The 5-Year Pre-Retirement Checklist for Canadians
The five years before you stop working are the most important planning window of your financial life. Here is what to review, decide, and put in place.
Self-EmployedRetirement Planning When You Are Self-Employed in Canada
No employer pension, no group benefits, both sides of CPP. Here is how self-employed Canadians build a real retirement plan.
Retirement IncomeNo Pension? How to Build Your Own Retirement Income in Canada
Most Canadians do not have a defined benefit pension. Here is how to build reliable retirement income using CPP, OAS, RRSPs, and smart decumulation planning.
New ParentsFinancial Planning for New Parents in Canada
A new baby changes everything financially. RESP, life insurance, parental leave, wills. Here is what to do first and in what order.
Home BuyingYou Just Bought a House. Now What?
Closing day is exciting. The financial decisions you make in the months after buying your first home can shape your finances for decades.
First-Time BuyersFinancial Planning for First-Time Home Buyers in Canada
Buying your first home is one of the largest financial decisions you will make. Here is how to prepare your finances before you ever make an offer.
Your 50sRetirement Planning in Your 50s: The Decade That Decides Everything
Your 50s are the decade where retirement goes from abstract to real. The choices you make now have an outsized impact on what retirement actually looks like.
Your 40sRetirement Planning in Your 40s: Building Serious Momentum
Your 40s are when retirement planning shifts from abstract to urgent. You likely have your highest earning years ahead, and serious decisions to make now.
Your 30sFinancial Planning in Your 30s: Competing Priorities and How to Handle Them
Your 30s arrive with more financial pressure than any other decade. Houses, children, career, retirement, all at once. Here is how to sequence it.
Your 20sFinancial Planning in Your 20s: The Habits That Determine Everything
Your 20s are the decade where small habits become large outcomes. The financial decisions you make now compound for the next 40 years.
Tax StrategyThe RRSP Meltdown: Why Drawing Down Early Can Save You Thousands
Intentionally depleting your RRSP before 71 sounds counterintuitive, but for many retirees, it is one of the most effective tax moves available.
RRIFRRIF Minimum Withdrawals: What Every Canadian Retiree Needs to Know
When your RRSP converts to a RRIF at 71, mandatory withdrawals begin. Here is how the rules work and how to plan around them.
Withdrawal StrategyRRSP vs TFSA in Retirement: Which Account Should You Draw From First?
The order in which you draw from your accounts has a direct impact on your lifetime tax bill. Here is how to think about the sequencing decision.
OASOAS Clawback: What It Is and How to Reduce It
Old Age Security is clawed back once your income crosses a threshold most retirees do not expect to hit, until they actually retire and add everything up.
Retirement PlanningWhen Should You Take CPP? The Math Behind 60 vs 65 vs 70
The break-even analysis is simpler than you think, but the right answer depends on more than just the numbers.