{"id":507931,"date":"2026-06-19T13:05:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T13:05:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/507931\/"},"modified":"2026-06-19T13:05:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T13:05:15","slug":"you-wont-know-if-youre-ready-for-retirement-until-youre-actually-living-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/507931\/","title":{"rendered":"You won\u2019t know if you\u2019re ready for retirement until you\u2019re actually living it"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

A new survey suggests there\u2019s a significant gap between how Canadians expect to fund retirement and what actually happens once they get there.Sean Kilpatrick\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

Hey there. One thing I\u2019ve noticed about readers of this newsletter is that you tend to be planners. You save diligently and think carefully about the future. But retirement has a funny way of humbling even the best-laid plans. Let\u2019s get into it.<\/p>\n

Go with the flow <\/p>\n

There are some life experiences you simply can\u2019t fully understand until you\u2019re living them. Your first full-time job, getting married, becoming a parent. Retirement seems to belong on that list, too.<\/p>\n

A new survey from CAAT Pension Plan suggests there\u2019s a significant gap between how Canadians expect to fund retirement and what actually happens once they get there. Among working Canadians, 25 per cent expect personal savings to be their primary source of retirement income. Among retirees, however, only 15 per cent say that\u2019s actually the case.<\/p>\n

Instead, many retirees rely more heavily on government benefits than they anticipated. The survey, which polled roughly 3,300 Canadians in late 2025, found that 58 per cent of retirees primarily depend on public programs such as the Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security.<\/p>\n

The lesson here isn\u2019t that saving, or planning, doesn\u2019t matter (trust me, it does!).<\/p>\n

Rather, it\u2019s a reminder that retirement planning isn\u2019t about perfectly predicting the future. It\u2019s about preparing for a range of possibilities. We spend decades estimating what we\u2019ll need, what we\u2019ll spend and where our income will come from. Then retirement arrives and reality inevitably looks different.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why flexibility may be one of the most underrated retirement skills. No matter how carefully you plan, some things only become clear once you\u2019re actually experiencing them.<\/p>\n

Subscribe to the Retire Rich newsletter<\/p>\n

Are you reading this newsletter on the web or did someone forward the e-mail version to you? If so, you can sign up for Retire Rich here<\/a>.The Calculator <\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s reverse mortgage market has grown to almost $11-billion<\/a>, rising at an average annual rate of 20.9 per cent over the past decade. The controversial product allows homeowners aged 55 and older to borrow against their home equity, with no payments required until they sell, move out or die (while interest quietly accrues in the background)<\/p>\n

The Retirement Receipt <\/p>\n

What did Gillian learn from inheriting her father\u2019s beloved vintage car?<\/a><\/p>\n

The situation: Gillian, a 60-year-old finance professional, inherited a 1965 Chrysler New Yorker that her father bought for $2,500 and nearly sold for $200. The restored vehicle is now appraised at about $30,000.<\/p>\n

What she did with it: Rather than sell the car, Gillian kept the family heirloom, officially taking ownership before her father died. She insures it through a specialty provider, stores it at her cottage and Toronto condo, and regularly drives it to classic-car shows and events. She eventually plans to gift it to a family member.<\/p>\n

The lesson: Inheriting a vintage vehicle can mean taking on more than a valuable asset. Owners often face ongoing costs, maintenance challenges and storage needs, making it important to consider whether the next generation is prepared for the responsibilities that come with ownership.<\/p>\n

Best of the Rest <\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfdb\ufe0f Complex OAS residency rules can significantly affect retirement income.<\/a> Benefit amounts depend on how many years a person is considered a resident of Canada after age 18, but those rules can become complex for Canadians who spend periods living abroad. One retiree was required to repay nearly $20,000 after Service Canada determined he qualified for only a partial OAS pension rather than the full benefit he had originally received.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcc8Wealthsimple is partnering with Kalshi, the largest U.S. prediction market exchange.<\/a> The new Wealthsimple Predict app will let Canadians trade on forecasts tied to markets, the economy and climate, opening access to a fast-growing but controversial corner of the investing world.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfe0 Appliance retailers are buckling under a soft housing market, and customers are paying the price.<\/a> Experts say customers who pay upfront for big-ticket items often have few protections if a retailer becomes insolvent, with safeguards varying significantly by province.<\/p>\n

\u26bd The FIFA World Cup is prompting some Canadians to rethink their budgets.<\/a> A recent survey found 44 per cent would cut back on discretionary spending to attend matches or take part in tournament-related activities, while younger Canadians are especially willing to make trade-offs, including taking on side hustles, to pay for the experience.<\/p>\n

Try This <\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcc8 The blockbuster SpaceX IPO has some investors wondering whether the stock market is getting overheated.<\/a> While market watchers point to signs of froth, including sky-high valuations, AI-driven enthusiasm and a wave of upcoming tech IPOs, reporter David Berman writes that trying to time a market peak rarely pays off. He\u2019s sticking with a diversified long-term investment strategy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: A new survey suggests there\u2019s a significant gap between how Canadians expect to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":507932,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[72,176,61,60,174,175,33057],"class_list":["post-507931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-personal-finance","tag-business","tag-finance","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-personal-finance","tag-personalfinance","tag-retirementnewsletter"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=507931"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507931\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/507932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=507931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=507931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=507931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}