Retirement preplanning to-do list
1. When deciding how much income you’ll need, consider what you’re likely to do after retirement: golf, travel, start a consulting company or even get another job.
2. If thinking about working in some capacity after retirement, make connections with people while you’re still working. It will be easier to connect with the right people or get references while you are still on the job.
3. If you have sufficient RRSP contribution room, ask your employer if a partial rollover without withholding tax is possible.
4. If you are turning 60 and plan on retiring early, you’ll want to know which option is better: taking a reduced CPP/QPP pension at age 60, or waiting until age 65 to get the full amount (your CPP/QPP can also be delayed to age 70.)
5. If you are receiving a severance package before you retire:
* Find out whether or not you qualify to rollover a portion of your severance into your RRSP tax-free
* Get advice from your financial advisor about what you should do with the portion of your severance that you can’t roll over – or what you should do with all of it, if you’re not eligible for that tax break
* If given the option, your severance can be paid in yearly installments and taxed in the year of receipt provided you make this election prior to the termination of employment
The information contained in this article is not intended nor should it be considered as providing specific legal or tax advice. Individuals should consult with their professional advisors to ensure that any information provided is applicable and appropriate to their specific situation.
Content provided courtesy of Manulife Investments
© Copyright of this article is held by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company (Manulife Financial). You are free to make copies of this article and to distribute it, either in paper form or electronically, as long as you do not change or remove any part of this work. All other uses are prohibited.
Manulife Investments is the brand name identifying the personal wealth management lines of business offered by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries in Canada. As one of Canada’s largest integrated financial services providers, Manulife Investments offers a variety of products and services including segregated funds, mutual funds, principal protected notes, annuities and guaranteed interest contracts.
WealthStyles, Manulife and the block design are registered service marks and trademarks of The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company and are used by it and its affiliates including Manulife Financial Corporation.
