A look at the best of the Internet, from an SPP point of view

You saved it – but can you make it last?
By now, most of us get the idea that paying for one’s retirement involves saving money in the period leading up to the end of work, and then making those savings last.

That second part, preserving the wealth, doesn’t always get as much attention as the first. How do you keep that nest egg from running out, and ideally, leaving a bit for the kids once you’re gone?

According to Heather Rennie of Sun Life, there are a number of obstacles your retirement savings will face, including “taxes, inflation, bad investment decisions and the natural reduction of assets.” She recently wrote an article called “6 Ways to Preserve Wealth for the Future” that provides a strategy for managing these risks.

Rennie says that setting a goal is an important first step. If you’re not all that concerned about leaving wealth to future generations, your investments will be much different than those you would want otherwise, she notes.

It’s worth thinking about setting up some sort of trust arrangement, Rennie writes, if you expect someone else, such as a family member, will be helping with your finances when you become quite elderly. “This can help safeguard the money from those who might make investing mistakes,” notes Rennie.

Diversification of investments – a balanced approach – is recommended, she writes, as is having some guaranteed investment funds/products in the mix. This category of investment puts some guarantees around the payouts not only to you, but to your beneficiary.

Rennie speaks as well of the need for tax efficiency. Withdrawals from many registered products are fully taxable, but making use of a TFSA can provide “tax-sheltered growth and tax-free withdrawals.”

These steps can help ensure that there is some wealth left to transfer to future generations.

Why retirement is the best time of life
Some great insights on why retirement rocks from the folks at Love Being Retired:

• “You don’t have to act your age.”
• “You don’t have to wait for the weekend to have fun.”
• “You don’t have to waste time doing what you do not want to.”
• “You can learn/heed/study what you really want to.”

Lots of freedom at the end of the rainbow, isn’t there? And the Saskatchewan Pension Plan can help you get there.

 

Written by Martin Biefer

Martin Biefer is Senior Pension Writer at Avery & Kerr Communications in Nepean, Ontario. After a 35-year career as a reporter, editor and pension communicator, Martin is enjoying life as a freelance writer. He’s a mediocre golfer, hopeful darts player and beginner line dancer who enjoys classic rock and sports, especially football. He and his wife Laura live with their Sheltie, Duncan, and their cat, Toobins. You can follow him on Twitter – his handle is @AveryKerr22