Title Details

Sandra E. Foster, RFP, FCSI, specializes in wealth management. Her common-sense approach helps Canadians make decisions that fit their personal situations and makes her a popular, sought-after speaker. She is a regular contributor to Advisor's Edge and has written on a wide range of financial issues in IE Money, The Toronto Star, and The Globe and Mail. She is the author of You Can't Take It With You: The Common-Sense Guide to Estate Planning for Canadians, which is a national bestseller and winner of the 1998 Canadian Association of Financial Planners Multimedia Award.

Preface
Acknowledgements
Retirement Checklist

Chapter 1. What is Retirement Planning?
What Retirement Planning Means Today
Six Steps to a Successful Retirement
Step 1. Assess Your Sources of Retirement Income
Step 2. Calculate How Much Income You Need

What are Your Expenses?Life Expectancy Step 3. Develop an Investment Strategy to Pay You the Income You Need How Much Does Your Portfolio Need to Earn?Is it Time to Redesign Your Portfolio?
Step 4. Integrate Your Retirement Income Plan with a Tax and Estate StrategyTax PlanningEstate Planning
Step 5. Review the Plan PeriodicallyContinue to Do Tax Planning, Not Tax FilingReview Your Annual Performance
Step 6. Build a Life For YourselfRetirement (From a Child's View)
Summary

Chapter 2. How Much Is Enough?
Inflation
The Retirement Income Projection

Using AssumptionsWhat Return Should You Use in Your Projection?Too Good To Be True?The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Reality CheckGot Enough?Not Got Enough?It's Ongoing
Summary

Chapter 3. Government Benefits
Canada Pension Plan (CPP)

Starting CPP Benefits EarlyStarting CPP Benefits After Age 65Managing CPP Benefits
Old Age Security (OAS)Basic OASStrategies to Help You Keep More OASFederal Supplemental BenefitsGuaranteed Income Supplement (GIS)Spouses' AllowanceProvincial Supplemental Pensions
Summary

Chapter 4. Your Company Pension Plan
Your Annual Pension Statement
Contributory or Non-contributory?
Types of Company Pension Plans

Defined Benefit PlanDefined Contribution Plan or Money PurchaseDeferred Profit Sharing Plan (DPSP)
Selecting Your Retirment DateRetiring Early
Is the Purchasing Power of Your Pension Protected?
Paperwork at Retirement
Basic Pension OptionsLife OnlyJoint and SurvivorOpting Out of the Joint and Survivor BenefitMinimum Guarantee Period
Should You Opt Out of Your Company Pension Plan?
Summary

Chapter 5. Converting Your RRSP
Revenue Canada's Rules May Not Be Good for You

Planned Withdrawals
Maturing your RRSPCashing in the RRSPCash = Tax?Purchase a Registered AnnuityConvert your RRSP to a RRIFCombine Two or More Options
Making the Right Decision
Last-Minute Planning OpportunitiesMake Your Final ContributionClaim Your OvercontributionAre You Still Earning RRSP Contribution Room?
Summary

Chapter 6. The Annuity
The Types of Annuities for Tax Purposes
Basic Types of Annuities

Term Certain AnnuityLife Annuity
Guarantees Available With an AnnuityGuarantee Period of Life AnnuitiesIndexing
Six Steps for Getting the Best Annuity
How Much Annuity Will Your Money Buy?
Advantages of an Annuity
Disadvantages of an Annuity
Summary

Chapter 7. The RRIF and LIF
The RRIF

The Different Types of RRIFsRRIF Withdrawal RulesCalculating the Minimum PaymentShould You Take Out More than the Minimum Required?Withholding TaxWays to Minimize the Tax on Your RRIF WithdrawalConverting Your RRSP to a RRIFNaming a BeneficiaryNaming a Successor AnnuitantTransferring a RRIF From One Financial Institution to AnotherThe Spousal RRIFShould You Continue to Have a RRIF?
Advantages of a RRIF
Disadvantages of a RRIF
Life Income Fund (LIF)A LIF is Similar to a RRIFThe Maximum WithdrawalThe Annuity Option
Summary

Chapter 8. Building a Retirement Income Portfolio
The Well Thought-out Portfolio
Selecting the Asset Mix

Your Goals and ObjectivesThe Emergency FundWhat Are Your Objectives?
Designing Your PortfolioUnderstanding Market BehaviourSelecting the Mix Between Canadian and International EquitiesForeign Content inside Your RRSP/RRIFStay on Track— Rebalancing Your Portfolio
Summary

Chapter 9. Getting the Most From Your Cash
Bank Accounts
Canada Savings Bonds (CSBs)

Just Like Cash?
Redeemable GICs
Money Market Investments
Money Market Funds
Summary

Chapter 10. Getting the Most from Your Fixed Income Investments
Guaranteed Investment Certificates (GICs) or Term Deposits

Traditional GICsNon-Redeemable GICsTracking your GICsEscalating GICsEquity-linked GICs
Bonds and MortgagesTypes of BondsBuilding Income with a Portfolio of BondsBond QuotesAccrued InterestStrip BondsMortgage-Backed Securities
Reducing Risk When Investing in FixedIncome InvestmentsLaddering the Maturity Dates of Your Fixed Income InvestmentsUse Compounded GICs or Strip BondsSelect Quality IssuersReducing the Risk of Long-term Bonds
Summary

Chapter 11. Getting Income From Other Investments
Getting Income from Stocks

Dividend PaymentsThe Dividend YieldSelling Stock Holdings
Getting Income From Mutual FundsTaking the Distributions in Cash10% Free Redemption PrivilegeSelling Your UnitsSystematic Withdrawal Plan (SWP)SWPs are Tax EffectiveMaking SWPs Work
Getting Income from Segregated FundsHow They WorkThe Reset OptionMaking WithdrawalsSelecting Segregated Funds
Other Ideas for IncomePrivate MortgagesRoyalty or Income TrustsPrescribed AnnuitiesMore After-tax IncomeInsuring an Annuity to Protect the Value of Your EstateCharitable Annuity
Ways to Protect Your Investments and Savings
Summary

Chapter 12. Using Your Home for Income
Sell Your Home and Pocket the Profit Tax-free
The Reverse Mortgage
Borrowing Against Your Home

Setting up a Line of CreditBorrowing to Invest
Earning Rental IncomePutting an Apartment Unit in Your HomeTaking in Students
Summary

Chapter 13. Don't Pay More in Tax Than You Have To
Factors that Affect the Amount of Tax You Pay
The Basic Tax Rules
How Different Types of Income Are Taxed

Interest IncomeDividend IncomeCapital GainsTax Deferral with Capital GainsCapital LossesWhat Types of Income Should You Have?
File Your Quarterly Taxes Instalments on Time
Watch Transactions that Increase Your Tax BillAnnual Mutual Fund Distributions
Organize Your Portfolio to Make it MoreTax Effective
Even Out Your Income to Reduce Your Lifetime Tax Bill
Techniques to Deduct, Divide, and Defer TaxesDeductMake the Most of Your Tax CreditsPension IncomeChoose the Spouse Who Can Make the Best Use of the Tax CreditDeferRetiring AllowanceAlternate Minimum TaxDivideWhich Spouse Should Do the Investing?Split Canada Pension Plan BenefitsGifts and Loans to Adult ChildrenLoan Your Spouse Money to Invest
Summary

Chapter 14. You Can't Take It With You
What's Important to You?
Death and Taxes

Taxes on the RRSP/RRIFCapital GainsHow Much Tax?Ways to Reduce the Tax BillTransfer Assets to SpouseSpend Money NowBuy Life InsuranceMaking Planned GiftsSet Up a Testamentary TrustIncapacityDealing With the Death of a SpouseCommon Death Benefits
Canada Pension PlanOther Benefits
Summary

Chapter 15. Do You Need Professional Advice?
Selecting an Advisor
Designations to Look For
The Initial Meeting
Questions to Ask Your Financial Advisor
The Different Ways to Pay for Financial Advice
Transferring Your Account

Beware of Transfer FeesRedemption FeesWatch the Tax Costs
Are You Getting What You Pay For?
Not Getting What You Expected?
Summary

Chapter 16. Make the Most of What You've Got
Your Retirement Countdown
Retirement Checklist

Appendix
Sources of Income
Expenses in Retirement
Assets that Could Be Turned Into Income
Cash Flow Projection
Portfolio Asset Mix

Index

Suggestions and Seminars