With the RRSP deadline a mere three weeks away, we thought providing you with an FYI blog would make this time of year easier for everyone.

Monday, February 29, 2016 is the final day to contribute to your RRSP for the 2015 tax year. SPP contributions must be received at the office in Kindersley on or before that day.

There’s several fast convenient ways to make your SPP contribution in order to meet the deadline.

• Use your credit card via;
  • yours online banking service;
  • call our office (1-800-667-7153) during regular business hours or;
  • you can use our website.
• Cheques can be mailed into our office, please make sure you mail them no later than mid February.
• If you are in the Kindersley area come visit our office and make your contribution in person.

In case you missed it, the SPP balanced fund returned 6.25% in 2015.  The short-term fund return was 0.45% in 2015. You are can see your full returns here.

A couple of weeks ago we posted an SPP quiz in this blog. If you haven’t already taken the quiz, check it out at http://wp.me/p1YR2T-1dI. There is a chance to win prizes!

Finally, watch the snail mail for tax receipt and member statements coming your way over the next month.

You can reach us at in**@sa*********.com or check out our website:  saskpension.com.  We have an enhanced wealth calculator that can help you determine how long your money will last in retirement.

Thanks for your continuing support of SPP.

By Sheryl Smolkin

A pair of surveys recently released by Tangerine Bank and TD Bank show that many millennials started saving for retirement in their early 20s, but they do not have a clear understanding of how much to save or how their RRSP savings can be used in future.

A new survey by Tangerine found that the younger generation of Canadians is getting the message to start saving early and build a nest egg for retirement. Despite being in the early stages of their career or still in school, the survey revealed that 62% of millennials (those 18-34) have started saving for retirement and almost half (46%) said they started before the age of 25.

These results are even more impressive when compared to data collected from the 81% of older working Canadians aged 35-65 who are currently saving for retirement. When asked when they began saving, only 18% reported to have started before the age of 25.

Of those 38% of millennials not yet saving for retirement, many (62%) say it’s because of their low salary or not having enough money, and another 23% said it’s because they are saving for a big ticket item like a house, a wedding, or travel.

Nevertheless across the different age groups, the survey’s findings were uniform when it comes to financial literacy. Fifty eight percent of both millennials and older working Canadians felt they did not learn enough about saving for retirement before they started.

This is consistent with the findings of a late 2015 Environics poll conducted for TD bank which found that many millennials are unaware that RRSP funds cannot be used for other items such as making a charitable donation (64%), paying childcare expenses (60%), financing a car (52%), making a personal loan (51%), renting an apartment or purchasing a second home (50%).

Half (50%) of all millennials surveyed by TD correctly identified that RRSP funds can be used for first time home purchase, although just 28% were aware they can be used to fund full-time education as a mature student.

“Saving enough money for a down payment on a home can be difficult for many younger Canadians, so the ability to withdraw up to $25,000 from an RRSP, or up to $50,000 for a couple, can help make it easier,” said Linda MacKay, Senior Vice President, Personal Savings and Investing at TD Canada Trust. “Building up an RRSP from the earliest possible moment not only helps you save on income tax now, but could also help get you into your first home more quickly and lower your monthly mortgage payments down the road.”

But Lee Bennett, Senior Vice President, TD Wealth Financial Planning says there are pros and cons and long-term implications of using RRSP funds to buy a home or pursue further education, including giving up the potential growth of RRSP savings until that money is repaid into the plan. As with any significant investment decision, she recommends investors consult with a financial planner who can help explain what’s best for each individual.

MacKay agrees, adding that it’s important to have a bit of know-how and understand clearly what an RRSP can – and cannot – be used for in order to avoid incurring tax penalties for improper withdrawals and to be able to maximize the amount of money that can be saved. She says this applies particularly to millennials who, as the TD survey shows, have many misconceptions about how an RRSP fund can be used.

You can find basic information on How RRSPs work and Making RRSP withdrawals before you retire on the Ontario Securities Commission’s web site GetSmarterAboutMoney.ca and a more comprehensive discussion from the Canada Revenue Agency at RRSPs and related plans.

By Sheryl Smolkin

In this space we typically provide links to interesting work by our favourite personal finance writers about topics ranging from money-saving tips to retirement savings to retirement lifestyle. But many of these prolific bloggers have also posted great videos on YouTube with helpful tips and tricks for people looking for ways to better manage their money.

So keeping in mind the old adage that “a picture can be worth a thousand words,” this week we identify a series of videos featuring pundits you already know well. While some of these videos are not new, they have stood the test of time.

Take a minute to watch at least a few of them, and let us know whether you would like to see more video content on savewithspp.com.

Sean Cooper is a pension administrator by day and a hard-working personal finance writer by night. Watch him burn the mortgage he paid off in 3 years and reveal his super saver secrets.

One of a kind blogs like How to get married for $239 by Kerry K. Taylor, aka Squawkfox have have been read by thousands of eager fans. In this video she discusses with the Globe and Mail’s Rob Carrick, How to stop wasting money.

In Life After Financial Independence as part of his Tea At Taxevity series, actuary Promod Sharma interviews author and former MoneySense editor Jonathan Chevreau about his post-retirement projects, including the Financial Independence Hub.

TV personality and personal finance guru Gail Vaz-Oxlade is interviewed on Toronto Speaks: Personal Finance about spending beyond your budget.

Studies suggest that 6 out of 10 Canadians do not have a retirement plan. Why is that number so high? Retire Happy’s Jim Yih shares a couple of theories about why it’s hard to plan for retirement.

Do you follow blogs with terrific ideas for saving money that haven’t been mentioned in our weekly “Best from the blogosphere?” Share the information with us on http://wp.me/P1YR2T-JR and your name will be entered in a quarterly draw for a gift card.