retirement planning

As Joe Farnsworth^* from Toronto discovered, published return percentages do not necessarily tell the whole story of an investment portfolio performance. Joe retired 9 years ago from the Toronto Police Service from which he collects a serviceable pension each month.

There is a common misconception that, if left unaddressed, can having a devastating effect an individual’s long-term financial well-being. It is the belief that long-term care costs are fully covered by provincial health care plans if you or a loved one ever need this special type of care.

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Unfortunately, this is simply not the case. While programs do exist to cover some needs like these, most of the burden of long-term care costs usually fall to the individual or their family members.

The unfortunate truth about aging is that the human brain deteriorates as we age. While the process is vastly different depending on the individual and their health and circumstances, the rate of deterioration cannot be predicted with any level of certainty. It doesn’t cater to genetics, family history, or life habits.

Choosing a retirement location can be a stressful experience, especially when you combine your own questions with the pressures you might be receiving from loved ones to live near them. Here are ten tips to help ensure that your retired life is as wonderful as it can be.

Harry and Sally both earned high incomes and liked to live the good life. They leased higher end European cars, took two-week exotic vacations almost every year, and lived in a house much larger than they truly needed. To accomplish this lifestyle, they put off retirement savings. Now in their forties, Harry and Sally are realizing they have some catching up to do. Listed below are a few things to consider:

Delay no more - Procrastination or bad breaks may have derailed a savings plan. Now is the time to make savings a priority.

One of the top retirement goals for many is travel. As many as 1.5 million so called "snowbirds" travel to the Southern United States during the winter. With summer just around the corner, thoughts turn to travel within our borders, too. The Canada Safety Council states that a few simple precautions can help ensure a safe, healthy and enjoyable trip any time of the year.

Maureen, age 20, figures she can save $400 each month; or she can keep frittering it away at the mall. She lives with her parents and they think she should save it. Dad says, "Put it into an RRSP and get a tax break as well." Her friends think RRSPs are for old fogies and she doesn't need to start thinking about retirement savings until she's 30.

Convert RRSPs to income - Roger and Sarah, retired for several years, have delayed taking income from their RRSPs so they could enjoy the tax deferred growth as long as possible. They must start an income from their RRSPs before the end of the year they turn age 71.

Review investment portfolio - Joanne had been using investment funds to save for retirement. She had benefited over the long term by investing in equities, but wants a more income-oriented portfolio with less volatility for her retirement income needs.

For years, you have been anticipating that last day at work. When it finally arrives, will it live up to your expectations?

Retirement looks different in everyone’s imagination. For some, it means never wearing a tie again – for any reason. For others, it means traveling the world in designer clothes while attending fancy social events or elaborate musical performances. Some might envision it as a poolside chair with a cold glass of lemonade that never runs out.

While the lemonade may be in unlimited supply, your attention span is not. What happens if you get bored?

Retirement used to mean a gold watch, a pension and spending time on hobbies or new pastimes. For some this may still be true, but times have changed and there are new realities that will affect how retirement will look in the future.

The largest segment of the population in Canada today, the "Baby Boomers", started retiring in large numbers a few years ago. Those born in 1947 are considered the first Baby Boomers and they reached age 65 back in 2012. Many were in position to retire immediately while some of their peers have had to postpone or scale back their retirement plans.