Archive by tag ""
Defining Benefits
December 14th, 2010In the 1980s I was helping a friend who had just been terminated by a major private sector employer at age 50. Despite recent events he was pretty positive, and told me that the pension plan would allow him to retire at age 55 with an unreduced pension. Unfortunately, I had to tell him that [...]
Read more »Retirement STEW
November 18th, 2010Our colleague Av Lieberman, President of the Retirement Education Centre, frequently provides retirement education sessions to groups of employees of his various clients. In his presentation, Av has come up with an answer to the often-asked question – if my financial projections don’t work out, what can I do? The answer is STEW
Read more »“For Everything There is a Season”
August 25th, 2010The core of our practice has been using mathematical models to help people make financial decisions such as whether to take a commuted value or a deferred annuity when leaving a defined benefit pension plan or deciding whether to buy back eligible past service. We now find ourselves helping different groups of people facing major but predictable transitions in their lives. We help them sort out the both the financial and the lifestyle issues to enable them to make the most appropriate decisions in the circumstances.
Read more »The Gift of Education
August 21st, 2010As our older daughter is expecting a baby (our first grandchild!) in October, my wife and I have been thinking about an appropriate gift. After our suggestion of a year’s supply of diapers was turned down, it was agreed that we would open a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) in the baby’s name.
Read more »“Real Life” Stories about Downsizing
August 19th, 2010Downsizing is an important issue facing our clients, friends and indeed us, personally. In the case of my wife and me, we need to downsize from the house that we have lived in since 1984. I was therefore struck when I saw Gary May’s article “The Downsizer’s Dilemma” in the July 23rd edition of the Globe [...]
Read more »Your Pension Rights
July 25th, 2010In this day and age, many members of Registered Pension Plans (RPPs) are worrying about the financial stability of their plans and also frequently confused about the jargon which surrounds them. However, most of us do not know where to turn to get our questions answered.
For those individuals who belong to RPPs registered in Ontario, [...]
Considering A Move?
July 19th, 2010My wife and I live in a house that has 25 steps from street level to the first floor and 15 steps from the first floor to the second where the master bed room is located. We are very aware that the time will come when we will no longer be willing to, or in [...]
Read more »Keep an Eye on Canada Pension Plan
June 15th, 2010In the early 1990s I carried out a survey for the readers of the Canadian MoneySaver Magazine to test their attitude towards the Canada Pension Plan.
Read more »Recent Changes Which May Impact Your Retirement
June 11th, 2010There is more significance to our logo than a winding road through flat countryside! It represents the typical path taken by those planning for their retirement. There is a definite goal on the horizon, but the route is not a straight line from here to there. In reality, an initial course is set based on [...]
Read more »Litigation Risk for Plan Sponsors?
June 4th, 2010At a conference organized by the Association of Canadian Pension Management (ACPM) on May 18, Ian Genno of Towers Watson grabbed my attention…
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