🍁 Topic
Retirement
Preparing for retirement and what to do when you get there: CPP, OAS, RRIFs, wills and more.
Read the posts from top to bottom. They go from basic to advanced. All topics · Start Here
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Retirement: the big picture
The three pillars of retirement income in Canada, how to think about how much you need, and why it pays to start early.
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Your CPP: what you pay and what you’ll get
Who pays into the Canada Pension Plan, the 2026 contribution numbers, how to see your record and how your pension is estimated.
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OAS for immigrants: the residence rule
How years of residence decide your Old Age Security pension, the 20-year rule for living abroad, 2026 amounts and the clawback.
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Counting pension years from your home country (social security agreements)
How Canada’s social security agreements let years you lived or worked in another country help you qualify for OAS and CPP, and how to…
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Workplace pensions and group RRSPs
How workplace pensions and group RRSPs work in Canada, how employer matching adds free money, and what happens to your pension when you change…
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Making your retirement savings plan
A simple way to set a retirement age and income goal, estimate your CPP and OAS, find your savings gap and turn it into…
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When to start CPP: 60, 65 or 70?
How starting your CPP retirement pension early or late changes the monthly amount, how the break-even idea works, and what else to think about.
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Applying for OAS and GIS
How OAS enrolment works, when delaying OAS makes sense, who can get the Guaranteed Income Supplement, and how the OAS recovery tax works.
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Turning your RRSP into a RRIF
What to do with your RRSP by the end of the year you turn 71, and how RRIF minimum withdrawals and withholding tax work.
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Which money to use first in retirement (and the taxes)
How the order of withdrawals from TFSA, RRIF and non-registered accounts affects your tax and OAS clawback.
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Health care and benefits for seniors
What provincial health plans cover, plus seniors’ drug programs, the Canadian Dental Care Plan, home care and travel insurance.
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Wills and powers of attorney
Why a will and powers of attorney matter, what they are called in different provinces, and how to name beneficiaries on your accounts.
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Retiring back in your home country
What happens to your CPP, OAS, RRSP, TFSA, taxes and health coverage when you retire outside Canada.
