMO, 42% reported that market volatility played no role while 37% stated that it did; 19% indicated that market volatility caused them to contribute more, while 18% said they contributed less.
The survey didn’t address what role 2015’s $10,000 TFSA contribution allowance had in changing how much people contributed to their registered plans.

Survey methodology
The survey was conducted by Pollara with an online sample of 1,000 Canadians 18 years of age and over, between February 22th and 24th, 2016…