Robin Ryan’s book Retirement Reinvention is key reading for any of us — once out of the workforce — who are struggling to figure out what to do with all the time. It all requires a plan.

First, she notes, the act of retiring itself isn’t always a planned thing. It’s one of four reasons “retirement can happen,” she writes — a choice, made on your own terms, or “you are burned-out, dislike, or just done with your current career, so you quit.” The other two reasons are “your career quits you because of outdated skills and/or your age,” or you are “`forced’ to retire because the company wants you gone.”

So if you have landed in the post-work reality, she writes, “the comfort of that (past) identity is lost, along with the work community you’ve been immersed in.” That’s where a plan comes in, she continues.

You need to think about, she writes:

• “What about my identity? Who will I be?
• What about my desire to be productive and important in my own eyes?
• What about my emotional well-being?
• Who will I hang out with?
• What will do with another twenty or thirty years still to live?”

The book addresses these key questions in a well-written, example-laden way, complete with worksheets, and recommends that you plan retirement as well, or better, than you planned your work career. This is not a financial plan, but a life after work plan, the book explains.

Ryan notes that a lot of people just think retirement will be like vacation. They’ll play tennis, or golf, or lie on the beach.

“That plan, then, is to do nothing. The trouble with doing nothing is that you never know when you’re done! There is so much more to consider. How will you contribute? What will you learn? Whom will you teach? You’ll have plenty of time to lie on the beach, but you will also need to think about how you will nourish your soul.”

For those of us who just can’t visualize new things to try, she includes a detailed two-page list that includes things like dancing, dating, home brewing beer, pets, philanthropy, wine tasting and yoga.

In a chapter for those thinking of relocating when they retire, she advises that “moving quickly can be a serious mistake… if you think you want to move to be near family and grandchildren, maybe a dry run, such as renting nearby for a year, is a good way to start.” Many boomers “regret the move afterward,” she warns.

In a chapter on retirement spending, she notes that retirees spend more in their sixties than in their seventies, eighties and nineties. “This makes sense, as people in their sixties are more active and likely to do more travelling, and to enjoy sports and entertainment, and thus spend more,” she writes.

However, she continues, while a rule of thumb is that your retirement income should be around 80 per cent of what you were earning prior to retiring, “Money magazine warns that new research on household spending after retirement shows there is no predictable pattern… some households spend more — way more — than they did before retirement.”

Housing costs can increase in retirement for those of us who “maintain, rather than pay off,” their mortgages, she notes. Those retirees who are frugal tend to be able to live on 80 per cent of what they made before retiring, she adds. So, you do need to pay attention to your spending and living within your means, the book says.

Many retirees don’t want to try new things, which is one of several obstacles to a successful retirement.

“People over 60 can be very good at finding the negative, making an excuse or setting up an obstacle that they’ve put in their own way. Instead of seeing that a new activity, service or job could be fun and introduce them to new people and expand their world, they only see what might be wrong with it. You must approach retirement with an `I can do it’ attitude. That is imperative. Be open and flexible. Look for opportunities — they are all around if you look for them,” she writes.

Isolation is a danger as we age, she writes. We need to “make new friends and reconnect with the old.” Be a joiner, she advises — book club, card groups, any community group may be of interest. Rekindle old friendships via Facebook. And if there’s nothing out there to join, start something, she writes. “Dinner groups… (and) movie nights are very popular,” she writes, adding that knitting groups and poker nights can also be fun. “Don’t wait for the group or activity to find you — look for people and invite them to join you,” she writes.

She concludes by advising readers to “be flexible. Your plan is just a plan. You can alter it, and you can add in new things as you test drive them. You may meet new people who take you on new adventures. If you try something and it’s not great for you, don’t do it again. Make sure any volunteer work feels rewarding. Most of all, enjoy your days!”

This is a great book. As George Harrison once sang, “if you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.” As retirees ourselves, we found joining local line dancing classes — an activity neither of us had ever done before — has indeed created many new friendships, and adventures. We were on a line dancing bus trip to Nashville last year, and are going on a line dancing cruise next year. Who knew we would like line dancing? We sure didn’t, but we do now.

An important consideration for retirement is saving up for it. If you don’t have a workplace pension plan, have a good look at the Saskatchewan Pension Plan. It’s a voluntary, defined contribution pension plan — you decide how much to save, and SPP looks after the heavy lifting of investing those savings via a professionally run, low cost pooled fund. When it’s time to try something new in retirement, SPP help you turn savings into income, including the option of a lifetime monthly annuity payment. Check out SPP today!

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Three tips to help lower-income Canucks save for retirement

Let’s face it. For those of us who are earning a modest income, just making ends meet is a challenge — and putting the notion of saving for retirement on top of that seems, well, unlikely.

But it’s possible, writes Amy Legate-Wolfe of The Motley Fool Canada in an article that appears on Yahoo! Finance.

She opens her article by defining a “low income” as one that “falls below 50 per cent of the median after-tax income of Canada,” which works out to $34,200 annually.

“This amount certainly makes it hard to save for retirement if you’re just trying to get by, but it can be done,” she writes.

First, she notes, you have to start, even if you start small.

“The worst thing Canadians can do is put off saving because they fear they don’t have enough. While investing takes research, saving does not. So, a great starting point is to just start,” she encourages.

A good target for low-income savers is one per cent, she writes. “From there, consider making a one per cent increase in that amount every quarter, every six months, or whenever you get an increase in pay,” she continues.

“Even just that small amount could create savings of $4,104 in the first year! That makes you all that much closer to your retirement goals,” notes Legate-Wolfe.

Next, she advocates for safe investing when you are earning a modest income.

“If you’re putting savings aside on a low income, a large portion should be kept safe for as long as possible. In this case, consider investing in 10-year Guaranteed Investment Certificates (GIC) from banks. These fixed interest rates will add on that interest each year! For example, most banks offer a 10-year GIC, which can be around four per cent especially if you put it in a non-cashable GIC. This means you cannot take it out before that 10-year mark, however,” she writes.

After starting to divert one per cent of earnings to savings, and putting most of it into GICs, Legate-Wolfe’s final piece of advice is to consider investing a smaller portion of your overall savings in blue-chip, dividend-paying stocks. She suggests that stocks like the Bank of Montreal (BMO) in an example of a company “that provide(s) passive income through dividends on a regular basis.” The dividend income “increases your savings… (but) you can also use that cash flow to reinvest in other stocks, or your GIC.”

So, summing up the tips from this article — don’t put off starting to save for retirement, even if you have to start small. Consider safe investments like GICs first before wading into stocks. If you do consider stocks, look for dividend payers with a reliable track record.

Another route you can take is joining the Saskatchewan Pension Plan. You can start contributing at any level, and can increase your contributions as your circumstances improve. SPP’s experts will invest your savings for you in a low-cost, pooled fund, relieving you of the costs and stress of picking your own investments. And when it comes time to cash those savings into retirement income, SPP is there to help with many options, including the chance to receive a lifetime monthly annuity payment.

Check out SPP today!

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We run into lots of fellow seniors as we line dance our way around town, and we’re always running into discussions about whether — as retirees — we should ditch the family home and rent, or hang on.

Save with SPP decided to see what others have to say on this topic, which seems to become more and more important with each passing birthday.

The folks at MoneySense took a look at this topic a few years ago, and had some interesting thoughts.

“Those who criticize renting over home ownership often ignore some costs of owning a home. Beyond a mortgage payment and property tax, home insurance is higher when owning versus renting. Condo fees may also apply. There are maintenance costs, repairs and renovations. If mortgage rates rise to more normal levels, you can expect your mortgage payment to be higher in the future. Home ownership has costs as well as benefits,” the article tells us.

An article in The Globe and Mail looks at the issue a little differently.

Noting that two-thirds of Canadians own their own homes, the article asks if home ownership still makes financial sense for the older folks among us.

“With many older Canadians approaching retirement with little savings – and some even carrying significant debt – selling the family home and renting may mean the difference between just getting by and living a life free from financial worry,” the article suggests.

The article quotes Scott Plaskett of Ironshield Financial Planning as saying those of us with homes “can be equity-rich and cash-poor: you are worth $5 million on paper, but you can’t pay for dinner because you have no liquidity.”

Selling the house and then renting fixes the liquidity problem, the article contends.

There are pros and cons to renting, writes Jean-François Venne for Sun Life.

He quotes real estate broker Marie-Hélène Ouellette as saying “you first have to consider the pros and cons of being an owner versus a renter. The biggest difference between the options is in the level of responsibility and freedom.”

“You obviously have more freedom when renting since you can leave when your lease is up. And you have fewer responsibilities because the owner takes care of the maintenance. But renters can also have less control than owners over things like decorating, repairs and even pets. And if you’ve been a homeowner for a long time, losing control and choice isn’t always easy to handle,” she states in the article.

The article makes the point that while owning a home usually means its value increases over time, “values do sometimes drop. And as a retiree, you won’t have a lot of time to make up for a decline in value.”

As well, your money can be tied up for a while when you sell or purchase a property, the article adds.

In the article, financial planner Josée Jeffrey says that it can be an unpleasant surprise, for those who have paid off their mortgage, to have to pay rent again. And, she adds, while you no longer are paying property taxes, they may be built into your rent, which usually goes up every year.

There’s a lot to unpack here. Owning means a long commitment to paying a mortgage, as well as property taxes, maintenance, but also your heat, light, and water bill. If there’s a driveway or a lawn it’s on you to clear away the snow and weed-whack the lawn. “Maintenance” involves fixing things that break, like toilets or garage doors or ovens and fridges.

Renting liberates you from many of these responsibilities. But rent can go up — and go up quite a bit if, for instance, the place you’re renting changes ownership. Not all landlords are quick to fix things that break (some are, and bless them), and it’s true — if you are used to owning prior to renting, you’ll have an inescapable urge to bang a few nails into the wall and hang up some artwork, which is typically frowned upon.

So this is a decision you will have to think long and carefully about, concludes an article in Yahoo! Finance.

“Don’t discount emotional issues when making this important decision,” the article advises. “Do you love the idea of owning your own place and fixing it up the way you want? Or will it be a big relief after years of ownership not to worry about the lawn or a broken sump pump?”

The article concludes by stating “while your decision needs to be financially sound, make the decision that makes the most sense for you. Not being a homeowner can be freeing, scary or both. Your home, its location and amenities should fit the life you lead now.”

If you are renting or paying for a mortgage, be sure to still put something away for retirement. A little extra money when you’re older will help with things like future property tax or rental increases. A wonderful retirement savings program open to all Canadians with registered retirement savings plan room is the Saskatchewan Pension Plan. A not-for-profit, open, voluntary defined contribution plan, SPP has investment experts who will invest your retirement savings in a low-cost, pooled fund. When you’re over the walls and away from work, SPP can help you convert those savings into income — including the possibility of a lifetime monthly annuity payment. Check out SPP today!

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Many people have “blind spots” when it comes to retirement and risks: Center for Retirement Research

Congratulations! You’ve made it to the end of work, and are ready for that pot of gold at the end of our working rainbow, retirement.

But are you aware that you now face a new array of risks?

Reporting for Yahoo! Finance, writer Susannah Snider cites a recent analysis from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College that found “a disconnect between how retirees rank risks and their objective exposure to those dangers.” In fact, she writes, many retirees have “blind spots in relation to actual retirement risks.”

Blind spots? Like what?

Well, the article tells us, first up is longevity risk, or “the risk of living longer than anticipated and outlasting savings.”

Next, the article continues, is market risk, “the risks associated with market volatility… (and risk) related to real estate.”

Third, there’s health risk, defined as “the risk associated with medical expenses and long-term care needs.”

Rounding out the list are family risk, “the risk associated with divorce, supporting adult children and other familial challenges,” and policy risk, which the article (intended for a U.S. audience) describes as being unexpected changes in government programs for retirees.

When the folks at the Center crunched the numbers to quantify these risks, they found longevity topped the list.

“It is not surprising that longevity risk tops the list, because it affects the planning horizon for the retirement period,” the article notes.

“In the analysis, a couple would be willing to give up 33 per cent of their initial wealth to avoid longevity risk. That’s compared to the 27 per cent for a single man. The second and third places are market risk and health risk, in that order. Family risk ranks fourth. Policy risk finishes last,” the article explains.

In an interesting twist, when the Center’s researchers looked at how retirees view risks, they got a much different picture. Most single men surveyed put market risk at the top of their lists, the article notes.

“An individual would be willing to give up 31 per cent of his initial wealth to avoid market risk. This “reflects retirees’ exaggerated assessments of market volatility,” the study says. Single men rank longevity risk second and health risk third,” the article concludes.

There’s a lot to unpack here, but it would seem that people are more worried about how their investments will perform in retirement than they are about outliving their savings.

The Saskatchewan Pension Plan offers some help in managing these risks. You can help avoid market risk by letting SPP’s investment experts invest on your behalf, rather than taking a do-it-yourself approach. SPP has managed, over its more than 35 years of existence, a rate of return averaging an impressive eight per cent. While that track record is no guarantee of future performance, it is nonetheless important to consider.

As for outliving your savings, SPP allows its retirees to convert some or all of their retirement nest egg to an annuity. An annuity provides you with a guaranteed monthly income, for life. And the annuity payment does not change regardless of what the markets do. Check out how SPP can help build your retirement security!

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It’s no secret that Canadians are living longer lives than ever. According to Macrotrends, life expectancy in this country is now, on average, 82.96 years — in 1950, it was around 68 years.

What may be more of a secret is the tips that those age 90 and beyond know — what things they do and live by that account for their extremely long lifespan. Save with SPP took a look around to see what the extremely elderly think are key tips for living a long and happy life.

When the CBC looked into this topic, they found there was no single “right way” to go.

“For each healthy-living centenarian who stayed active in family and community, you’ll find an equally aged whisky-loving example who smoked unfiltered cigarettes and shunned company,” the broadcaster reports.

Toronto resident Mohammed, 110 at the time CBC interviewed him, had three tips, the report notes. “Stay active. Chew your food longer than you thought possible, and eat fruit every morning.”

Toronto’s Zoltan Sarosy, 107 years young, “stays sharp by reading the news and emailing friends and family — he bought his first computer at age 95,” the CBC notes.

Finally, the CBC says that Agnes Fenton of New Jersey, now 111 years old, “says a daily beer and whiskey are her keys to longevity.”

Writing for CNBC, minister Lydia Sohn says her preconceptions about the elderly “went out the window” once her work brought her in touch with many long-lived members of her community.

While her many interviews with the elderly did uncover common regrets — not having as good a relationship as they could have with kids, not putting kids on the right career path, and regrets about “not being a better listener,” there was consensus on what helped make a long life a happy one.

“According to my 90-something interviewees, the secret to happy and regret-free life is to savour every second you spend with the people you love,” writes Sohn.

“Put another way, when I asked one man if he wishes he had accomplished more, he responded, `No, I wish I had loved more,’” she continues.

The seniors she met may have had regrets, like not having enough time with their late spouses or family members, but all liked to “laugh like crazy, fall madly in love and fiercely pursue happiness,” the article concludes.

Okay, so attitude is essential — look forward, not back. What other tips do people have?

Across the pond in the U.K., the Guardian offers up a few more ideas.

Falkirk’s Jean Miller, age 94, worked in a salon up until a year ago and says it is essential “to keep active and interested in things.”

“The moment you stop and sit in a chair is when you struggle,” she warns. “Life is an education and if you don’t learn as go along then that’s bad. I’ve learned to see things in a different way over time. My biggest lesson is to be more patient. I used to worry about things but now I don’t. I’ve realized there’s a rhyme and reason for everything. In life you’ve got to take things as they come.”

Pam Zeldin, 94, from Manchester tells the Guardian “my main advice for people who want to live to a good age is to look after your health and live moderately. Also, get enough sleep, and don’t drink to excess.” Her older sister, who she lives with, still enjoys a little gin and tonic in the evening, she confides.

Finally, in an article in the New York Post, entrepreneur Sahil Bloom shares the advice he got from older people — via social media — when he asked for their life advice prior to his 32^nd birthday.

Among the responses were “now and then, break out the fancy china and drink the good wine for no reason at all,” the newspaper reports. “Tell your partner you love them every night before falling asleep,” another elderly person advised, since “someday you’ll find the other side of the bed empty and wish you could.”

Other gems included “do one good deed a day, but never tell anyone about it,” and to not delay difficult conversations. Finally, the article reports, the seniors advised him to “find the things in life that make your eyes light up,” and “laugh loudly and unapologetically whenever you feel like it.”

These are great little bits of advice. Recently our local TV news interviewed a 100-year-old, again asking him for his tips on longevity. He told the reporter that it was important to deal with problems promptly, and to resolve them, rather than hoping they will go away on their own. Also a nice bit of advice.

If we are going to live to see a birthday cake with 90 candles on it, our younger selves should be setting aside some money for that future birthday party. If you have a retirement program at work, be sure to sign up and contribute to the max. If you don’t, have a look at the Saskatchewan Pension Plan, an open, voluntary defined contribution pension plan that any Canadian with registered retirement savings plan room can join. You decide how much to contribute, and SPP does the heavy lifting of investing and growing that money. When it’s time to retire, your options include getting a lifetime monthly annuity payment based on some or all of your savings. Check out SPP today!

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Younger Canadians show us they know how to save: HOOPP survey

We’re often led to believe that younger Canucks are more focused on the “now” than they are on their distant, decades-from-now retirement.

But new research from the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) shows that young folks are dialed in on retirement saving, reports Wealth Professional.

Half of those aged 18-34 “have set aside money for retirement in the past year,” the publication reports, adding that 45 per cent of those in that age bracket have yet to start filling their retirement piggy banks.

Why, we may ask, is this the case?

“Perhaps this is because young Canadians are already concerned that their idea of when they will stop working is already being impacted by current inflation pressures,” Wealth Professional tells us. “While 60 per cent of all respondents believe they may have to delay retirement, among the youngest adult group the figure jumps to 74 per cent. That puts them second behind 35-54s (80 per cent) but well ahead of the pre-retiree 55-64-years group (54 per cent).

So our younger friends are also reeling from the impacts of inflation?

Wealth Professional explains it this way.

“The retirement fears of young adults may be driven by a wider concern about the state of their finances,” the publication reports.

“The survey found that half of the 18-34 group say they are living beyond their means (compared to just 31 per cent of over 35s) and are almost twice as likely to be splurging on small luxuries because they can’t afford big ticket items (54 per cent versus 28 per cent of over 35s said this),” the article continues.

The younger set are most worried, Wealth Professional notes, by “the cost of daily life (69 per cent),” following by inflation (67 per cent) and housing affordability (65 per cent).

Then, we have their level of debt (48 per cent), reducing that debt (83 per cent), whether they will ever have a workplace pension (45 per cent), interest rates impacting their savings ability (91 per cent), and saving for retirement (86 per cent), Wealth Professional continues.

Finally, 43 per cent are worried about the cost of owning their own home in the future, the article concludes.

The takeaway here is that despite all these barriers, more than half of young people are making the effort to save for retirement. That’s good news.

This writer first started saving for retirement at age 25, when a friend pointed out that contributions to a registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) were tax-deductible. “You’ll get a refund,” our friend said. So, awesome, we started contributing to an RRSP nearly 40 years ago and continue to do so to this day.

Our late Uncle Joe always told us to pay ourselves first — put something away for yourself on payday, then pay the bills. Tucking dollars into a retirement account is a great way to achieve this goal.

And if you’re worried about ever having a retirement program at work, don’t. Any Canadian with RRSP room can join the Saskatchewan Pension Plan . You can leave the intricate art of investing to SPP — your focus can be on directing dollars to your retirement nest egg. When the time comes to give back the lanyard and pass, SPP will have invested your savings for you, and you’ll be presented with options for turning those savings into retirement income.

Be sure to check out SPP today!

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After a brutal couple of pandemic-driven years, it appears tourism may be starting to make a comeback.

Over in Manitoba, reports Global News, “hotel occupancies are back to 2019 levels month over month, indicating the tourism industry is making a full recovery from disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“This is the year of tourism,” states Nathalie Thiesen of Economic Development Winnipeg in the article.

More people have been coming to the city’s events, such as the Winnipeg International Jazz Festival, Fringe Theatre Festival, Folk Fest and Folkorama, the article notes.

“It’s great for downtown and the recovery of some of the hardest hit businesses and areas of the city,” states Thiesen in the article.

It’s a similar story in B.C., reports the Richmond News. There, tourism-related employment has just hit a five-year high.

“New Statistics Canada data show 362,000 tourism employees in B.C. in July, up 6,500 from the 355,500 employees in June, and the most jobs in the sector since August 2018, when there were 368,000 employees, according to Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey,” the article notes.

“The 2023 numbers compare with 359,250 tourism employees in the province in July 2019, and 351,750 tourism employees in B.C. in June 2019,” the News reports.

Nationwide, the numbers are beginning to return to “normal,” reports the Hamilton Spectator.

Marc Seguin of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada tells the Spectator that as recently as 2019, Canada “achieved $105 billion in total tourism spending, with $42 billion of that figure stemming from business travel.”

During the pandemic, Seguin states in the article, “total tourism spending dropped by half and business events dropped to near zero.”

Business trips are increasing, the article notes, with 6.4 million business trips logged for the last quarter of 2022 — still down from the 7.2 million in the last quarter of 2019.

An important factor impacting the rebound of travel is, of course, inflation, the article points out.

“People are willing to spend more at the moment to travel,” states Frederic Dimanche of the Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Toronto Metropolitan University in the article. “That leverages the airlines or the hotels to set their prices at a higher level than they used to, because they want to make up for lost revenues during the COVID crisis.”

But the rising cost of travelling may be starting to hamper tourism’s recovery, warns CTV News Regina.

“Over the past three years, the tourism industry had been clawing its way back to pre-pandemic numbers, however, a new report by TD Bank found the pace of recovery started to slow this year,” the broadcaster reports.

The TD report cites “financial challenges in Canada, such as higher interest rates, a slowing job market and broader tourism slowdowns seen both domestically and internationally” as the chief reasons for the slowing recovery.

While Alberta and B.C. visits are beginning to approach 2019 levels again, the rebound is slower in Saskatchewan, the article notes.

“Saskatchewan… has lagged when it comes to international travel. Visits to the Prairie province are 40 per cent below the 2019 average,” CTV reports, adding that the TD report suggests “this decline might be in part due to same-day tourists, whose numbers have fallen at less than 50 per cent pre-pandemic levels.”

Let’s hope this overall tourism recovery continues — there’s a lot of spin-off benefits from tourism that help the economy.

Travelling, as the articles note, can be a little pricey — even a car trip requires gas, maybe hotels, restaurant meals and so on. Factor in rail or airfare or cruise ship costs and the impact on your wallet grows. That’s why saving for retirement — the period of your life when you’ll have the most time for travelling — is important.

If you haven’t started saving for retirement, consider signing up for the Saskatchewan Pension Plan. SPP will grow your savings dollars in a pooled, professionally managed fund at a very competitive cost. When it’s time to update the passport and book tickets, SPP is able to convert your savings into retirement income, including the option of a lifetime monthly annuity payment. Be sure to check out SPP today!

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Are you — and your partner — on the same page about what you’ll do in retirement?

While saving money is certainly a key component of retirement, it’s just as important to understand — in advance — what you and your partner are planning to do with all that spare time.

Writing in the Victoria Times-Colonist columnist Kevin Greenard shares some key insights on what retirement can look like for people, and the need for being on the same page.

Years ago, he notes, he set up a seminar that “had nothing to do with the financial aspects of retirement.” Fifty couples, he writes, who were within three years of retirement were gathered to hear Barry LaValley of the Retirement Lifestyle Centre speak.

“The presentation highlighted that many people entering retirement don’t really have a clear understanding of what they are retiring to,” he writes.

Greenard notes that LaValley has these key retirement questions — none of which are money-related — posted on his website:

1. Why are you retiring?
2. What is it that you will miss most about your job?
3. How will you replace the things that you liked most about your work?
4. What are you looking forward to the most about your retirement?
5. What areas of your retirement life need a plan?
6. What are the opportunities that you see in your retirement?

Even with some advance “homework,” the couples at the retirement seminar seemed to be in different places when it came to how they saw life after work, Greenard writes.

“When we ask couples what they want to do in retirement, they are often together and not 100 per cent prepared for the question,” he writes. The answer to this question, he continues, directly impacts their wealth planning and future retirement cash flow needs. “What we have learned over the years is that many couples have vastly different thoughts about what retirement looks like to them,” he notes.

He gives some examples (not using real names) of this lack of same-pagedness. “Mr. Smith was interested in buying a sailboat and going on adventures,” while Mrs. Smith didn’t like sailing, didn’t want a boat, and hoped to “spend time volunteering with charities that she is passionate about.”

“Mr. Jones was thinking of getting a motor home and driving across Canada, and making extended trips to the U.S.,” while Mrs. Jones “wanted to stay close to home and spend time with her grandchildren.”

Mr. Wilson wanted to spend money on getting the kids established in housing, but Mrs. Wilson “didn’t mention helping the children out at all, either financially or with her time.” Instead, she wanted to be “spending more time on the golf course and fully utilizing their memberships.”

“In speaking with couples afterward, we explained that without them having meaningful conversations with each other, it was difficult to have a meaningful conversation with us,” Greenard writes.

They were able to help the couples by getting into specifics — how much would Mr. Smith’s boat cost, and how long did he hope to make use of it? The same questions were posed to Mr. Jones, who relieved his spouse by saying he only hoped to have a motor home for a couple of years — and that she could fly home for holidays with the grandbabies.

All such retirement expenses need to be written into the couple’s Total Wealth Plan, he concludes, so it is important for both spouses to be on the same page with future retirement activities and expenses.

“The entire exercise of reaching a consensus with respect to what retirement will look like is one of the primary objectives that we try to help clients achieve when doing a Total Wealth Plan. In many ways, we are the facilitators of these conversations that are often avoided. Communication and planning in advance help us create a more meaningful and relevant Total Wealth Plan,” he concludes.

This is a great article, and the approach taken with the retirement seminar was both creative and valuable.

Whether your retirement involves loading up a Winnebago, or baking cookies with your granddaughter, a little extra money for your future self will always help. If you are lucky enough to have a retirement program through work, be sure you are contributing as much as you can to it, and paying your future self first. If you don’t have such a program at work, check out the Saskatchewan Pension Plan. Through SPP you can set up “pay yourself first” savings via pre-authorized contributions from your bank account. Alternatively, you can pay SPP via your online banking bill payment service. Or even via a credit card. The money you set aside via SPP is professionally invested, at a low cost, and grown to provide future retirement income. It’s a made-in-Saskatchewan retirement security solution!

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For any of us, at any age, who are thinking about retirement, The Art of Retirement by Anthony Gordon is a must-have retirement reference book.

The book begins by helping us reframe our relationship with our finances. Perhaps, the book suggests, quoting noted economist Moshe Milevsky, we need to think of ourselves as a corporation — “You Inc.”

In that role, your goal would be “to maximize your company’s value while minimizing the risks faced by your corporation… to take the long-term view when making financial decisions.”

After a discussion of the “Rule of 72,” the idea that “72 divided by the interest rate approximately determines how long it takes for your money to double,” Gordon notes that the earlier we start saving, the best. “You need to start saving and investing as soon as you get the chance,” he writes. “If you do not, you will not get the full benefit of compound interest and the Rule of 72, so missing a year has a significant impact in the long run.” Think of your early investment “as a small snowball that gradually grows,” so long as you get the ball rolling.

He quotes the great Albert Einstein as once saying “he who understands interest, earns it; he who doesn’t, pays it.”

Gordon advises that as you save for retirement, you want to “keep track of your debt. If you ignore debt, you will not be on track for your retirement even if you have a lot of investments.” Compound interest works against you when it’s being applied to debt, he warns.

Writing about retirement income planning, he advises us all to find out what your “guaranteed income streams” are going to be — this can be Canada Pension Plan (CPP), Old Age Security (OAS), the Guaranteed Income Supplement,” or income from an annuity.

Then you need to think about how much you will need to withdraw from other personal savings — registered retirement savings plans (RRSPs) or Tax Free Savings Accounts (TFSAs). Next, look into ways to minimize taxes — then, you will have a picture of your future retirement income.

If you are running your own investments, be aware that “as humans, our erratic emotions and actions are rooted in psychological forces that drive most of the poor results that investors experience in the market,” Gordon writes. Quoting legendary investor Warren Buffett, he writes that “to invest successfully over a lifetime does not require a stratospheric IQ, unusual business insight or inside information. What is needed is a sound intellectual framework for decisions and the ability to keep emotions from corroding the framework.”

A key tool in developing such a framework, he writes, is having a financial plan.

Such a plan, he continues, should list all assets and liabilities, establish written goals based on “your values and your vision,” and should detail how much you will need “now, five and 10 years from now, as well as in retirement. Plan for inflation and taxes,” he writes.

Use the plan to decrease expenses, and to become fully aware of your monthly cash flow needs. You should look for ways “to reduce or defer income taxes where possible,” and plan your estate, including “wills, powers of attorney, and life insurance.”

Review your plan at least once a year — keep a copy of it handy if you are working with investment or legal professionals, he writes.

Other interesting discussions in this well-written book include a section on how to take advantage of a TFSA when you are retired.

Money invested in a TFSA, and later withdrawn, has no impact on your eligibility for “federal income-tested benefits.” A TFSA passes tax free to your estate, and you can contribute to a TFSA well past age 71 when you are fully retired, he writes. “Overall, the TFSA is a great tool that will allow you to better manage your taxable income so you do not have to withdraw additional funds from your registered retirement income fund (RRIF),” he writes.

In a chapter devoted to minimizing taxation, he talks about CPP splitting and pension income splitting, and some of the tax benefits an annuity can provide.

While noting annuities aren’t for everyone, Gordon writes that they provide a guaranteed payment for life and usually provides “a much higher rate of return than if you had received money from a guaranteed income certificate.” The book concludes with a detailed look at estate planning and the importance of having a will.

Once you are actually retired, you will notice that some fellow retirees are managing better than others. This probably isn’t by fluke. The ones who travel the most, or have cabins or campers, are almost certainly the ones who put some thought into what retirement would look like many years earlier. The rest of the gang have to manage on what they’ve got to live on.

If you don’t have a pension plan through work, don’t worry — the Saskatchewan Pension Plan is open to all Canadians with RRSP room. You can decide how much to contribute, and they’ll look after the heavy lifting of investing. At retirement, SPP offers the option of a lifetime annuity — a monthly payment you’ll get for the rest of your life — to help make your retirement income predictable and secure. Check out SPP today.

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We’re living longer, but not healthier — and may face costly care in our latter years

Writing in The Globe and Mail, columnist Rob Carrick reveals that our future cost of care — once we’re all elderly — could average about $3,500 per month.

Retirement savers, he writes, already have to consider “high interest rates and inflation” when predicting future costs. “Now comes one more complication: we’re living longer, but not healthier,” he writes.

So long-term care costs may be something many of us will be dealing with in the latter phases of life, and Carrick says it can be a pretty considerable expense.

“Health issues can be managed so that you have a good quality of life, but the expense is potentially massive. Reckoning with this cost is best done in the retirement planning stage as opposed to your 80s or 90s, when your options are more limited. You need to answer this question before you retire: If I need extensive care in retirement, how will I afford it,” he writes.

The two options, which the article notes are covered off in a new report from the Bank of Nova Scotia, are basically “aging in place,” at home with help, or moving to a long-term care facility if and when the need arises.

Carrick notes that while he now sees “happy 100^th birthday cards” in card shops, and that financial planners tell him they are seeing more and more clients in the 90-100 year age range, those extra years of life are not always healthy ones.

“What’s less understood about longer lifespans is that some of our latter years could well be spent in poor health. Life expectancy for the average 65-year-old today is 21 years, with full health for just 15 of them,” he writes.

Three quarters of us aged 65 or older “have at least one major chronic disease, while one-third have multiple conditions,” the article continues. “More than 80 per cent of seniors at age 85 suffer from hypertension, over half from osteoarthritis, and one-quarter from dementia,” he continues.

These conditions can mean you’ll need help “to perform six aspects of daily living — bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, continence and being able to walk or transfer yourself from a bed to a wheelchair,” the article adds. That’s where the costs begin to rise.

“Light home care of five hours per week might be covered by provincial governments, whereas 22 hours per week might cost $3,500 a month. According to the Canadian Medical Association, 22 hours of home care per week is consistent with keeping people at home rather than a long-term care home. For continuous home care, the price could be close to $30,000 per month,” he writes.

We can add from personal experience that long-term care costs were around $5,000 per month when our late mom needed it.

How to fund that sort of cost, which might be needed for five or six years?

“If you don’t have the savings to cover care costs, your options include downsizing your home to pry loose some equity, or borrowing against your home value using a home equity line of credit or a reverse mortgage. Long-term care insurance bought before retirement is another possibility, but this type of coverage has not caught on,” the article notes.

In any case, future long-term care costs should be part and parcel of your overall retirement savings plan, the article concludes.

This is an eye-opening and alarming article. The implication is that maybe your retirement costs will actually increase, and that will happen at post-85, when you have very few options to deal with it. A takeaway from this piece, for us at least, is to never stop saving for the future.

If you don’t have a workplace pension arrangement, and are saving on your own for retirement, you may be interested to learn about the Saskatchewan Pension Plan. SPP has been helping Canadians save for retirement for over 35 years. SPP offers a voluntary defined contribution plan that any Canuck with registered retirement savings plan room can join. You decide what to contribute, and SPP invests it for you in a pooled fund with a great track record and low-cost professional management. Check out SPP today!

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