{"id":209095,"date":"2025-12-30T23:36:14","date_gmt":"2025-12-30T23:36:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/209095\/"},"modified":"2025-12-30T23:36:14","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T23:36:14","slug":"globe-advisors-best-of-2025-the-complexity-of-retirement-planning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/209095\/","title":{"rendered":"Globe Advisor\u2019s Best of 2025: The complexity of retirement planning"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

Timing RRSP withdrawals, establishing a suitable income and spending habits, and managing quarterly tax instalments are some of the more technical parts of retirement planning.Nuthawut Somsuk\/iStockPhoto \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

No matter how much planning goes into retirement, there are surprises. Some clients may struggle to manage cash flow, while others may be baffled by having to pay taxes in quarterly instalments. Others may find themselves more isolated than expected; some may take a job at Costco for fun.<\/p>\n

Here are 10 retirement stories from the past year that address these trends and others, such as retiring with a mortgage or with adult kids at home, and how advisors can help clients adjust their plans to meet specific needs.<\/p>\n

Why withdrawing from an RRSP early is more tax-efficient for some clients<\/a><\/p>\n

Canadians spend most of their working lives stuffing money into a registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) to live off later in life. Yet, advisors say not enough effort goes into figuring out the most tax-efficient way to withdraw those funds. For some Canadians, the best strategy is to start taking money out of an RRSP sooner than needed to smooth out retirement income, spread out taxes and potentially increase government benefits.<\/p>\n

How retirees can manage quarterly instalment tax payments to the CRA<\/a><\/p>\n

Recent retirees are often unpleasantly surprised to learn they may have to pay taxes to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) every three months, rather than just once a year when they file a return. Rudy Mezzetta explains.<\/p>\n

When buying Canadian, how about some more CPP benefits?<\/a><\/p>\n

The Canada Pension Plan provides retirees with a real inflation-adjusted life annuity that pays an income for as long as they live, without having to worry about decumulation at an advanced age. And yet, very few Canadians wait until 70 to claim their benefits. How do we get more Canadians to wait? Perhaps, counterintuitively, writes Moshe Milevsky, we should allow them to buy more CPP benefits. Here\u2019s how it would work.<\/p>\n

Retiring with a mortgage is becoming more common, requiring extra financial planning<\/a><\/p>\n

Retiring with a mortgage is no longer an anomaly. As a result, advisors are recognizing that a well-structured financial plan has to factor in a mortgage, whether it\u2019s part of a broader tax strategy, requires aggressive repayment, means delaying retirement, or leads to a reverse mortgage or downsizing.<\/p>\n

Why the empty nest may go the way of the dinosaur<\/a><\/p>\n

Many clients who want to retire have found a major stumbling block \u2013 their adult kids. Deanne Gage reports on why children in their 20s are \u201cthe new teenagers.\u201d<\/p>\n

After 30 years in the classroom, this retired teacher worked part-time at Costco to pass the time<\/a><\/p>\n

Dan Raitz, 63, of Leduc, Alta. retired in 2018 after more than 30 years as a high school teacher. \u201cI knew I wanted to do something after retiring, but subbing or supply teaching didn\u2019t interest me,\u201d he says. So, he took a job at a new Costco store near his home. He spoke with Brenda Bouw about buying a motorhome during the pandemic, converting his RRSP to a RRIF early, and why men find it more difficult to retire.<\/p>\n

How advisors can adjust retirement and estate planning for DINK couples<\/a><\/p>\n

Dual-income, no-kids (DINK) households are emerging as a unique demographic. Without costs for child care and education, or concerns about leaving intergenerational wealth, these clients often enjoy greater flexibility in their working years. But that same freedom can lead to pitfalls, including undersaving and overconfidence in achieving retirement goals. Diana Orlic explains how advisors can help.<\/p>\n

How cash-flow planning in retirement offers control \u2013 and makes life more fun<\/a><\/p>\n

Retirement causes many aspects of a financial plan to change. What remains the same \u2013 and perhaps becomes even more critical \u2013 is the need for smart cash-flow planning. Here\u2019s how advisors can manage retirees\u2019 new \u201cpaycheques.\u201d<\/p>\n

Notes on aging and longevity from a \u2018Blue Zone\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

The Nicoya Peninsula in northwest Costa Rica is one of five \u201cBlue Zones\u201d in the world where it\u2019s claimed people live longer and healthier lives. The very idea of Blue Zones has been challenged, but the common-sense tips for healthy aging \u2013 including eating a plant-based diet, staying active and maintaining strong social connections \u2013 are alluring. Especially given a report from the National Institute on Ageing that found more than four in 10 Canadians over 50 are at risk of social isolation. When developing retirement plans, advisors should emphasize the social side and encourage clients to develop good habits early.<\/p>\n

5 RRSP transfers that make tax sense<\/a><\/p>\n

Some clients worry that transferring funds from an RRSP will result in an automatic tax trigger. But that\u2019s not necessarily the case. Deanne Gage reports on five ways assets in RRSPs can be transferred on a tax-deferred or tax-free basis.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: Timing RRSP withdrawals, establishing a suitable income and spending habits, and managing quarterly…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":209096,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[2571,138,246,15208,111,139,14485,69,244,245],"class_list":{"0":"post-209095","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-personal-finance","8":"tag-appwebview","9":"tag-business","10":"tag-finance","11":"tag-globe-advisor","12":"tag-new-zealand","13":"tag-newzealand","14":"tag-noastack","15":"tag-nz","16":"tag-personal-finance","17":"tag-personalfinance"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209095","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=209095"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209095\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/209096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=209095"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=209095"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=209095"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}