Should You Take a Deferred Pension or the Commuted Value?
If you have a defined benefit pension plan at work consider yourself lucky. Less than one-third of employees in the private sector have a workplace pension plan. In you decide to stay with your...
View ArticleThe Retirement Income Guide for Canadian Non-Resident Expats
Retirement income planning for Canadian non-resident expatriates can be difficult. Let’s consider some of the implications of receiving CPP/QPP, OAS, RRSP and pension income in retirement. CPP/QPP and...
View ArticleHow well do you know your pension plan?
Money is only a tool. It will take you wherever you wish, but it will not replace you as the driver. – Ayn Rand Recently, I read a great article by Rob Carrick in the Globe and Mail. It raised some...
View ArticleUnlocking LIRAs: How to get money out of your pension
If you left a company with a pension before retirement, chances are you had to move the money into a Locked in Retirement Account (LIRA). That’s because both the federal and provincial governments do...
View ArticleUnderstanding and calculating the “Enhanced CPP” changes
Updated with 2019 rates 2019 is the first year where the changes announced in June 2016 will be put in place. The Minister of Finance announced an agreement in principle with the provinces that would...
View ArticlePension plans are the foundation of retirement planning
According to Canada Customs Revenue Agency (CCRA), “A pension plan may generally be described as an arrangement between an employer and its employees, or between a union and its members, for providing...
View ArticleWhat do you think of pension reform in Canada?
Fifty percent of Canadians will be feeling the burn as they face big cuts to their standard of living at retirement and despite pension reform, there appears to be no relief in sight. Public pensions...
View ArticleMoving forward with CPP expansion
Last month the finance ministers reached a historic agreement to expand CPP. This has been hotly debated for years with no action, but it was finally made official. With support from all the provinces...
View ArticleUnderstanding risk in 2 key retirement planning decisions
When it comes to investing, investors understand risk and return tend to be connected – the higher the risk, the higher the return, on average. Conversely, if you do not want any risk, you are...
View ArticleDefined Benefit Pension Plan Vs. Defined Contribution Plan
A company pension plan can be a valuable source of retirement income. There are two types: defined benefit and defined contribution. Both provide income after retirement, but they are different in how...
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