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Everyone has financial goals. Maybe you’re saving for a vacation or buying a car. You might be looking to purchase a home or cover a child’s education. Funding retirement is another common goal. Your own goals could be any combination of these – or you may have others as well.

Whatever your financial objectives, having a plan is the first step towards achieving them. A financial plan reflects your short- and long-term goals, sources of income, savings and debts, time horizon, investment risk tolerance and other factors that are uniquely yours.

In times of uncertainty or stress, it can be difficult to make the right investment decisions because we often let emotion or intuition guide us. We are less likely to spend time carefully sifting through all the pros and cons. This default behavior can be an obstacle when trying to achieve our long-term financial goals.

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Have you ever faced a decision of trying to choose between an RRSP (Registered Retirement Savings Plan) and TFSA (Tax Free Savings Account)? This is a question I get asked often. Hopefully, this blog will give you the insights to help you decide.

A Little Background on RRSPs

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A key element of retirement income planning is the sources of retirement income, a major one of which is government benefits such as CPP. The importance of CPP retirement benefits will range from trivial to significant. To get handle on CPP, here are a few central questions answered about CPP. ^{1 (Investment Executive Nov. 2017)}

What is the best age to begin receiving a CPP retirement pension?

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How much do we really need to retire? Perhaps you have concerns that, at your savings rate, you won’t have enough money saved to retire without having to dramatically lower your standard of living. Are these fears justified? Or could it be that we’re being too hard on ourselves when it comes to the retirement savings expectations we place on ourselves? Here is how to calculate your own retirement savings:1 (Fidelity : Maximize your retirement savings)

How much money do you need to retire comfortably?

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Have you ever wondered what it would take for your money to double?

What is the Rule of 72?

It is essentially a rule that can help you estimate how soon your investment will double based on an annual rate of return. To determine this, all you need to do is divide the number 72 by the annual rate of return. This will give you a rough idea of when your investment will be worth twice as much as it's worth today. The table illustrates examples of various annual rates of returns and timeframes:

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The TFSA is an important, flexible and versatile part of any financial plan. A TFSA allows any Canadian resident (age 18 or older) to save for just about anything - including retirement - without paying any tax on the growth within the account or on withdrawals. It provides the best of both worlds: growth on savings and the option to withdraw funds at any time should the need arise.1 (Sunlife Investments)

TFSA reminders:

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Over the years, we have received numerous questions with regards to estate planning. Here are a few estate planning inquiries with true or false explanations.1 (Scotia Estate and Trust Services)

Common-law and legally married spouses are now treated equally for all purposes under the law. False. In Ontario, only legally married spouses are entitled to share in an intestate distribution.

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Estate planning encompasses many things such as providing for loved ones, mitigating or avoiding probate, minimizing taxes, providing for the orderly distribution of assets, protecting assets and planning for incapacity. The utilization of a segregated fund in one's estate plan allows your beneficiaries to receive your money without having those funds flow through your estate. That means the money in your policy won't be reduced by taxes and fees associated with settling an estate.

What is a Segregated fund?