THE PROCRASTINATORS GUIDE TO RETIREMENT
DAVID TRAHAIR
CPA, CA
THE PROCRASTINATORS GUIDE TO RETIREMENT
A CPA Canada Book
A Financial Guideto Retiring in Ten Years or Less
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2020 Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada, authored by David Trahair,
2021 edition, Cormorant Books Inc., publication rights granted under licence. All rights reserved.
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The publisher gratefully acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council for its publishing program. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund ( CBF ) for our publishing activities, and the Government of Ontario through Ontario Creates, an agency of the Ontario Ministry of Culture, and the Ontario Book Publishing Tax Credit Program.
LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION
Title: The procrastinators guide to retirement : a financial guide to retiring in ten years or
less / David Trahair, CPA, CA.
Names: Trahair, David, author.
Description: A CPA Canada Book.
Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20200341391 | Canadiana (ebook) 20200341413 |
ISBN 9781770866119 (softcover) | ISBN 9781770866126 ( HTML )
Subjects: lcsh : RetirementCanadaPlanning. | lcsh : Finance, PersonalCanada.
Classification: LCC HQ1063.2.C2 T73 2021 | DDC 646.7/90971 dc
Cover design: Angel Guerra / Archetype
Interior text design: Tannice Goddard / tannicegdesigns.ca
Printer: Friesens
Printed and bound in Canada.
CORMORANT BOOKS INC.
260 SPADINA AVENUE, SUITE 502, TORONTO, ON, M5T 2E4
www.cormorantbooks.com
I would like to dedicate this book to my ninety-one-year-old dad, Peter William Trahair.
Since I was born, he has been a shining example of how to live your life. He has all the attributes: loving father, hard worker, generous, and dedicated to the importance of healthy eating and good exercise. To top it all off, he, along with my mom, Florence, who passed away in 2008, gave me my frugal gene.
Without his guidance, I would never have been in a position to write a book like this.
Thanks, Dad.With love, your son, David.
Contents
INTRODUCTION/
PART ONE/ Ten Years or Less to Retirement /
CHAPTER ONE: The Key: Tracking Your Current Spending /
CHAPTER TWO: Your Golden Opportunity: When Expenses Decline /
CHAPTER THREE: RRSP versus Paying Down the Mortgage /
CHAPTER FOUR: The Procrastinators Number Cruncher /
CHAPTER FIVE: Your Pre-Retirement Investment Strategy /
PART TWO / The Retirement Years /
CHAPTER SIX: How Much Will You Spend During Retirement? /
CHAPTER SEVEN: Maximizing Your Canada Pension Plan /
CHAPTER EIGHT : Old Age Security: The Basics /
CHAPTER NINE: Your Retirement Investment Strategy /
CHAPTER TEN: Registered Retirement Income Fund versus Annuity /
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Your Retirement Age /
CHAPTER TWELVE: How Long Will You Live? /
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Old Age Health Care Planning /
PART THREE / Special Situations /
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Attacking Debt /
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Your Home as a Source of Funds /
CHAPTER SIXTEEN : Car Strategy: Lease or Buy? /
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Planning for Elderly Parents and Inheritance /
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Your Company Pension Plan /
CHAPTER NINETEEN: Your Credit Card Strategy /
CHAPTER TWENTY: The Financial Implications of Separation and Divorce /
APPENDIX ONE: How to Track Your Spending /
APPENDIX TWO : Estate Planning Record Keeper /
GLOSSARY /
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS /
ABOUT THE AUTHOR /
Introduction
IF YOU AND YOUR SPOUSE are approaching retirement and have maximized your , congratulations, youre all set for retirement!
If not, this book has been created for you, especially if you hope to retire in ten years or less and have the following concerns:
There is just so much demand for our cash these days the , car loan, house repairs, utilities, food, raising the kids, insurance, etc. and we have a tough time just paying off our credit cards each month!
Where do we get the thousands of dollars we are supposed to be putting into our each year?
Weve thought about putting money in our , but does that make sense if we are in debt?
We have kids we hope will go to university. We know we can put up to $2,500 in a for each child in order to maximize the Canada Education Savings Grant, but where will that money come from?
Were supposed to pay off the before retirement, but how is that possible?
For the vast majority of us, doing all those things is impossible. There just isnt enough money to do it all, so that means you will have to prioritize.
That is why I wrote this book to show you how to do it. I will use knowledge gained from decades of studying personal finances, the four books I have already written on the subject, and feedback from the thousands of people who have taken my courses.
Im going to guide you through the maze of retirement issues and point you in a clear direction to help you to live comfortably in your retirement.
This book is aimed at those who have less than ten years to go before retirement, i.e., those who are fifty-plus with a retirement plan that needs some work!
PART ONE
Ten Years or Less to Retirement
CHAPTER ONE
The Key: Tracking Your Current Spending
THERE IS A RULE OF thumb that says youll need 70 percent of your pre-retirement income to maintain your standard of living after you stop working. If only it were that simple!
The 70 percent rule is problematic it may be the right answer for one person but totally wrong for you because your financial situation is as individual as your fingerprints. Everyone is different, so relying on a simple rule of thumb is dangerous because you could end up saving too little (or even too much!). Relying on simple rules could end up devastating your retirement plans.