Retirement planning getting you down? There are always smart ways to plan the financial aspects of your retirement.
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RRIF and LIF withdrawal rates: Everything you need to know Mar 7th
At some point, a registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) is typically converted to a registered retirement income fund (RRIF). The latest you can defer the conversion of your account is the end of the year you turn 71. This means that by December 31 of your 71st year, you need to either withdraw t.... More »
Should you loan money to someone who is house rich and cash poor? May 18th
My daughter is 60, divorced, owns a house, perhaps $800,000 house value. She has a small mortgage and no savings of any kind. She lives on a line of credit and a credit card. Her only income is about $300 to $400 monthly CPP.
She is wondering how best to manage. Should she sell now and rent for a.... More »
Should retirees speculate? + MORE Nov 16th
All investors need to know the difference between investing and speculation—often summed up as what you do with “serious money” versus “fun money”—and that’s doubly true for those at or near retirement. While investing is about building wealth you can count on, speculating typically me.... More »
Planning for retirement with little or no savings to draw on + MORE Mar 21st
Despite their best intentions, some Canadians, facing a variety of financial challenges throughout their working lives, are not able to save much towards retirement. It can be difficult to know how to manage in these circumstances, especially when so much of the financial planning advice that gets s.... More »
We’re living longer—here are two ways to boost retirement savings and income + MORE Jan 18th
Maybe you’re taking your first steps towards saving for retirement. Or maybe you’re in the home stretch. Either way, you will likely be using a registered retirement savings plan (RRSP). This Canadian tax-sheltered savings account is more than six decades old, and it has formed the backbone of r.... More »
Should you buy back pension service from your employer?
– moneysense.ca
While defined benefit (DB) pensions are the Cadillac of retirement plans, they also entail a unique set of decisions. Buybacks are one of them.
There are a few ways to build up the value of your DB pension: by working to accumulate years of “pensionable service,” of course; by transferring service you earned from a previous job to your current plan upon retirement; and through buybacks, which are basically what they sound like—you purchase periods of service to add to the total years used to calculate the value of your DB pension.
DB pensions provide a fixed future income base based on a formula for final/highest average earnings and an interest rate for accumulated years of service. According to Matthew Ardrey, vice-president of Toronto-based TriDelta Financial, a pension buyback affects the years of service part of that formula. Each year you earn, or buy back, has a multiplier effect on the overall pension. “[It’s] evident why someone may want to do the buyback,” says Ardrey, “as pension plans reward employees with longer service…
There are a few ways to build up the value of your DB pension: by working to accumulate years of “pensionable service,” of course; by transferring service you earned from a previous job to your current plan upon retirement; and through buybacks, which are basically what they sound like—you purchase periods of service to add to the total years used to calculate the value of your DB pension.
DB pensions provide a fixed future income base based on a formula for final/highest average earnings and an interest rate for accumulated years of service. According to Matthew Ardrey, vice-president of Toronto-based TriDelta Financial, a pension buyback affects the years of service part of that formula. Each year you earn, or buy back, has a multiplier effect on the overall pension. “[It’s] evident why someone may want to do the buyback,” says Ardrey, “as pension plans reward employees with longer service…
