Test Drive Your Retirement

You can see it: just up there, on the horizon. Those golden years…will you be ready for them? How can you know if your plans are on track? You will know by taking a good, hard look at your future dreams.

Start by Assessing Your Financial Health
Make a list of all potential sources of income such as pensions and your Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP). Remember to include other assets, such a pending inheritance, the value of your home, and any investments you have.

With this inventory, sit down for a chat with your Financial Advisor. Planning for your future is a complex exercise. It involves calculating how to draw sufficient income to support your future lifestyle while keeping your tax burden as low as possible.

Talk candidly about your projected income, the time you have left to increase your savings, and crunch some numbers. Through this process, you will understand the complex, careful timing needed to enjoy an ample, financially successful retirement.

Rehearse Your Retirement
If you’re not sure how much you will need, do a ‘test drive’ of your future. Spend a few months living on your projected income. Will it be ample, or too frugal? You can find out by living it for awhile.

This will also give you a nice chunk of cash to sock away, plus a good idea of how much you could save for that future golden date. With an aggressive savings plan, when you finally decide to quit working, your future can be even better than your current estimation.

Get to Work on Your Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA)
If you don’t have one yet, you’re missing out on a great way to build your wealth. Holding investments in your account is a sterling way to maximize the advantages of tax-sheltered compounding. Reinvesting all returns helps you capitalize on the growth of your TFSA.

Will Your Family Home Be Mortgage Free?
If so, it becomes an asset, one that’s very likely accrued in value. Get it appraised; and think about whether you wish to continue living there in retirement, leverage it as a rental, or downsize it and use some of the assets for income.

Plan for a golden retirement. Ask your Financial Advisor for help to create a strategy that minimizes taxes and maximizes resources for your future.