Tag Archives: saving

Why rely on hindsight for retirement saving?

Posted By Financial Independence Hub | March 1, 2017

By Atul Tiwari

Special to the Financial Independence Hub

New research from a colleague has me thinking about hindsight. The trouble, as the saying goes, is that hindsight is 20/20 — and you can’t benefit from it after the fact.

But why not try to benefit from someone else’s hindsight? My colleague Anna Madamba of the Vanguard Center for Investor Research found in a new study that recent retirees were largely satisfied with their financial situations in retirement, but, if they could, would still do some things differently in preparation.

With the benefit of retrospect, 43% of Canadian survey respondents “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that they would have saved more — a higher percentage than garnered by any other answer.

But perhaps it’s too simple to suggest that pre-retirees should just follow the example of others. Many people know at some level that they need to save more. Whether they do often comes down to two things: competing priorities and insight into how much money they’ll have (and need) in retirement.

Obstacles to saving more

A Procrastinator’s Guide to RRSPs

Posted By Jonathan Chevreau | February 22, 2017

Procrastinators: There is just a week to go until the March 1st deadline for making contributions to a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP). My column in the Financial Post in today’s paper (page FP10) can also be found online by clicking on the following highlighted text of the headline, As the RRSP deadline looms, here’s what all the procrastinators need to know.

One of the sources cited is CPA David Trahair, author of the book illustrated to the left: The Procrastinator’s Guide to Retirement. Here’s a link to the Hub’s review of that book.

The FP piece notes that while making an RRSP contribution before the deadline is not technically a “use it or lose it” proposition, procrastination nevertheless provides opportunity losses: you end up paying more income tax than necessary for the 2016 tax year (reminder, THAT deadline is also looming: see Jamie Golombek’s reminder in his FP column: Tax season is upon us.) Procrastination also creates the opportunity loss of considerable tax-compounded investment growth.

While you can arrange an RRSP top-up loan or — for multiple years of under contributions — an RRSP “catch-up” loan, my conclusion is that the optimum course of action is to automate RRSP savings through a pre-authorized checking (PAC) arrangement with a financial institution. This approach also allows you to “dollar cost average” your way into financial markets: that way, you reduce the stress of coming up with a large lump sum to contribute, as well as the stress of fretting about the best time to invest.

Of course, as Trahair notes at the end of the article, and as Borrowell’s Eva Wong reminded us in her Hub blog on Monday, if you’re heavily in debt you may be better off eliminating that debt before getting too serious about RRSP contributions: See When you should NOT invest in an RRSP.

Millennials don’t get the Latte Factor

Posted By Robb Engen | January 30, 2017

Financial author David Bach introduced the Latte Factor as a metaphor for all the small indulgences we regularly treat ourselves to that add up over time. It wasn’t meant to single out Starbucks as the main culprit for our financial woes, but somehow millennials feel the need to stand up for their beloved coffeehouse and defend their right to buy an obnoxious drink whenever they damn well please.

Helaine Olen (not a millennial) made people feel good about buying lattes again when, in her best selling book, Pound Foolish, she explained how the Latte Factor is a lie and buying coffee every day is not why you’re in debt. No, instead it’s the big things: housing, transportation, health care (in the U.S.) that are more difficult to cut back on.

More recently, this author whined about how millennials were being judged on their spending choices, criticizing a survey that revealed millennials spend more on coffee than on saving for retirement:

“Millennials are continually being accused of wasting money on supposedly frivolous things. In October, an Australian man named Bernard Salt wrote that he had had enough of seeing young people ordering “smashed avocado with crumbled feta on five-grain toasted bread at $22 a pop and more. Twenty-two dollars several times a week could go towards a deposit on a house,” wrote Salt.

According to my calculation, if millennials were to abstain from their avocado toast three times a week, they’d save around $3,432 per year. Which isn’t all that much, in reality.”

Oh really? And in what reality is $3,432 not that much money? According to the author, life is unfair and millennials should just give up on the idea of owning a home, or saving for retirement, so just let them have their damn latte and $22 toast.

My take on the Latte Factor Continue Reading…

Steps for saving Money in 2017

Posted By Financial Independence Hub | January 24, 2017

By Barney Whistance

Special to the Financial Independence Hub

With a new year come new resolutions and new hopes. You hope to have a better life by maintaining good health, having emotional stability and making yourself stronger financially. All these tasks are achievable, provided that you have proper guidance and will power.

To end up with a lot of savings at the end of the year is no easy feat. Anyone faced with loans, taxes, and insurance payments would want to save some money at the end of the year. There are a few steps that can be taken to maximize your savings and lead you to a better retirement plan than now.

Car Insurance

If you have purchased a new car, it is worth having insurance against theft and accidents. But if your car has been in your possession for more than a 7-year period, it is better that you let go of that insurance. As the price of your car has already declined precipitously, it is no use insuring something that costs so much less. Your insurance will only add to the unwanted expenses since you could have most parts of it repaired for a lot less.

Food

Food is the basic necessity of every human. Studies have found that people in America spend at least an average of $151 on food in a week. Eating at home is far more economical and healthier than eating out. To contain your food budget, allot yourself a fixed amount for every week and see if you can manage within the budget. If you are still left with enough money, indulge yourself in eating out. Moreover, to save on your grocery purchases, you can buy in bulk from a supermarket, which can save you money. Be sure to buy only those items that you use excessively and have a long shelf life. Plan your shopping on the days the store is known to give discounts.

Energy Bills

My RRSP playbook for 2017: Ready for prime time

Posted By Adrian Mastracci | January 7, 2017

Welcome to 2017.

The annual 2-month RRSP “season of madness” has arrived. I made my list, checked it twice so ready-set-go.

Understanding the RRSP regime makes it easier to stickhandle your planning marathon.
This workhorse has delivered on retirements since its intro in 1957, now a 60-year old boomer.

The RRSP has transformed over the years. For example, RRSP room carry forward was introduced in 1991. RRSPs really fit two groups of investors like a glove: those without employer pension plans and the self-employed.

Some investors still shun RRSP deposits. I see three solid reasons to pursue RRSP accumulations:

Long-term, tax-deferred investment growth.
Future withdrawals ideally at lower tax rates.
Contributions provide immediate tax savings.

Stay focused on how the RRSP dovetails into your total game plan. The power of tax-deferred compounding really delivers.

Your RRSP mission is three-fold:

Keep it simple.
Treat it as a building block.
The journey lasts a long time.

My updated RRSP playbook summarizes these seven vital planning areas:
Continue Reading…

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