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Defined Contribution Pension Options at retirement
Last week, I look at pension options when you retire with a Defined Benefit Pension Plan. When you retire from a Defined Contribution Pension Plan, your retirement options are very different than the...
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The differences between LIFs and RRIFs
Recently I wrote about the differences between a LIRA and a RRSP. In this article I want to follow up and discuss the difference between LIFs and RRIFs.What is a RRIF?A Registered Retirement Income...
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What do you think of the new Ontario Retirement Pension Plan (ORPP)
The Ontario Liberals’ recent majority victory means the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan (ORPP) will soon be a reality. The labour market in Ontario isn’t any different from the rest of Canada – there...
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The Trend Towards Immediate Vesting on Pensions
On July 1, 2012, Ontario became the latest province to introduce immediate vesting. Ontario followed in the footsteps of provinces like Manitoba and Quebec in an effort to modernize its pension...
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3 Important Pension Plan Changes for Alberta
There are big changes on the way for pension plans in the province of Alberta. Alberta is the latest province to modernize its pension legislation, following in the footsteps of Ontario. These pension...
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A tutorial for understanding your pension plan
Public pension plans are the biggest source of retirement income for the average Canadians. That’s the CPP (Canada Pension Plan) and OAS (Old Age Security). Our second largest income source is employer...
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A history of pensions in Canada
Down the road from me is the oldest remaining House of Industry in Canada. Built in 1877, it was a refuge for the poor, homeless, and destitute. It became the County Home for the Aged in 1947. An...
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Who Is Affected by the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan?
With the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan taking shape, the provincial government is giving Ontarians the chance to weigh in on the proposed provincial pension plan. The Ontario Liberals released a...
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Using that nice little pension tax credit
Canadians have some important traditions…hockey, shovelling snow and politeness (Except when we get behind the wheel of a car. We’re not always polite when we’re driving).There’s also the common goal...
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Retiring with Pension Money and the Unlocking rules
Over the past few months I have helped a few clients with their LIRAs and the ability to generate income from those accounts. I thought it might be a good refresher to familiarize ourselves with the...
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Personal Pension Plans: A Pension Solution for Small Business Owners
The pension battle lines have been drawn. On one side are the pension “haves” – the shrinking one-third of workers with a workplace pension plan – and on the other side are the pension “have not’s” –...
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3 Costly Pension Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
If you have a pension plan at work consider yourself fortunate. Only about a third of Canadians have a workplace pension plan today – a far cry from a couple decades ago. Workers face a number of...
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3 More Costly Pension Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Last month we looked at three costly pension mistakes to avoid. Common pension mistakes include not returning your paperwork on time and quitting before you’re vested. This month we look at three more...
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Are voluntary CPP Contributions a good idea?
Here we go again . . . Should the government allow voluntary CPP contributions? I was asked to share some of my personal thoughts on expanding CPP on the Calgary morning show on CBC Radio.Recently...
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Important Pension Plan Changes for Nova Scotia
Similar to last year’s pension changes in Alberta, Nova Scotia is undergoing pension reform of its own. These changes are designed to help modernize the province’s outdated pension legislation by...
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The Ontario Retirement Pension Plan: What is a Comparable Workplace Pension...
With enrollment in the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan starting in 2017, the Ontario government recently made a major announcement. Despite criticism from the federal government, the provincial...
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3 Important Pension Plan Changes for BC Members
Similar to Alberta and Nova Scotia, B.C. is modernizing its outdated pension legislation. B.C. pension plan members will see a number of improvements, including immediate vesting and unlocking of small...
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Are voluntary CPP Contributions a good idea?
Here we go again . . . Should the government allow voluntary CPP contributions? I was asked to share some of my personal thoughts on expanding CPP on the Calgary morning show on CBC Radio. Recently...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Important Pension Plan Changes for Nova Scotia
Similar to last year’s pension changes in Alberta, Nova Scotia is undergoing pension reform of its own. These changes are designed to help modernize the province’s outdated pension legislation by...
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Involuntary Terminations Can Be Costly for Employers in Ontario
If you’re an employer with a provincially-registered defined benefit pension plan with employees in Ontario, it’s important to know the rules surrounding involuntary terminations. Even if you outsource...
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