The New Kid on the Block…the Variable Annuity! The variable annuity of commonly referred to as a GMWB is on the horizon. In June 2006, I attended the Morningstar Investment Conference, which focused on “Retirement Income Planning”. One well-known speaker, Moshe Milevsky, introduced the concept in retirement planning of not just how to generate retirement […]
I had a great question from a client who recently asked “When I convert my RRSP to a RRIF, how much money must I withdraw each year?”. That’s a great question, so I thought I would explain RRSP and RRIF withdrawals and the basic rules. You can make a withdrawal for any amount, up to […]
RRSP Deadline for Your 2018 Tax Return Quite simply, the “RRSP Deadline” is the last day this year that you can make a contribution to your Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) but claim the tax credit on the previous year’s taxes. The RRSP deadline for the 2018 tax year is March 1, 2019. But do you have unused RRSP contribution […]
TFSA versus RRSP The Tax Free Savings Account, TFSA, was introduced in 2009. The current contribution limit for both 2009 and 2010 is $5,000. If you don’t use it, you don’t lose it i.e. the limits are cumulative. Therefore, if you are age 18 or over in 2009, you now have $10,000 of TFSA room. […]
To Hedge or Not to Hedge…that is the question! In a recent publication in the Globe and Mail, Scotia Capital’s portfolio strategist Vincent Delisle stated that Canada represents 3.7% of the MSCI World Index (source: Globe and Mail Tuesday, September 8, 2009 02:10 PM, “Buy Canada, says Scotia”). While Canada is undoubtedly a great place […]
Time to Look at the Big Picture While markets have rallied off their March 2009 lows, investors face uncertainty when investing solely in equity markets especially when it comes to their retirement portfolios. This article addresses the issue of stress testing your retirement income plan. I’ve written about this numerous times but it bears repeating […]
Secular Bear and Bull Markets One thing I do is spend time researching the history of the markets. While it does not predict the future, there are some interesting observations that you may be unaware of which could make a significant impact on how you view the markets and how you invest going forward. Over […]
Have We Bottomed? This is the question on everyone’s mind. Unfortunately no one knows for sure! Leading economic indicators change before the economy changes You may have noticed that the equity markets have risen of late even though the economic news continues to be bad. Company earnings are down but in many cases are beating […]