Retirement

Retirees offer advice for boomers

Canadian retirees are largely happy with the way their post-career lives are working out, but they admit they wish they'd received more advice before they stopped working. Now they're offering the advice they wish they'd gotten.

By Staff |May 31, 2011

2 min read

Market Insights

Retirement jitters on the rise

Although economic fundamentals in Canada are improving, retirement remains an area of concern for many Canadians. The latest Russell Financial Health Index, an online calculator that gauges the overall financial health of Canadian investors, revealed that Canadians feel unsettled about retirement, particularly women who are less positive about their financial health in retirement than men. […]

By Vikram Barhat |May 5, 2011

2 min read

Industry

Middle-income earners face retirement shortfall

Many of today’s middle-income earners will experience a substantial decline in their standard of living once they retire, according to a new study published by the Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP). The study, Projecting the Adequacy of Canadians’ Retirement Incomes: Current Prospects and Possible Reform Options, uses simulation modelling to show that approximately […]

By Staff |April 29, 2011

1 min read

Industry

Men wealthier, women happier in retirement

A higher level of financial preparedness doesn’t necessarily make for a happier retirement. Or so it would seem from the BMO Retirement Institute Report, which found that despite being less financially prepared for retirement, women are more likely to enjoy their retirement than men. The report, titled Divergent Paths To Retirement: How Men And Women […]

By Vikram Barhat |April 26, 2011

3 min read

Improve RRSPs and TFSA: Fraser Institute

Expanding the Canada Pension Plan is a risky proposition that could actually hinder the plan’s performance, according to study released by the Fraser Institute, Canada’s leading public policy think tank. “The Canada Pension Plan is already so large that any expansion of the plan will increase the risk that the manager of the plan’s assets, […]

By Staff |April 14, 2011

1 min read

Sun Life, CI expand SunWise offering

Sun Life Financial and CI Investments have added several new investment options to the SunWise Essential Series lineup, including mandates from Sun Life Global Investments and CI Investments. “Creating secure income for their retirement years is a high priority for Canadians,” said Kevin Dougherty, president, Sun Life Financial Canada. “The additions to the SunWise Essential […]

By Staff |April 13, 2011

2 min read

The new retirement season

The new retirement season is beginning. What’s that you say? Don’t I know that retirement season is the first two months of the year, when investors can make contributions to their RRSP accounts and still claim the tax deduction for the preceding year? I am well aware of the end-of-February deadline for RRSP contributions but it doesn’t have to be that way. Planning for retirement should not be a one-time occurrence - it should be a continuous process throughout the year. This is not a new idea but it is an idea that needs to gain traction in the minds of advisors and investors. There are two very good reasons.

By Peter Drake |April 6, 2011

6 min read

Spending changes little in retirement

Planning for retirement income usually accepts that retirees can get by on far less than their pre-retirement income, as their expenses will be lower. But when it comes to household needs, spending barely declines at all, according to a report from Statistics Canada. Looking at spending and income patterns from 1982 and 2008, StatsCan found […]

By Staff |March 25, 2011

1 min read

Sun Life’s Hudon praises Quebec’s VRSP

In a speech to the Canadian Club of Montreal, the president of Sun Life Financial in Québec, Isabelle Hudon, said she is highly optimistic about the financial future of Québeckers following recent decisions by the Government of Québec to establish new voluntary retirement savings plans. In particular, she welcomed the addition of an automatic enrollment […]

2 min read