Retirement Unpacked

In episode 44 of Retirement Unpacked, Matthew and Gord discuss when you should actually use your cashflow wedge and how to structure it, whether you need RRSP contribution room to unlock a LIRA, if it makes sense to structure your income in a way to qualify for GIS, when non-registered accounts can become a tax problem, and much more.
Later in the episode, Adam and Martin join the episode to discuss the importance for high net worth retirees to shift from wealth building to wealth distribution. They talk about the tax problems that can come from holding too much in taxable accounts, why delaying decisions can lead to larger tax bills later, and how strategies like gifting, charitable giving, and intentional estate planning can help make a bigger impact with your wealth.Chapters0:00 Intro
0:30 When should you use your cashflow wedge?
5:55 Can you unlock your LIRA if you have no RRSP contribution room?
8:08 Do spousal RRSP contributions use my contribution room?
10:12 Should you structure your income to qualify for GIS?
15:22 Can you unlock a LIRA more than once?
19:22 What happens to locked-in accounts when a spouse dies?
21:52 How should a cashflow wedge be structured?
25:48 Selling a rental property and OAS clawback implications
29:56 Should couples retirement plan together?
33:57 When non-registered accounts become a tax problem
40:41 Shifting from wealth building to wealth distribution (case study)
46:26 The smith manoeuvre in retirement: Keep it or unwind it?

In episode 43 of Retirement Unpacked, Adam and Brett discuss the laddered income strategy and whether it makes sense to use inflation as your “ladder,” what your options are if your TFSA is maxed and you still have excess funds, whether RRSPs make sense if you have a pension, if you only need a cashflow wedge in the accounts you’re actually withdrawing from, and much more.
Later in the episode, Paul Grenier joins to discuss a case study involving a couple who recently refinanced their mortgage, invested the proceeds in the markets, and are now looking at retiring early. The case looks at how shifting assumptions and expectations can impact the planning process, and why it’s important for both partners to be aligned and prepared before starting to plan for retirement.

Chapters 
0:00 Intro
0:18 Can you let inflation 'ladder' your retirement spending?
5:57 RRIF to non-registered strategy
9:05 Maxed TFSA in retirement, where should excess funds go?
14:20 Attribution rules when you have 2 spousal RRSPs
18:06 Do RRSPs make sense if you have a pension?
26:02 Does TFSA go to spouse if you list them as beneficiary?
30:16 Can you partially convert your RRSP?
35:37 Do you only need cashflow wedge in the accounts you're withdrawing from?
41:19 Tax implications when passing on assets to next generation
47:26 What does our retirement planning process look like?
50:20 Expectations vs reality in retirement planning (case study)
55:05 Will it ever make sense to defer OAS but not CPP?

In episode 42 of Retirement Unpacked, Brett and Paul break down the importance of using conservative assumptions in your retirement plan, the CPP child-rearing provision, retiring with an age gap, if it makes sense to start CPP early and invest into your RRSP, how non-registered accounts are taxed, and much more.
Later in the episode, Mathieu Huneault     joins to discuss two client planning scenarios: one involving a client who received a severance payment and needed to consider if RRSP contributions could lead to overcontribution issues due to how the income is classified, and another where a client regretted starting CPP and learned they were still within the window to cancel it by repaying the benefits received.Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:47 The importance of assumptions in retirement planning
7:39 The CPP child-rearing provision, explained
15:01 Should you pay into CPP if you have a corporation?
21:35 Planning around unique retirement situations
27:12 Start CPP early and invest into your RRSP
33:06 Can you use your cash wedge to buy the dip?
38:54 Retiring with an age gap
44:56 Tax implications of loaning money to your kids
50:15 How are non-registered accounts taxed?
56:36 Should I work one more year?
1:01:03 Contributing severance payment to an RRSP (case study)
1:08:24 Canceling your CPP (case study)
1:13:25 Cashflow is more important than growth in retirement

In episode 41 of Retirement Unpacked, Jon and Martin break down what happens to your TFSA upon death, whether or not the CRA allows you to take a loan to invest in your TFSA, how income splitting rules differ between defined benefit pensions and RRIFs, the differences between QPP and CPP, if it makes sense to start planning for retirement 20 years out, and much more.
Later in the episode, Peter Filippakis     joins to go over a corporate meltdown case study involving a couple in their mid-50s who recently sold their business and are now left with a large corporation to draw down. He goes through how to coordinate dividends, the RRSP meltdown, and government benefits, and how to sequence everything in a tax-efficient way.
 
Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:13 What happens to your TFSA upon death
0:55 Does the CRA allow you to take a loan to fund your TFSA?
3:55 Do you need a cashflow wedge if you have a pension?
5:08 Income splitting: RRSP vs. Pension
6:56 How do spousal RRSPs work
10:01 Is the OAS clawback threshold after-tax?
12:22 Differences between QPP and CPP
16:26 CPP timing when receiving the survivor's pension
20:41 Can it ever be too early to start planning for retirement?
26:39 Corporate meltdown case study
37:35 The importance of term insurance

In episode 40 of Retirement Unpacked, Michael and Mathieu   break down why you should consider converting your RRSP to a RRIF prior to age 71, the differences between a RRIF and LIF, if it makes sense to meltdown a large RRSP, considerations before purchasing a life insurance policy, tax implications of passing on wealth, and much more.
Later in the episode, Gord Manzer   joins to discuss a real life case study and explain why retirement decisions can’t be made in isolation. Many Canadians look at CPP, OAS, pensions, RRSPs, and TFSAs as separate pieces, but in reality, every decision affects taxes, income, and your overall retirement plan.Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:28 Why convert RRSP before 71
2:52 Differences between a RRIF and LIF
4:41 Can you buy and sell stocks in a TFSA the same year?
5:48 Can investment firms limit how much tax is withheld?
8:49 Consolidating non-reg accounts into a life insurance policy
15:00 Does it make sense to meltdown large RRSP?
20:14 Single and 65: Is there a benefit to start drawing down RRSP?
23:22 If I move money from RRIF to TFSA, is it taxable?
24:12 How do RRIF withdrawals affect OAS clawback?
26:07 How to use a whole life policy for retirement income
28:59 Tax implications of passing on wealth
32:11 Why retirement decisions shouldn't happen in isolation
36:33 Beneficiary vs. successor holder for TFSAs