Doing it yourself can lead to missteps, particularly for retirement planning

Let’s face it. More than likely, the person you see in the mirror each morning is also your “retirement planner.” And, writes noted financial columnist Jason Heath, writing in the Sarnia Observer, the best estimates of do-it-yourselfers can often miss the mark.

Here are some things to watch out for.

We may mess up the key question of how much is enough to save, he writes. The math is complicated, he explains. While one might think that one million dollars supports $50,000 a year withdrawals for 20 years, Heath points out that growth has to be factored in.

“$1 million invested at a four per cent return will generate $40,000 in the first year, meaning a $50,000 withdrawal will reduce the account balance by just $10,000. Depending how the money is invested, the investment fees payable, and other factors, $1 million may support $50,000 of annual withdrawals for 30 years or more,” he writes.

Tax rates in retirement are significantly lower in retirement, and most folks overestimate their tax bill. You’ll be earning less so that will chop your tax bill, and “income like eligible pension income, capital gains, and Canadian dividends are eligible for tax credits or reduced income inclusion rates. Married couples can also split income more easily in retirement to minimize their combined family tax,” he writes.

Expenses are usually overestimated. Heath notes that in most cases, once you are retired you won’t be paying off a mortgage, the kids will be educated and gone, and you’ll no longer be saving for retirement.

A common mistake people make is starting their government retirement benefits either at age 65 or earlier. “Deferring CPP or OAS after age 65 results in an increase in both pensions for every month of deferral. Retirees who live well into their 80s or 90s will receive more lifetime pension income for delaying their pensions to age 70 than starting early,” he writes.

Heath cites a 2018 research paper that questions the old “rule of thumb” that your current age equals the percentage of your investment portfolio that should be in fixed income. While he is not advocating going “all in” on stocks, “but holding a low allocation to stocks is unlikely to maximize a retiree’s spending or estate value.’

Lastly, he points out the risk of longevity – most people are living into their 80s, 90s and even beyond. People, he writes, “should plan for a 30-year retirement.”

Most of us boomers were raised by Depression-era parents who were brought up in a “make do” environment where costly things like medical, financial, and even home repair support were automatically shunned. Long-distance phone calls and cab rides were rare events, associated with the annual Christmas phone call to the grandparents or the extremely rare need to take a cab – usually, only done if the car needed to be left at home when travelling by train, for example.

However, we are not jacks and jills of all trades, so getting a little professional advice is not such a bad idea, especially with retirement planning. Why not consider the Saskatchewan Pension Plan – they’ll invest your retirement savings professionally, at a very reasonable cost, and when it’s time to live on those savings, you can choose annuity options that will ensure you never run out of money, no matter how long you live.

Join the Wealthcare Revolution – follow SPP on Facebook!

How much is the right amount to withdraw from retirement savings?

OK, so you’ve managed to squirrel away a nice chunk of money in your retirement fund. Now you’re ready to start taking the money out and you know, living off it.

But is there a sensible rule of thumb to employ so that you don’t run out of savings before you run out of life?

According to the Daily Mail in the U.K., there is a new idea making the rounds.

Investment company Vanguard says there’s a way to help make sure your money will last the 35 years or so that you may need it to last, the Daily Mail reports.

“The firm suggest savers determine their income by multiplying their portfolio by five per cent, then comparing it with the previous year and adjusting how much they remove accordingly,” the article says.

“If the fund is higher than the previous year, retirees should withdraw up to five per cent while if the portfolio has depreciated in value, income should be decreased by roughly two per cent.”

Simply put, don’t take out the same amount every year. Take out up to five per cent if your savings have gone up in value, and take out less, say three per cent, if it has not.

The conventional withdrawal rule that has been bandied about for years in the industry is that you can safely withdraw four per cent from your savings annually.

The new Vanguard formula flies in the face of that wisdom, and the four per cent rule was recently questioned by financial author Jason Heath in a MoneySense article.

“Over the half decade I’ve written this column and attempted to practice what it preaches, a central pillar has been the so-called 4 Per Cent Rule,” he writes.

“Problem is, with `lower for longer’ interest rates and the spectre of negative interest rates, is it still realistic for retirees to count on this guideline? Personally, I find it useful, even though I mentally take it down to three per cent to adjust for my own pessimism about rates and optimism that I will live a long, healthy life,” he writes.

He goes on to cite other experts who say four per cent “is a reasonable rule of thumb” for non-registered savings, but once RRSPs are converted into RRIFs, higher withdrawal amounts are mandated by the government anyway, making the withdrawal formula “moot.”

Let’s digest all this. You’ve got savings, you want to live on those savings. But up until now you have never had to live on a lump sum amount that gets smaller every year – you are used to getting a paycheque. Whether you take out two, three, or four percent (or some other mandatory percentage) of your savings every year, there will likely be less money in the piggy bank each year you get older, particularly at a time when interest rates are so low.

Do we want to be pre-occupied with withdrawal rates and decumulation strategies while we are trying to hit golf balls onto the fairway? Surely not.

But wait – if you’re a member of the Saskatchewan Pension Plan there’s a solution to this problem. SPP offers a variety of annuities for its members. When you come to retirement, you can convert any or all of your SPP savings into a monthly income payment – a lot like your old paycheque – that comes to you in the same amount for the rest of your life. You can never run out of money, no matter how long you live or what markets and interest rates do. Security is guaranteed. Check out SPP today.

Join the Wealthcare Revolution – follow SPP on Facebook!

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

Workplace pensions disappearing, putting savings onus on you
Writing in the Financial Post, Jason Heath notes that while most Canadian retirees think they saved enough for retirement (42 per cent said they had saved enough, 44 per cent wished they had saved a little more), much of that saving – about 25 per cent on average — came from their workplace pension plans. That’s a problem going forward, Heath writes, because workplace pension plans are becoming quite scarce.

“There have been trends in Canada towards reducing employee pension coverage, shifts towards temporary and contract workers and an increase in self-employment,” he writes. “These all put more personal responsibility onto today’s workers to save proactively to be tomorrow’s happy retirees.

Many of us already know that the Saskatchewan Pension Plan provides a great way for us to save on our own. Those savings can augment your company’s plan or can represent your own personal retirement plan. Sign up today – visit saskpension.com for more details.

What are the best places to retire in Canada?

MoneySense magazine recently put together a video on how to choose a place to retire in Canada.

The magazine says that retirees want to live somewhere that is close to an airport, has a thriving arts and culture scene, good weather, and good healthcare.

What places made their list? Number 1 choice was Victoria, B.C. MoneySense says B.C. has the warmest weather in Canada, and Victoria, while a bit pricey (over $574,000 for the average home), is steeped in history and culture and blessed with fine hospitals.

Taking second place was Ottawa, a larger city with more than 974,000 residents, which has many museums and art galleries, a good and mid-sized airport, and excellent healthcare. Housing is still a bit expensive, with the average price around $481,000.

Number 3 was Orillia, Ontario, which is about two hours’ north of Toronto. This beachfront town of 32,000 has lots of history and culture, a large casino nearby, and boasts affordable housing averaging under $300,000.

An unofficial runner-up selected by the Save with SPP blog might be Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, a fine, young-feeling university city with great healthcare and those long, sunny, and non-humid summer days of bright sunshine. Northern lights in the winter, too.

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

The pros and cons of annuities

Annuities are usually insurance against something bad – but there’s a kind of insurance that you can look forward to, explains Moshe Milevsky, Professor of Finance at York University’s Schulich School of Business.

In his YouTube video, Why Annuities Now?, Prof. Milevsky talks about how annuities are really insurance “against something that is a blessing, longevity.” Longevity insurance is “the insurance you buy to protect you against the cost of living for a very long time.”

An annuity is certainly something to think about when converting your SPP savings into retirement income. It’s a way to set up your savings to provide you with a fixed monthly income for your life – and there are ways to also provide for your survivors. Check SPP’s retirement guide for an overview of the annuity options the plan provides.

The retirement spending “smile”

Writing in the Financial Post, Jason Heath talks about the “retirement spending smile” that seems to occur for most of us. What is the smile? We generally spend more money in our early retired years, see a decline in the middle, and then see spending increase in the end – on a chart, it looks like a smile.

Research, the article notes, finds that “spending tends to rise by more than the rate of inflation in later years, on average.” This, the article notes, is likely due to the fact that in extreme old age, “few 95-year-olds cut their own grass, live independently in their homes, or avoid prescription drugs.”

The article warns us that spending may rise modestly if we are fortunate enough to live into our late 80s, and advises that idea to be part of our financial planning.

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

By Sheryl Smolkin

In a guest post for the Financial Independence Hub, Certified Financial Planner Gennaro De Luca writes that based on his experience, men and women approach taxes and investing differently. For example, he says nine times out of 10 it is the woman who takes the bull by the horns to get the family’s taxes done. Women tend to be more involved and are much more apt to ask questions of their accountant or tax preparer about tax credits and government benefits the family may be eligible for.

Robb Engen on Boomer & Echo discusses which accounts to tap first in retirement with Jason Heath,  a fee-only financial planner. Heath says it may make sense for people who retire early to withdraw funds from their RRSPs first and defer CPP and OAS until age 70.

Retire Happy veteran blogger Jim Yih outlines the top 5 new retirement trends and how they will affect your retirement. For example: retirement is not about stopping work; many people are “phasing into retirement.” Furthermore, long term care is an essential component in a retirement plan.

10 simple ways to save money at the gas pump was recently posted by Tom Drake on the Canadian Finance Blog. Who knew that avoiding unnecessary weight in your car; using cruise control on highways and driving under 100 km/hour could save you money?

And Sean Cooper recounts the story of his unexpected $1,300 furnace repair bill in the depths of a Canadian winter. Luckily, he is mortgage-free, so he had the necessary money sitting in his savings account. But his experience shines a spotlight on the importance of saving up an emergency fund in advance.

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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 on http://wp.me/P1YR2T-JR and your name will be entered in a quarterly draw for a gift card.

By Sheryl Smolkin

Recently Rob Carrick at the Globe and Mail wrote Prepare for the worst and make 2016 the year of the emergency fund. According to Carrick, the emergency fund is how you survive a financial setback without raiding your retirement savings, adding to your line of credit debt or borrowing from relatives. “Think of an emergency fund as insurance against a short-term setback that affects your long-term financial goals,” Carrick says.

20 Reasons Why You Need am Emergency Fund by Trent Hamm on thesimpledollar.com lists all of the obvious reasons (job loss, illness, urgent medical expenses) why you may need to tap into an emergency fund plus a few you never thought of. Some more obscure examples are:

• Your identity is stolen, locking you out of your credit cards and/or bank account for a while until the issue gets straightened out.
• An unexpected professional change forces you to relocate quickly.
• A relative or friend of yours passes away suddenly in another part of the country (or the world).
• You discover your partner is cheating on you, and for your own safety and peace of mind you have to pack your bags quickly and go.

How much do you need to save in your emergency fund? Typically financial experts suggest three to six months of fixed (as opposed to completely discretionary expenses). Emergency fund calculators from RBC and moneyunder30.com can help you figure out how much you should set aside.

Jason Heath at MoneySense is not a big fan of emergency funds if that means a substantial amount of cash sitting in a bank account doing nothing. He says, “I’m all for having the potential to cover 6 months of expenses in the event of an emergency. But I’d rather someone be able to do so through a combination of modest savings and ideally, a low-interest rate debt facility like a secured line of credit.”

Gail Vax-Oxlade believes the TFSA is a perfect place to stash your emergency fund. She says, “The best thing about the TFSA is its flexibility. You can take money out of your TFSA at any time for any purpose, without losing the contribution room, which makes this account the number one choice for socking away an emergency fund. So even if you take money out in one year, you can put it back the next, without affecting that year’s contribution limit ($5,500 for 2016).”

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.