Our latest insights on what matters.

How Much Do You Need to Retire? Why The 4% Rule Is Only a Starting Point The 4% rule is a helpful starting point as you prepare for retirement. But having confidence in whether you are truly ready to retire requires a much broader look at income, taxes, spending, markets, and family goals. KEY TAKEAWAY […]

We recently hosted an educational webinar on the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) – with Michelle Munro, Director of Tax and Retirement Planning at Fidelity Investments – explaining how it works and the key factors to consider on when to start taking it. Below we have summarized some of the key points from the presentation. If […]

We recently had a great session on navigating aging and elder care planning, led by Jeanette Bock—a certified professional consultant on aging and member of the Elder Care Society of Canada. With over 10 years of experience in the field, including roles in retirement living, home care, and now running her own elder care planning […]

3 Overlooked Aspects to Financial Planning There are important dimensions to a retirement income plan that people often overlook.  These oversights may put people in financial harm’s way. Below are 3 planning aspects that aren’t usually considered. Meet Alan & Dawn Throughout this discussion I’ll be referring to a fictitious client couple called Alan and […]

For most of us, the greatest lifetime expense we’ll have is income tax.  My aim is for you to pay the least amount of tax over your lifetime – not necessarily in any given tax year.  This can mean withdrawing extra funds from a RRIF or triggering capital gains when you may not need the […]

One of the most important tasks facing any prospective retiree is determining how much money they can take out each year with confidence that they won’t run out of it.  This is called the withdrawal rate and is expressed as the percentage of funds coming out of the savings pool in any year.  If someone […]

In Retirement: Is It Better to Own or Rent? Downsizing the family home into something more manageable is often an option when considering retirement. This decision can be financially or practically driven, or a mix of both. Renting can feel a little foreign considering the substantial rise in values over the years and our natural […]