Guide to Financial Planning for Retirement 2018-2019

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Guide to Financial Planning for Retirement 2018-2019
Guide to
Financial
Planning for
Retirement

2018-2019
Edition
Guide to Financial Planning for Retirement 2018-2019
2

Guide to
Financial
Planning for                                                              Useful
Retirement                                                                Information
PRODUCTION                           HOW TO CONTACT US                    A GUIDE SPECIFICALLY
Question Retraite                    Visit our Web site:                  PREPARED FOR PEOPLE
                                     questionretraite.ca                  AGED 45 AND UNDER
                                                                          This guide provides                      Why do you
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Bleuoutremer
                                     To order additional copies
                                     of the Guide to Financial Planning   information and advice                   have to think
                                     for Retirement:                      tailored to people aged                  about your
PARTICIPANTS IN
THE UPDATE OF THE
                                     > download a copy
                                       from our Web site;
                                                                          25 to 45. It provides a solid            retirement
2018-2019 EDITION
Johanne Bastarache                   To contact Question Retraite
                                                                          foundation for individuals
                                                                          to plan the retirement
                                                                                                                   today?
(Retraite Québec)                    by mail:
                                                                          they want.                               1. Time plays in your favour.
Hélène Berger
                                     QUESTION RETRAITE                    Throughout this guide,                      The sooner you start
(Institut québécois de
                                     2600, boulevard Laurier,                                                         saving, the more time
planification financière)                                                 we stress financial planning
                                     bureau 640
Renaud Bourget                                                            for retirement for individuals,             your retirement capital
                                     Québec (Québec) G1V 4T3
(Retraite Québec)                                                         not couples. Once you set                   will have to grow. In an
Mario Charron                                                             your personal objectives,                   RRSP or TSFA, the effect
(Fondaction)                                                              you can integrate them                      can be quite remarkable.
Philippe Grégoire                                                         with those of your spouse.               2. Fluctuating income can
(Chaire d’assurance et de services                                        Spousal RRSP contributions
financiers l’Industrielle-Alliance
                                                                                                                      have a big impact on
de l’Université Laval)                                                    are an example of this.                     your retirement income.
Simon Houle                                                                                                           That’s why it’s so important
(Regroupement des jeunes                                                  A GLOSSARY                                  to protect yourself by
chambres de commerce du Québec)                                           AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
                                                                                                                      starting to save early and
                                                                          For your convenience,
Maryse Gagnon Ouellet                                                                                                 regularly. Don’t forget!
(Retraite Québec)                                                         a glossary is provided
Sylvie McKay
                                                                          at the end of the Guide.
(Question Retraite)                                                       The glossary includes
Julien Michaud                                                            definitions of various
(Autorité des marchés financiers)                                         words and phrases used
Louis Neamtan-Lapalme                                                     in the world of finance
(Fonds de solidarité FTQ)                                                 that can seem complicated.
                                                                          When in doubt, check it out!

Legal Deposit — Bibliothèque         ISBN: 978-2-924692-13-4 (print)     Information contained
nationale du Québec, 2018                   978-2-924692-14-1 (PDF)       in the 2018-2019 Guide is valid
                                     (15th edition — 2018)                as of June 2018.
Legal Deposit — Bibliothèque
nationale du Canada, 2018                                                 © Régie des rentes du Québec, 2003
                                                                          © Question Retraite, from 2005 to 2018
Guide to Financial Planning for Retirement 2018-2019
3

How Much
Should I
                                                               Follow
                                                        Rosaire the watering
                                                          can to discover
                                                             some tips!

Set Aside
Each Year?
A simple method with just five steps.

        1                    2               3                    4                     5
Determine the       Determine Your   Set Your             Determine How        Take
Sources of Income   Retirement Age   Retirement Goals     Much You Should      Action
You Can Rely On                                           Save Each Year
p. 4                p. 18            p. 22                p. 26                p. 36

Useful              Budget           A Word About         Resources            Glossary
Information         Table            Inflation            p. 43                p. 45
p. 2                p. 31            p. 40
                                                          Test Your            Notes
                                     A Word About         Knowledge!           p. 47
                                     Investments          p. 44
                                     p. 41
Guide to Financial Planning for Retirement 2018-2019
4 / Section 1 / Determine the Sources of Income You Can Rely On

1. Determine the
   Sources of Income
   You Can Rely On

      TO CALCULATE HOW MUCH YOU
      SHOULD SAVE EACH YEAR, YOU SHOULD
      START BY FINDING OUT ABOUT THE
      SOURCES OF RETIREMENT INCOME
      YOU COULD HAVE. WE PROPOSE
      TO MAP THESE SOURCES OF INCOME
      USING THE HOUSE TO THE RIGHT.

                                                                          3
                                                                   Private pension plans
          2                                                        and personal savings

      remember
      1. The first step       2. Saving for
         in planning             retirement is like
         for retirement          building a house:
         is knowing your         the base is provided

                                                                          2
         sources of income.      by our governments,
                                 but you have to
                                 think to accumulate
                                 personal savings to
                                 build the walls and
                                 the roof if you want                    Québec
                                 to be safe from the                   Pension Plan
                                 unforeseen.

                                                                           1
                                                                     Federal Old Age
                                                                  Security Program (OAS)
Guide to Financial Planning for Retirement 2018-2019
5

      1. THE FEDERAL OLD AGE
         SECURITY PROGRAM (OAS)
This program provides three types of benefits: the OAS pension,   You can defer the start of payment of the OAS pension for up
the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) and the Allowance.         to five years. The amount of your pension will increase by 0.6%
They are described below.                                         for each month you defer payment, up to a maximum of 36%
                                                                  (60 months).
1.1 THE OLD AGE SECURITY PENSION
                                                                  Before you decide to defer payment of your OAS pension,
The pension is paid monthly and is indexed to the cost
                                                                  be sure to consider your situation. You will not be eligible for
of living four times a year. The pension is taxable income.
                                                                  the GIS and your spouse will not be entitled to the Allowance
Eligibility requirements:                                         while you defer the start of payment of your OAS pension.
1. Be at least         2. Have a             3. Have resided
   65 years old.          legal status          in Canada
                          in Canada.            for at least
                                                10 years after
                                                the age of 18.
Guide to Financial Planning for Retirement 2018-2019
6 / Section 1 / Determine the Sources of Income You Can Rely On

1.2 THE GUARANTEED INCOME SUPPLEMENT                                                  1.3 THE ALLOWANCE
You must be receiving an OAS pension to apply for the GIS.                            If you are married or have a de facto spouse, you can apply
It is a monthly benefit offered to individuals living in Canada                       for the Allowance if your spouse is receiving an OAS pension
who have a low income. The GIS is calculated based on income                          and your combined annual family income does not exceed a
and civil status. This tax-free benefit is indexed to the cost                        certain amount. The Allowance is calculated based on income
of living four times a year.                                                          and currently can be paid monthly from age 60 until your
                                                                                      65th birthday. This tax-free benefit is indexed to the cost
                                                                                      of living four times a year.

     If you lived outside Canada...
     If, after age 18, you have lived in Canada for more than 10 years but less than 40 years, your OAS pension will be reduced.
     However, other conditions can entitle you to obtain a full pension. Find out how! For more information, see Service
     Canada’s Web site at servicecanada.gc.ca.

 Table          1
 Type of benefit income
                        OLD AGE SECURITY PROGRAM (APRIL TO JUNE 2018)
                                               Beneficiaries                                      Maximum monthly payment* Maximum annual family income

 Old Age Security Pension                      All beneficiaries                                                          $589.59                           See note*

 Guaranteed Income Supplement                  Single person                                                              $880.60                             $17,152

                                               Spouse of pensioner                                                        $530.12                             $23,606

                                               Spouse of non-pensioner                                                    $880.60                             $42,864

                                               Spouse of Allowance recipient                                              $530.12                             $42,864

 Allowance                                     All beneficiaries                                                       $1,119.71                              $33,072

 Allowance for the survivor                    All beneficiaries                                                       $1,334.72                              $24,072

* The maximum monthly payment includes the additional enhancements to the GIS and the allowances. The amount is indexed according to inflation four times a year,
in January, April, July and October. Note: Pensioners whose net personal income is over $75,910 in 2018 must repay a portion or all of the OAS. The amount of the refund
will normally be deducted from their monthly benefits before they are paid. The full OAS pension is recovered if a pensioner’s net income is at least $123,019 in 2018.

                                                                                                      1
        2. THE QUÉBEC
           PENSION PLAN
The Québec Pension Plan (QPP) provides workers and
                                                                                      Chart                   REPLACING INCOME
their families with basic financial protection in the event
of retirement, death or disability. As of January 1, 2019,
it will consist of two plans:
1. The base plan (current plan)
2. The additional plan.                                                                                                                               OTHER
                                                                                                OTHER
The base plan currently replaces about 25% of the income
on which you have contributed if you apply to receive
your pension at age 65.
                                                                                                25%                 27%              31%           33.33%
The addition of an additional plan to the Québec Pension Plan
will provide more generous coverage for all current workers,                                     OAS                                                    OAS
but it goes without saying that new contributions will have
to be deducted from your salary and paid into the new                                          2018                2033             2048             2065
contributions will have to be deducted from your salary
and paid into the new plan.
Guide to Financial Planning for Retirement 2018-2019
7

Thus, to finance the income replacement rate, which will                     AMOUNT OF THE RETIREMENT PENSION
gradually increase from 25% to 33.33%, there will be a 1.0%                  The amount of your pension will depend on the age at
long-term increase in the contribution rate of employees                     which you apply for it, the number of years you contributed
on the eligible salary range of $3,500 to $55,900. This new                  to the QPP and the employment earnings on which you
contribution will be phased in over the next five years                      made contributions.

                     2
                                                                             RETIRING BEFORE AGE 65
                                                                             Currently, if you retire before age 65, your pension is reduced
Chart                      CONTRIBUTION                                      for each month between the date you applied for your pension
                                                                             and the date of your 65th birthday. The adjustment factor varies
                     For the portion of the salary between                   depending on the amount of your pension. It will be close to 0.5%

                                                                    $312
                                                             4.0%
                              $55,900 and $63,700
                                                                             if your pension is low, and it will gradually increase to 0.6% if you
                                                                             receive the maximum pension.

                                                                    $524
                                                             1.0%
                                                                             RETIRING AT AGE 65
             0.15%
    $79

                     For the portion of the salary between
                              $3,500 and $55,900                             The “normal” retirement age is 65. This means that your
                                                                             pension will not be reduced or increased if you start receiving
    $2,830

                                                                    $2,830
                                      1.0%
             5.4%

                                                             5.4%
                                                                             it at age 65.

                                                                             RETIRING AFTER AGE 65
                                                    1.0%
                                            0.75%
                        0.15% 0.30%
                                    0.50%                                    If you apply for your pension after age 65, it is increased by
                      2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
                                                                             0.7% for each month between the date of your 65th birthday
                                                                             and the date of your retirement, up to 70 years of age.
  2019                                                        2025
   BASE PLAN                        ADDITIONAL PLAN

In addition, for those earning more than the Maximum
                                                                             Table          2           QPP RETIREMENT PENSION

                                                                              You apply for your pension at…       Maximum monthly pension in 2018*
Pensionable Earnings (MPE), a new 4% contribution will be
levied from 2024 on the portion that exceeds the MPE to the                                Age 60                                  $725.87
new cap of $59,800 in 2024. Starting in 2025, this new cap will
                                                                                           Age 65                                 $1,134.17
still be set equal to 114% of the MPE, or $63,700. This
additional contribution will allow to fund an income                                   Age 70 or over                             $1,610.52
replacement rate of 33.33% of the MPE to the new cap.
                                                                             * These amounts apply if you are receiving the maximum pension.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
To be eligible for a retirement pension, you must:
> be at least 60 years of age;
> have sufficiently contributed to the QPP.
                                                                             Important! Very few people
                                                                             receive the maximum pension
                                                                             In 2017, only 3.7% of new retirees received the maximum
                                                                             pension, whether a “regular” pension at age 65, an early
                                                                             retirement pension between age 60 and 64, or a pension
                                                                             applied for after age 65. The average pension was $503
  Note that…                                                                 a month for all retirees.

                                                                             The amount is set based on various factors :

Contributions to the Québec                                                  1. The age                  2. The number               3. The
                                                                                at which                    of years you                employment
Pension Plan are shared                                                         you retire                  contributed                 earnings
equally between the                                                                                         to the Plan

employee and the employer.                                                   A retirement pension under the QPP is taxable
                                                                             and indexed to the cost of living in January
Self-employed workers                                                        of each year.
assume both parts.
Guide to Financial Planning for Retirement 2018-2019
8 / Section 1 / Determine the Sources of Income You Can Rely On

    The statement
    of participation:
    an effective
    planning tool

   If you would like to know
   what the amount of your
   pension will be when you
   retire at age 60 or 65,
   consult your Statement
   of Participation. It is a good
   source of information.

   The statement of
   participation shows all
   of the employment income
   on which you have made
   contributions during your life
   and provides an estimate
   of the benefits you could
   receive in retirement. You
   can view it online or request
   a copy by telephone.
Guide to Financial Planning for Retirement 2018-2019
9

To consult your statement,
use the My account
online service on
Retraite Québec’s Web site.
                              It’s free!

                                           If you worked in another
                                           Canadian province or
                                           territory, your earnings were
                                           recorded under the Canada
                                           Pension Plan. These earnings
                                           are taken into account in
                                           the calculation of your
                                           pension under the
                                           Québec Pension Plan.

                                           Are the figures for the last
                                           few years different from
                                           the ones you have? This may
                                           very well be the case.
                                           When Retraite Québec
                                           prepared your statement,
                                           it might not have received
                                           the most recent data from
                                           Revenu Québec yet.
Guide to Financial Planning for Retirement 2018-2019
10 / Section 1 / Determine the Sources of Income You Can Rely On

  Good
  to know

Applying
For Your
Québec
Pension Plan
You must apply to receive         1. Online by visiting Retraite
your pension.                        Québec’s Web site;

You can apply up to one year      2. B
                                      y completing the form
in advance. You can file             available on Retraite
your application:                    Québec’s Web site
                                     or from Services Québec;
                                  3. By telephone.

PHASED RETIREMENT,                DISABILITY
FULL PENSION                      AND DEATH
If you are an employee between    Retraite Québec pays benefits
55 and 70 years of age, phased    in the event of disability or death.
retirement allows you to reduce   For more information, consult
your hours of work and continue   Retraite Québec’s Web site
to contribute to the QPP as       at retraitequebec.gouv.qc.ca.
though you were earning the
same salary. The amount of
your future retirement pension
will therefore not be reduced.
However, you must reach an
                                  IF YOU WORKED ABROAD
agreement with your employer,
known as an agreement             Retraite Québec has social
concerning Québec Pension         security agreements for persons
Plan contributions and            working abroad in about
phased retirement.                40 countries. For more
                                  information, consult
                                  Retraite Québec’s Web site.
11

      3. PENSION PLANS OFFERED
         BY EMPLOYERS
Private pension plans provide employees with a retirement
income that complements income provided by public plans.
There are various types of private plans, each with its own
characteristics. This is why it is so important to learn about
your plan before you begin your financial planning
for retirement.

FOUR TYPES OF PLANS
There are four main types of plans.
Can you recognize yours?

3.1 SUPPLEMENTAL PENSION PLAN
A supplemental pension plan (SPP), also called a “pension
fund”, is a plan into which an employer pays contributions
on behalf of employees to provide income for their retirement.
                                                                  The statement
Employees can also make contributions, depending on the
terms of the plan. Amounts must be paid into a pension fund
                                                                  of benefits:
that is not connected to the employer.
                                                                  another effective
                                                                  planning tool
There are two types of supplemental pension plans:
1. Defined benefit plan
Under such a plan, your pension is set in advance using           Members of most plans receive a statement
a specific formula. It is generally a percentage of your          of benefits at least once a year. This document
pensionable earnings multiplied by your years of recognized       is important, so keep it in a safe place! It indicates
service. Contributions are adjusted periodically to fund the      the amount of contributions you have made and
benefits promised. If your pension is harmonized with the QPP     any interest accrued. If your SPP is a defined
(see the section on harmonization), it will typically decrease    contribution plan, the statement will also indicate
at age 65 to take into account the QPP pension you will           the amount your employer has contributed to your
receive. The pension may be indexed to compensate in whole        account, with accrued interest. If your plan is a
or in part for inflation, or it may not be indexed at all.        defined benefit plan, the statement will indicate
2. Defined contribution plan                                      the amount of the pension you have accumulated.
                                                                  Like the QPP Statement of Participation, the
In this type of plan, your and your employer’s contributions
                                                                  statement of benefits from your SPP will allow you
are determined in advance. However, your retirement income
                                                                  to calculate the income you will have in retirement
is not known in advance since it will depend on the investment
                                                                  more precisely.
income accumulated in your account, the interest rate in effect
when you purchase a life annuity or the interest rates            HARMONIZATION
for withdrawals from a life income fund (LIF).
                                                                  A supplemental pension plan (SPP) is harmonized
A simplified pension plan (SIPP) is a defined contribution        with the Québec Pension Plan when your SPP
plan administered by a financial institution that allows you,     pension is reduced at age 65 because you are
as a member, to choose your investments depending                 receiving your pension under the QPP. For example,
on your investor profile.                                         your statement might show that you are entitled
                                                                  to an pension of $15,000 per year between ages
                                                                  60 and 64 and a pension of $10,000 thereafter.
                                                                  Is your plan harmonized?
12 / Section 1 / Determine the Sources of Income You Can Rely On

                                              Labour-sponsored funds and payroll
                                              deductions are another option for pension
                                              plans offered by employers
                                              Subscribing for shares of a labour-sponsored investment fund (Solidarity
                                              Fund QFL, Fondaction) can also be a worthwhile option. After reaching an
                                              agreement with your employer, you could contribute to your RRSP through
                                              payroll deductions and benefit from additional tax credits offered to
                                              shareholders of labour-sponsored funds.

3.2 GROUP RRSP                                FINDING INFORMATION                             DEATH BENEFIT
A group RRSP is a collection of               ON YOUR PLAN                                    If you die before receiving a retirement
individual RRSPs to which contributions       For more information, consult your              pension under your SPP, your plan must
are generally made through payroll            plan’s brochure or talk to your employer.       pay a death benefit to your spouse,
deductions. Its purpose is to facilitate      Since the income that will be provided          unless he or she has waived the right to
contributions to individual RRSPs.            by your plan depends on several factors         it. If you do not have a spouse, or if your
Your employer may also contribute             (type of plan, length of membership,            spouse has renounced the death benefit,
on your behalf.                               contributions made, etc.), be sure you          it is paid to your designated beneficiary
                                              know all about your plan.                       or your heirs. This benefit is usually paid
3.3 DEFERRED PROFIT SHARING                                                                   in a lump sum. Where a death benefit
PLAN (DPSP)                                   To help you with financial planning
                                                                                              is payable to the spouse, it can also be
                                              for retirement, you can also consult
Although it is not technically a pension                                                      paid in the form of a pension.
                                              the statement sent periodically by
plan, a deferred profit-sharing plan (DPSP)
                                              the plan administrator, the financial           If you die while you are receiving a
often complements group RRSPs,
                                              institution or your employer that gives         pension under your SPP, your spouse
by receiving employer contributions.
                                              the sums accumulated under your name.           will receive a life annuity, unless he
3.4 VOLUNTARY RETIREMENT                                                                      or she has waived the right to it. This
                                              WHEN CAN YOU BEGIN                              annuity is usually 60% of the amount
SAVINGS PLAN
                                              RECEIVING A RETIREMENT                          that you were receiving. Important!
The voluntary retirement savings plan         INCOME?                                         Be sure to check with your SPP
(VRSP) is a group plan offered by
                                              Generally, a retirement pension under           administrator to see how your plan
an employer and managed by an
                                              an SPP begins to be paid at the normal          defines “spouse,” as the definition of
authorized administrator. All employers
                                              retirement age set by the plan (usually         spouse varies from one law to another.
that do not already offer a retirement
                                              age 65). However, a pension can be paid
plan for which source deductions can                                                          TRANSFER RIGHT
                                              earlier (often as of age 55) or later
be made and that have at least five
                                              if the plan allows. The amount will             You can generally transfer pension
employees will be obligated to offer
                                              then be adjusted accordingly. If you            benefits accumulated in an SPP to:
a VRSP to their employees. Employees
                                              have a defined benefit plan, the amount         > a locked-in retirement account (LIRA);
will be able to opt out of a VRSP if they
                                              of your pension and the date you begin
wish to do so. For more information                                                           > a life income fund (LIF);
                                              receiving it will generally depend
about VRSPs, consult Retraite Québec’s
                                              on your age and the number of years
Web site.                                                                                     > your new employer’s SPP if transfers
                                              of service recognized for the purposes
                                                                                                are accepted;
                                              of the pension plan. Some plans require
                                              you to have reached a certain age               > a life annuity contract from an insurer.
                                              (e.g., 55 or 60) or to have achieved
                                              a minimum number of years of service            PHASED RETIREMENT
                                              (e.g., 35 years of service). For other plans,   You could be eligible for phased
                                              the sum of your age and years of service        retirement if you are a member of
                                              combined must reach a certain number            an SPP and your plan provides for it.
                                              (e.g., 88 or 90).                               Phased retirement could allow you to
                                                                                              receive your pension while working part
                                                                                              time. Ask your employer about it!
13

Table       3         GENERAL FEATURES OF THE FOUR TYPES OF PRIVATE PENSION PLANS
                               Supplemental pension plans
                                               Defined contribution              Group RRSP                    DPSP                       VRSP
                      Defined benefit plan
                                                       plan

Amount of the       Yes                       No                           No                        No                         No
pension known
in advance

Basic employer      > Employer pays the      > Minimum 1% of total         > No (discretionary       > Varies according        > Employers are
contribution          sums necessary to fund   payroll                       contribution)             to the plan               not obligated to
                      the benefits promised > Standardized for             > Can be locked-in        > Not locked-in             contribute, but if they
                    > Locked-in                everyone (depending         > Seizable or unseizable, > Seizable or unseizable,   do, their contributions
                    > Unseizable               on employment                 depending on              depending on              are locked-in
                                               category or other             the context               the context
                                               recognized criteria)
                                             > Locked-in
                                             > Unseizable

Basic member        > Compulsory or non-      > Compulsory or non-         > Generally               N/A                        > Automatic and
contribution          compulsory, at the        compulsory, at the           non-compulsory                                       voluntary (possibility
(employee             employer’s discretion     employer’s discretion      > Not locked-in                                        of waiving
contribution)       > Locked-in               > Locked-in                  > Seizable or unseizable,                              participation)
                    > Unseizable                (SIPP: locked-in or not,     depending on                                       > Not locked-in
                                                at the employer’s            the context                                        > Unseizable
                                                discretion)
                                              > Unseizable

Voluntary           > Not locked-in           > Not locked-in              > Not locked-in           N/A                        > Yes, under certain
contributions       > Unseizable              > Unseizable                 > Seizable or unseizable,                              conditions (RRSP
when allowed                                                                 depending on                                         contribution room)
                                                                             the context

Withdrawal/        > Not allowed, unless      > Not allowed, unless      > Yes, except if special    > Yes, if plan allows      > Yes, at all times
transfer by member   it is a voluntary          it is a voluntary          agreement with
during employment    contribution and the       contribution and the       employer
                     plan allows it             plan allows it
                                              SIPP:
                                              > Locked-in portion:
                                                no refund; transfer
                                                allowed as of age 55
                                              > Portion not locked-in:
                                                • Employee
                                                   contribution: at the
                                                   employer’s discretion
                                                • Voluntary
                                                   contribution: yes

Administration      > Pension committee       > Pension committee          > Employer, union or      > Employer via a trust     > Administrator
                      (or employer if fewer     (or employer if fewer        professional                                         authorized by the
                      than 26 members           than 26 members              association                                          Autorité des marchés
                      and beneficiaries)        and beneficiaries)                                                                financiers
                                              SIPP:
                                              > Financial institution

Your options when   Portion not locked-in:    Portion not locked-in:       > RRSP, RRIF              > RRSP, RRIF               Portion not locked-in:
membership ends     > RRSP, RRIF              > RRSP, RRIF                 > Annuity                 > Cash refund (taxable)    > RRSP, RRIF
                    > Annuity                 > Annuity                    > Cash refund (taxable)   > Payments over            > Annuity
                    > Cash refund (taxable)   > Cash refund (taxable)      > Other registered plan     ten years or single      > Cash refund (taxable)
                    > Other pension plan      > Other pension plan                                     lump-sum payment         > Other locked-in plan
                                                                                                     > Other registered plan

                    Locked-in portion:        Locked-in portion:           N/A                       N/A                        Locked-in portion:
                    Before age 55:            > LIRA, LIF                                                                       As of age 55 (except in
                    > LIRA, LIF               > Life annuity                                                                    the case of a disability
                    > Life annuity            > Other pension plan                                                              that reduces life
                                                                                                                                expectancy): payment
                    > Other pension plan      Possible refund in
                    As of age 55:             certain situations
                    > Life annuity
                    Possible refund in
                    certain situations
14 / Section 1 / Determine the Sources of Income You Can Rely On

                                                                  > You have the possibility of converting it
                                                                    into an annuity or registered retirement
                     Save first,                                    income fund (RRIF).
  Tip                spend later.                                 > You have the possibility of drafting
                                                                    strategies to split income at retirement
                                                                    through a spousal RRSP. Before
We often hear that it is hard to put money aside. Make              contributing, consult a specialist to
saving a priority. It is a good way to maintain the standard        find out the consequences in case of
of living you want in retirement.                                   separation if you are de facto spouses.
If you start saving early, you won’t have to ramp up your         * Under certain conditions, you can participate
                                                                    in the HBP even if you already owned a home
efforts right before you retire.                                    a few years earlier.

That’s why we suggest you use a method that allows to
have savings deducted directly at source. The process is          2. TFSA
painless because money is set aside before you can get            Available since January 1, 2009, the tax-free savings account
your hands on it.                                                 (TFSA) is becoming one of the most useful tools for building
                                                                  up savings for retirement. The types of investment available
                                                                  for TFSAs are generally similar to those available for RRSPs.

                                                                  The TFSA is a savings account into which adults can deposit
4 YOUR PERSONAL SAVINGS                                           amounts that will remain sheltered from taxes. It can be
                                                                  used to save money for any reason (the purchase of a
You can build your personal savings in two savings vehicles:      home, a car, etc.).
registered investments and unregistered investments.
                                                                  Anyone 18 or over can contribute to a TFSA, which has no
4.1 REGISTERED INVESTMENTS                                        maximum age and no income requirements. Unused TFSA
1. RRSP                                                           contribution room accumulates and can be carried forward.

Savings invested in a registered retirement savings plan (RRSP)   The TFSA contribution limits were:
are sheltered from taxes as they grow. That’s why RRSPs are
said to offer tax advantages that encourage investment
for retirement purposes. An RRSP can include several types           2009 to 2012:       2013 to 2014:              in 2015:   2016 to 2018:
of investments: stock shares, bonds, guaranteed investment             $5,000              $5,500             $10,000           $5,500
certificates, etc. Amounts invested in an RRSP are deducted
from your net income, which lowers your taxes for the year
during which you invested. However, once you withdraw from        In 2018, the cumulative maximum is $57,500 for a person
an RRSP, the amounts are taxable income. Therefore, RRSPs         who was 18 in 2009.
allow you to postpone payment of your taxes to a later date,      No amount (capital or interest) withdrawn from a TFSA
when your tax rate should be lower.                               is taxable, and the amounts withdrawn free up more
The maximum contribution to an RRSP is 18% of earned              contribution room for future years. TFSA contributions
income, up to $26,230 in 2018 and $26,500 in 2019 (less if you    are not tax deductible.
contributed to an SPP or VRSP). To find out how much you can      When it comes to taxes, the advantages of using a TFSA
contribute to your RRSP, consult the Notice of Assessment         for your retirement savings are undeniable: since withdrawals
that you receive annually from the Canada Revenue Agency.         are tax free, they do not negatively affect the various
                                                                  calculations for amounts received from social programs
An RRSP offers a number of advantages:
                                                                  (for example, the Guaranteed Income Supplement, the
> You have the possibility of using funds in an RRSP to finance   Old Age Security pension or employment insurance). Also,
  the purchase of your first home through Home Buyers’ Plan       the amounts accumulated in a TFSA before retirement can
  (HBP)* or further your education through the Lifelong           be used in an emergency, and any withdrawals create new
  Learning Plan (LLP), under certain conditions. For more         TFSA contribution room as of the following year.
  information about the HBP and its effects on your retirement,
  consult the guide Are you a first-home buyer? Benefit from
  the HBP while staying on course for retirement!, available
  on Question Retraite’s Web site.
15

Tableau                                     4          COMPARISON OF RRSPS AND TFSAS
                                                                                         RRSP                                                    TFSA

                                Annual contribution deadline    60 days after the end of the current taxation year,    December 31 of the taxation year.
 DATES AND AMOUNTS

                                                                either February 29 or March 1, depending on the case*.
     PERMITTED

                                Annual contribution limit       18% of income earned the preceding year,               In 2018, maximum of $5,500 per year as of age 18.
                                                                up to $26,230 in 2018 and $26,500 in 2019 ,            The cumulative maximum is $57,500 for those
                                                                indexed to the cost of living for subsequent years.    not having reached the annual maximum since
                                                                Participation in employer-sponsored retirement         the program was established in 2009.
                                                                plans reduces the annual contribution amount.

                                Age limit                       December 31 of the year you reach age 71               None

                                Are contributions income        Yes                                                    No
                                tax deductible?

                                Taxable withdrawals?            Yes                                                    No
     TAXES

                                Taxable investment income?      No                                                     No

                                In case of death                Amounts transferred to a spouse or a disabled child    Amounts withdrawn from the account at death
                                                                are not taxable. Possible tax relief for amounts       are not taxable. They do not affect the contribution
                                                                transferred to children.                               room of the spouse who transfers these amounts
                                                                                                                       into their own TFSA.

                                Contribution room available     Corresponds to the unused portion of your maximum      Corresponds to the unused portion of your maximum
                                                                annual amount deductible since 1991.                   annual allowable contributions since 2009.
     CONTRIBUTION ROOM

                                Excess contributions            Penalty of 1% per month                                Penalty of 1% per month
                                                                (lifetime excess contributions of $2,000 allowed)

                                Do withdrawals increase         No                                                     Yes. Withdrawals add to the contribution room
                                contribution room?                                                                     for the following year**.

                                Spousal contributions           Possible. The contributing spouse claims the tax       Considered a deposit by the spouse themselves.
                                                                deduction even if he or she is not the beneficiary.    The surviving spouse may only transfer the deceased
                                                                                                                       spouse’s sums to his or her account upon death,
                                                                                                                       without any impact on his or her contribution room.

                                Can it be used as collateral    No                                                     Yes
               CONSIDERATIONS

                                for a loan?
 OTHER

                                Impact of withdrawals on        Withdrawals are added to taxable income                None
                                benefits from social programs

* For example, on March 1, 2018 to reduce your taxable income for 2017. ** Withdrawals from a TFSA account in a year do not reduce the total amount of contributions already
made in that year. However, they are added to the cumulative maximum from the following year, i.e. that they increase the contribution room for the following year. Please
refer to the Government of Canada site for more details.

Avoid                                                   You may be
                                                        tempted to dip
                                                                               > Any funds you withdraw today will
                                                                                 deprive you of much larger sums
                                                                                                                                > Amounts withdrawn from an RRSP
                                                                                                                                  do not free up contribution room
dipping                                                 into your RRSP           that would otherwise be available                for subsequent years: your used
into your                                               before
                                                        retirement.
                                                                                 in retirement. For example, at an
                                                                                 average annual rate of return of 5%,
                                                                                                                                  contribution room is gone for good.

RRSP                                                    To help you              a withdrawal of $5,000 made
                                                                                                                                > Any money withdrawn from
                                                                                                                                  your RRSP is deemed to be taxable
before                                                  resist that
                                                        temptation,
                                                                                 today will deprive you of $21,610                income. The cost could be high.
                                                                                 in 30 years. Think it through!
retirement                                              consider the
                                                                                                                                  For example, at a 40% tax rate,
                                                                                                                                  a withdrawal of $5,000 will cost
(Except when taking                                     following:
advantage of the HBP                                                                                                              you $2,000 in taxes.
or the LLP)
16 / Section 1 / Determine the Sources of Income You Can Rely On

Choose                                                         Chart           3           MONTHLY SAVINGS

Periodic                                                       Savings of $100 a month until age 60
                                                                                Annual rate             Annual rate              Annual rate

Contributions                                                                   of return: 3%           of return: 5%            of return: 7%

                                                               $180,000
It is generally better to contribute a little each month       $160,000
to your RRSP or TFSA rather than make one large contribution
                                                               $140,000
at the end of the year. Why? Because each month, interest
accrues tax free on every dollar invested.                     $120,000

                                                               $100,000

                                                                $80,000

                                                                $60,000

                                                                $40,000

                                                                $20,000

Age Limit for
                                                                       $0

                                                               If you begin at:          Age 25          Age 35           Age 45

RRSP Contributions                                             As you can see, by saving a little each month, you accumulate
You can contribute to an RRSP until December 31 of
                                                 st            money easier without undue pressure on your budget. If you
the year in which you reach age 71. Three options are then     are disciplined, you can save money from each pay cheque
available: withdraw the entire amount of your RRSP (rarely     and accumulate even more.
to your advantage), purchase an annuity or convert your        The following chart shows the growth of investments in two
RRSP into a registered retirement income fund (RRIF).          interest-bearing vehicles, one registered, the other not.
You can also combine these strategies. An RRIF is similar      We took into account both the tax reduction obtained (40%)
to an RRSP in that it allows your savings to grow tax free.    by contributing to the RRSP and the income taxes payable
The main difference is that you must withdraw a minimum        (40%) by withdrawing the amounts from the RRSP.

                                                                               4
amount from your RRIF every year, which is then
considered taxable income.
                                                                                             HE REGISTERED SAVINGS
                                                                                            T
Even if you can no longer contribute to your RRSP, if your     Chart                        ADVANTAGE*
spouse has not yet reached age 71, you can continue to
                                                                            5 years 10 years 15 years 20 years 25 years 30 years 35 years
contribute to a spousal RRSP with all the tax advantages.
You must have RRSP contribution room, and the tax refund
                                                               $120,000
will go to you. Your spouse’s RRSP contribution room
will not be affected. From a legal standpoint, however,        $100,000
the amounts contributed belong to your spouse.
This may have consequences in the event of the                  $80,000
breakdown of the couple’s union if the couple is not
                                                                $60,000
subject to the rules of partition of family patrimony.
                                                                $40,000
There is no maximum age limit for contributing to a TFSA.
                                                                $20,000

                                                                       $0

                                                                    Investments outside a RRSP/TFSA                 Investments in a RRSP/TFSA

                                                               * Growth of an annual contribution of $1,000 in an RRSP or TFSA and in an unregistered
                                                               savings vehicle. The assumptions are as follows: annual rate of return of 5%, marginal
                                                               tax rate of 40%, payments made at the beginning of the year.
17

4.2 UNREGISTERED INVESTMENTS                                                                   In your RRSP or TFSA, investments such as publicly-traded
1. Traditional unregistered investments                                                        shares or certain mutual fund shares generate dividend income
                                                                                               or capital gains. You therefore lose the tax break you would
If you have maximized your RRSP, TFSA and SPP or VRSP
                                                                                               be eligible for otherwise. A financial planner can help you draft
contributions, there is no reason you cannot save more
                                                                                               an investment strategy that weighs these factors.
for retirement by making unregistered investments outside
an RRSP or TFSA. However, income generated by unregistered                                     2. Unregistered tax-advantaged fund
investments is taxable. One common strategy is to:                                             In addition to traditional unregistered investments,
> put all interest-bearing investments into an RRSP or TFSA.                                   you can invest in unregistered tax-advantaged funds.
                                                                                               Although tax-advantaged funds are less flexible than other
> put all investments that pay capital gains into an
                                                                                               types of funds in terms of cashing out, they allow you in return
  unregistered account.
                                                                                               to benefit from tax credits that reduce your income taxes
For tax purposes, interest income is not treated the same                                      payable. As with other unregistered investments, the income
as dividends or capital gains. Therefore, the taxes payable                                    these investments generate (capital gains, in the case of
on interest earnings are greater than the taxes that apply                                     tax-advantaged funds) are taxable in the year of withdrawal.1
to dividend and capital gains income.
                                                                                               Here is a table summarizing the main characteristics of three
                                                                                               tax-advantaged funds in Quebec:

Table            5           MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF THREE TAX-ADVANTAGED FUNDS IN QUEBEC

                                                       Fondaction                                  Solidarity Fund QFL
                                                                                                                                                      Capital régional
                                                                                                                                                 et coopératif Desjardins2

 Federal credit rate                                       15%                                              15%                                               N/A

 Provincial credit rate                                    20%                                              15%                                              35%

 Total credits                                             35%                                              30%                                              35%

 Maximum annual amount
                                                             Maximum of $5,000 in total for both funds                                              Maximum of $3,000
 eligible for tax credits

 Can be deposited
                                                            Yes                                              Yes                                              No
 in an RRSP

                                                                                                                                          Minimum holding period of 7 years,
 Withdrawal conditions3                                             At retirement, with exceptions
                                                                                                                                                  with exceptions

   Plan online!
   SimulR and CompuPension are two tools that enable you to simulate your retirement income. Visit their site
   to use them and kill two birds with one stone by consulting My Account. There you will find information on your participation
   in the Québec Pension Plan as well as the amounts you could receive when you retire. retraitequebec.gouv.qc.ca

1. The tax credits of these funds do not reduce the adjusted cost base of these shares, which will be a significant benefit on the resale of these shares by decreasing the capital gain.
/ 2. This is the current category of shares. Beginning in 2018, a shareholder with shares of the current category for at least 7 years and who has never requested
the redemption of his or her shares or proceeded to the purchase by agreement of his or her shares, may acquire shares of a new category. This new class of shares will entitle
the shareholder to an additional 10% credit. In exchange for this credit, the shareholder agrees to keep his or her shares for another period of 7 years. The maximum amount
eligible for the credit will be $15,000, which could generate an additional credit of up to $1,500. / 3. Consult the simplified prospectus for these funds for more information.
18 / Section 2 / Determine Your Retirement Age

2. Determine
   Your Retirement
   Age

      IF YOU CHOOSE TO RETIRE
      BETWEEN THE AGES OF 55 AND 65,
      THERE MAY BE A FINANCIAL COST.

      AT AGE 55, you are not yet eligible fo r a public pension plan
      (Québec Pension Plan and Old Age Security). You will have to rely on          5
      your personal savings to get by. Will you have enough? Remember,
      you won’t be entitled to a pension under the Québec Pension Plan
      (QPP) for another five years, and it will be a reduced pension at that.   remember
      You’ll also have to wait at least ten years to qualify for an Old Age
      Security (OAS) pension.                                                   1. Eligibility for a    4. Review your saving
                                                                                   public pension          strategies regularly
      AT AGE 60, you become eligible for a retirement pension under the
                                                                                   begins only             to ensure a
      QPP. If you apply for a QPP pension at that age, the amount will be
                                                                                   at age 60.              retirement that
      lower than the amount you would have been entitled to if you had
                                                                                2. Public pension          meets your
      applied at age 65. The decrease is permanent.
                                                                                   plans are designed      expectations.
      AT AGE 65, you have access to all of the available sources                   to ensure minimum    5. The age at which
      of retirement income. You can receive an OAS pension and                     protection in           you decide to retire
      the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS), if you are eligible.                 retirement.             will influence your
                                                                                3. Retirement income       savings strategy.
                                                                                   generally depends
                                                                                   on employment
                                                                                   earnings.
19

Table            6               SINGLE PERSON RETIRING AT AGE 60 IN 2018 AND 2048

                                     QPP*                    OAS                 GIS             Annual total
                                                                                                                    % of income replaced
  Annual income*                                                                                                         before taxes
 before retirement
                            2018             2048     2018         2048   2018         2048   2018         2048      2018         2048
       $30,000              $4,878           $5,963    $0           $0     $0           $0    $4,878       $5,963    16%          20%
       $35,000              $5,645           $6,900    $0           $0     $0           $0    $5,645       $6,900    16%          20%
       $40,000              $6,399           $7,822    $0           $0     $0           $0    $6,399       $7,822    16%          20%
       $45,000              $7,140           $8,728    $0           $0     $0           $0    $7,140       $8,728    16%          19%
       $50,000              $7,868           $9,618    $0           $0     $0           $0    $7,868       $9,618    16%          19%
       $55,000              $8,583          $10,492    $0           $0     $0           $0    $8,583      $10,492    16%          19%
       $60,000              $8,710          $11,158    $0           $0     $0           $0    $8,710      $11,158    15%          19%
       $65,000              $8,710          $11,600    $0           $0     $0           $0    $8,710      $11,600    13%          18%
       $70,000              $8,710          $11,600    $0           $0     $0           $0    $8,710      $11,600    12%          17%
       $75,000              $8,710          $11,600    $0           $0     $0           $0    $8,710      $11,600    12%          15%
       $80,000              $8,710          $11,600    $0           $0     $0           $0    $8,710      $11,600    11%          14%

* This data is in 2018 dollars
20 / Section 2 / Determine Your Retirement Age

Table          7           SINGLE PERSON RETIRING AT AGE 65 IN 2018 AND 2048

                                                Income from public sources
                                                                                                                    Income from
                                                                                                                                                  Total income
                                                                                                                   private sources
   Annual                                                                                                                               Total income,
                                                                                                                      Additional
  income*                                                                     Total Income                                               public and          Objective of
                                                                                                 Replacement            income
   before           QPP*                OAS*                   GIS*            from public                                             private sources       replacement
                                                                                                     rate             to achieve
 retirement                                                                      sources                                                combined, by             rate
                                                                                                                       the goal
                                                                                                                                          objective
               2018      2048       2018      2048      2018          2048   2018      2048      2018     2048      2018      2048      2018      2048      2018      2048
   $30,000      $7,304    $8,929   $7,075    $5,249    $1,065           $0   $15,445   $14,178   51%      47%       $8,500    $9,700   $23,945   $23,878     80%       80%
   $35,000      $8,521   $10,417   $7,075    $5,249        $0           $0   $15,597   $15,666   45%      45%      $12,500   $12,500   $28,097   $28,166     80%       80%
   $40,000      $9,739   $11,905   $7,075    $5,249        $0           $0   $16,814   $17,154   42%      43%      $13,000   $13,000   $29,814   $30,154     75%       75%
   $45,000     $10,956   $13,393   $7,075    $5,249        $0           $0   $18,031   $18,642   40%      41%      $15,500   $15,000   $33,531   $33,642     75%       75%
   $50,000     $12,174   $14,881   $7,075    $5,249        $0           $0   $19,249   $20,130   38%      40%      $16,000   $14,800   $35,249   $34,930     70%       70%
   $55,000     $13,391   $16,369   $7,075    $5,249        $0           $0   $20,466   $21,618   37%      39%      $18,000   $16,800   $38,466   $38,418     70%       70%
   $60,000     $13,610   $17,434   $7,075    $5,249        $0           $0   $20,685   $22,683   34%       38%     $21,200   $19,500   $41,885   $42,183     70%       70%
   $65,000     $13,610   $18,124   $7,075    $5,249        $0           $0   $20,685   $23,374   32%       36%     $21,500   $19,200   $42,185   $42,574     65%       65%
   $70,000     $13,610   $18,124   $7,075     $5,249       $0           $0   $20,685   $23,374   30%       33%     $24,500   $22,000   $45,185   $45,374     65%       65%
   $75,000     $13,610   $18,124   $7,075     $5,249       $0           $0   $20,685   $23,374   28%       31%     $24,500   $22,000   $45,185   $45,374     60%       60%
   $80,000     $13,610   $18,124   $7,075     $5,249       $0           $0   $20,685   $23,374   26%       29%     $27,000   $25,000   $47,685   $48,374     60%       60%

*This data is in 2018 dollars. The Old Age Security pension and the Guaranteed Income Supplement increase each year according to inflation, while salaries generally increase
at a rate of 1% higher than inflation. To reflect this assumption, we need to multiply OAS in today’s dollars by a discount factor of 1% by 2018 (7,075.08 × 0.7419 = $5,249).

WHAT DO PUBLIC PENSION                                     Here is an example                                          She could also consider saving money
PLANS OFFER?                                               Maryse is 35 years old. She believes                        to fill this gap. As our example applies
Public programs such as the Québec                         that her average gross annual income                        to pre-tax income we however do not
Pension Plan (QPP), federal Old Age                        of the three years before her withdrawal                    take into account this possibility.
Security (OAS) pension and Guaranteed                      from labour market will be $50,000
                                                                                                                       However, if she retires at age 60
Income Supplement (GIS), generally do                      and, at present, she has not saved
not provide all of the funds necessary                     for retirement.                                             > Public plans will only replace 19%
to cover individual’s needs in retirement.                                                                               of her working income (see Table 6).
                                                           At age 65, public plans replace about
You will have to rely on your personal                                                                                 > She will only receive 64% of her
                                                           40% of her working income
savings or income from a pension plan                                                                                    pension under the Québec Pension
                                                           (see Table 7). To achieve her goal of
to make up the difference.                                                                                               Plan for the rest of her life.
                                                           70% replacement rate of her income
                                                           at retirement, she will need additional                     > She will not yet be eligible for
                                                           income from another pension plan,                             the OAS or GIS.
                                                           an RRSP or a job to make up the
                                                           difference, of $14,800 a year.
21

Setting your retirement age
is a good starting point,
but life can sometimes
throw you a curve.
Here are three examples:

          YOUR                                                      FAMILY                                       YOUR PROFESSIONAL
          HEALTH                                                    OBLIGATIONS                                  SITUATION
Your health can change drastically,                         If you’re thinking about having children      It is difficult to predict what your
forcing you opt for phased retirement                       at age 35, bear in mind that they will only   professional situation will be like over
or retire earlier than you intended.                        be 20 years old when you turn 55. If they     a period of 20 or 30 years. Losing a job,
A serious illness or disability could                       are students or still living at home, this    a plant closing, returning to school
lead you to reassess your plans for                         could mean an extra financial burden.         to begin a new career, a work accident,
retirement. A financial planner can                         You may have to put off retirement.           and starting a new business are a few
give you more information to help                           On the other hand, if you have to care        examples of major changes that could
you prepare for the unexpected.                             for a family member, you may be forced        have an effect on when you retire.
                                                            to leave the labour market sooner             Your retirement could be delayed or,
                                                            than expected. Be sure to take family         on the contrary, occur sooner than you
                                                            obligations into consideration when           anticipated. A professional can help
                                                            planning for retirement.                      take these various factors into account
                                                                                                          in planning for retirement.

    Other
    information

LIFE EXPECTANCY AND                                         the birth of a child, a sabbatical leave,     More women live alone. In 2011,
FINANCIAL PLANNING                                          part-time work, loss of employment or         in Quebec, 39% of women aged 65
Life expectancy is the average number                       startup of a business.                        and over lived alone, compared with
of years you can expect to live. But                                                                      20% of men the same age.4 Therefore,
                                                            IT’S DIFFERENT FOR WOMEN                      more women do not have help covering
it is only an average: some people die
very young while others live beyond                         Studies show that women have                  basic needs such as lodgings, heating,
age 100. So you need to plan for                            less retirement income than men.              taxes, etc.
retirement carefully!                                       When a child is born, women often take
                                                            maternity leave and have their income
REGULAR UPDATES                                             drop for an extended length of time.
A financial plan for retirement is never                    During this period, they do not
set in stone. Professionals recommend                       necessarily save for retirement.
that you re-evaluate your plan every                        If you are a woman, you will probably
three years or when a major change                          have to live longer on your savings
that has an effect on your finances                         than if you were a man. In 2017, life
occurs. Therefore, you could re-evaluate                    expectancy for men and women age 65
it at different phases of your life, such as                is 85 and 88 years of age respectively.

4. Source: Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux.
22 / Section 3 / Set Your Retirement Goals

3. Set Your
   Retirement
   Goals

                                                                          GENERALLY, YOU WILL NOT NEED
      SPECIALISTS AGREE THAT IN GENERAL, AN INDIVIDUAL WILL               100% OF YOUR INCOME ONCE
      REQUIRE APPROXIMATELY 60% TO 80% OF HIS OR HER GROSS                YOU RETIRE BECAUSE:
      ANNUAL INCOME EARNED DURING THE LAST THREE YEARS                    > you will have        > you will no
      OF WORK TO MAINTAIN THE SAME STANDARD OF LIVING IN                    fewer expenses,        longer be making
      RETIREMENT. FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOUR AVERAGE GROSS ANNUAL                 and some will or       contributions for
      INCOME IS $50,000, YOU WILL NEED $30,000 TO $40,000
                                                                            disappear              retirement;
      PER YEAR IN RETIREMENT.
                                                                            altogether (e.g.,
                                                                                                 > you will likely
                                                                            work-related
                                                                                                   have fewer
                                                                            expenses);
                                                                                                   family-related
                                                                          > you will be            expenses.
      However, this “rule” does not apply to everyone: it depends           paying less tax;
      on your employment income and your post retirement plans.           On the other hand, costs for health care
      You can determine a higher or lower percentage, based on your       and social and recreational activities
      personal situation, that takes into account your salary and your    could increase.
      retirement goals.

      You can convert the percentage into dollars (e.g., 80% of $30,000
      is $24,000) to determine whether the amount will be sufficient.

                                                                            Get inspired by
                                                                            the content of
                                                                            fixed and variables
                                                                            expenses from
                                                                            the budget table
                                                                            in this guide to
                                                                            help you evaluate
                                                                            your expenses
                                                                            in retirement.
23

               60 to 80%
                      of average
                  work income earned
                    during the last
                      three years

    3

remember
1. An individual will generally require 60%     3. At whatever age you retire, public
   to 80% of his or her average gross              plans will only replace a portion
   annual income earned during the last            of your income. You can make up
   three years of work to maintain the             the difference with your personal
   same standard of living in retirement.          savings or retirement plan—or a
2. When you retire, your work-related              combination of the two.
   expenses will decrease or disappear,
   but expenses for health care and social
   and recreational activities will increase.
24 / Section 3 / Set Your Retirement Goals

Table       8        PROBABLE CHANGES IN EXPENSES DURING RETIREMENT
                                                           Expenses     Eliminated   Reduced   Unchanged   Increased

                                   Social and recreational activities

                                                               Food

           Contributions to a pension plan offered by your employer

                                                 RRSP contributions

                                                 TFSA contributions

                                Québec Pension Plan contributions

                      Professional membership fees and union dues

                               Employment insurance contributions

                                   Parental insurance contributions

                                               Vehicle maintenance

                                           Transportation expenses

                                                 Expenses for travel

                                                         Income tax

                                                            Lodging

                                                        Health care

                                                            Clothing
25

                                    What does
                                    this chart mean?
                                    Chart 5 shows the percentage
                                    of income various public sources
                                    replaces, by employment income
                                    prior to retirement, when benefits
                                    start at age 65. The higher your salary,
                                    the more you will need to rely on other
                                    types of savings to maintain the standard
                                     of living you had prior to retirement.

     Chart                                   5        S OURCES OF INCOME REQUIRED TO REPLACE BETWEEN 60% AND 80% OF YOUR SALARY BEFORE
                                                       RETIREMENT FOR A SINGLE PERSON RETIRING AT AGE 65 IN 2048
                                              80% objective         75% objective                   70% objective            65% objective        60% objective

                                     90%

                                     80%
                                             33%        35%
SOURCES OF REPLACEMENT INCOME (%)

                                                                   32%          33%
                                     70%
                                                                                            30%          31%        33%
                                                                                                                           30%         31%
                                     60%
                                                                                                                                                29%         31%

                                     50%
                                             17%
                                                        15%
                                     40%                           13%          12%
                                                                                            10%          10%
                                                                                                                    9%
                                                                                                                            8%
                                     30%                                                                                                7%
                                             30%        30%        30%          30%         30%          30%                                     7%          7%
                                                                                                                    29%    28%
                                                                                                                                       26%
                                     20%                                                                                                        24%         23%

                                     10%

                                      0%
                                           $30,000    $35,000    $40,000     $45,000     $50,000   $55,000    $60,000     $65,000    $70,000   $75,000    $80,000
                                                                                         REVENUE BEFORE RETIREMENT ($)

                                             QPP       OAS       Additional income to achieve the goal
26 / Section 4 / Determine How Much You Should Save Each Year

4. Determine
   How Much You
   Should Save
   Each Year
                                                                                          4

        HAVE YOU STARTED TO MAKE CALCULATIONS                                         remember
        FOR RETIREMENT? FROM A FINANCIAL STANDPOINT,
        AT WHAT AGE COULD YOU RETIRE?
                                                                                      1. Make your budget
                                                                                         to know where your
                                                                                         money goes.
                                                                                      2. Pay yourself first.
       Of the amount you could manage to save each month, what portion                3. Set aside 10%
       should go towards an RRSP? Should you invest in a TFSA? How much                  of your net income
       will your RRSP be worth when you are 60? If you retire early, do you              for retirement.
       know how much your SPP pension will provide? In this section,                  4. Re-evaluate your
       discover the various tools offered by Question Retraite to help                   budget regularly.
       you answer these questions.

        1. PUT AT LEAST 10%                  FOR EXAMPLE                              Audrey likes her current lifestyle and
           OF YOUR NET                       Audrey is 28 years old. She is an        wants to maintain it. Given this fact,
                                             employee at a multimedia development     where do we find amounts to save?
           INCOME AWAY
                                             company, and her employer does           10% of her net income is $3,600.
           FOR RETIREMENT                    not offer a retirement savings plan.     She would like to save that amount each
To make sure you save, it is better          Her annual gross salary is $45,000.      year. In making her budget, she realizes
to start with a budget and include           Currently, once the typical deductions   that she has a $3,000 balance on her
a portion devoted to savings.                are made (federal and Québec taxes,      credit card at an interest rate of 18%.
                                             contributions to the Québec Pension      She also has a credit card balance
As a general rule, it is often
                                             Plan, employment insurance and the       insurance that costs her $360 a year.
recommended to set aside 10% of your
                                             Québec Parental Insurance Plan, etc.),   She finds that her auto and home
net income for retirement. Of course,
                                             her net income of approximately          insurance are expensive and that her
this rule doesn’t apply in all situations,
                                             $36,000 is used for all of her basic     groceries are too. She is, however,
but it can give you a general estimate
                                             expenses, plus a few “treats.”           very proud of her $3,000 cash
of the amount you should save in order
to maintain your standard of living                                                   emergency fund deposited in a TFSA.
in retirement.
27

By taking inspiration from the 99 trucs pour économiser sans trop se priver, she chooses a few
tips and she quickly gets results while maintaining her standard of living:

Table
Actions
              9          AUDREY’S STRATEGY TO ACHIEVE HER GOALS
                                                        Results

ACHIEVE IMMEDIATELY

She uses her emergency fund (TFSA) to pay off her       She saves $540 in interest and $360 in credit card
expensive credit card. From now on, she will pay the    insurance each year. She temporarily sacrifices
full credit card balance at the end of each month.      $45 of annual return on the amounts deposited
                                                        in her TFSA.

She changes credit cards for a card that gives her      She will receive $200 in rewards each year and
cash rewards.                                           she will invest it.

 She’s shopping for auto and home insurance.            She saves $400 a year.

She buys more foods on sale at the grocery store,       She saves $300 a year.
going so far as to stock up in order to not pay
for regular-priced food.

She uses part of her 3% salary increase ($400 a year)   She saves $400 the first year, $800 the second
to invest. The rest will be used to offset inflation.   and $1200 the third year.
She will do the same for the next two years, then
she will use all of her other salary increases to
improve her lifestyle. After all, she tells herself,
one must live well!

ACHIEVED IN 1ST YEAR

After 9 months, she saved $1,500 and deposited          She saves $200 a year in bank fees.
it into her savings account as an emergency fund.
She then chooses a banking package allowing her
a dozen free transactions per month while
maintaining this balance. Most of her transactions
will now be done with her credit card which does
not charge fees.

At the end of the first year, with the money saved,     She deposits $700 into her TFSA that accumulates
she deposits $700 in her TFSA.                          tax-free and also serves as an emergency fund.

ACHIEVED IN 2ND YEAR

The amount saved that year allow her to:                > She deposits $800 more into her TFSA.
> deposit $800 in her TFSA for her emergency fund;        Her emergency fund is totally restored.
> invest $1,570 in her RRSP (cost of $1,060             > She contributes $1,570 to her RRSP.
  considering the tax reduction);                       > She contributes $2,400 to a labour-sponsored
> invest $2,400 in a labour-sponsored RRSP fund           RRSP fund.
  (cost of $900).

ACHIEVED IN 3RD, 4TH AND 5TH YEARS

The amount saved in each of these years                 > She contributes $3,348 to her RRSP.
allow her to:                                           > She contributes $2,400 to a labour-sponsored
> invest $3,348 in her RRSP (cost of $2,260               RRSP fund.
  considering the tax reduction);
> invest $2,400 in a labour-sponsored RRSP fund
  (cost of $900).

After five years, Audrey sees the significant financial progress she has made and she is proud of it.
Taking into account her performance, she has accumulated more than $22,000 in her RRSPs.
28 / Section 4 / Determine How Much You Should Save Each Year

She is aware that she will have to pay           2. PLAN                                This calculator is for everyone,
taxes when she withdraws some money,                NOW!                                no matter how familiar you are
but the amount accumulated without                                                      with personal finances and financial
reducing her standard of living is         The 10% rule doesn’t apply to every          planning. It offers an overview of
still impressive.                          situation. Your personal retirement goals    the amounts you could receive in
                                           might require you to set aside a different   retirement. It estimates the amounts
She could have chosen to invest less in    percentage of your income. If your           you could receive from your RRSPs,
a labour-sponsored fund or in her other    employer offers a retirement savings         QPP pension and OAS pension,
RRSP, and more in her TFSA, but she        plan, you could reduce the amount            as well as any other applicable
thought it was motivating to see large     of your personal savings.                    employer-sponsored retirement plans.
amounts of money accumulate through
tax breaks. For the following years, she   Question Retraite invites you to use          SimulR can also help you determine
proposes to consult an authorized          SimulR! Simple and easy-to-use, the tool     if the money you are setting aside for
representative to make sure to diversify   was designed to help you make your           retirement will be enough to meet your
her investments.                           own savings plan for retirement.             needs throughout your retirement.
                                           It is available on Question Retraite’s       If not, it will give you an overview
                                           Web site questionretraite.ca in the          of the additional amounts that you

How much                                   “Outils pratiques” section as well
                                           as on the Retraite Québec Web site
                                                                                        will need to save each year to meet
                                                                                        your goals.

will Audrey                                at retraitequebec.gouv.qc.ca.

have
accumulated
in 35 years.
Assuming a rate of return of 3.9%,
                                                                 To Help You
she will have accumulated more than
$310,000. That’s a nice chunk of change
                                                                 Save
for her retirement!
                                                                 Question Retraite’s brochure 99 trucs pour épargner sans trop
                                                                 se priver (French only) is a tool that will help you save money
                                                                 by paying less for the goods and services you need without
                                                                 asking you to give up coffee or take your lunch to work.
                                                                 Download this guide for free at questionretraite.ca.
29

USING THE RETIREMENT SAVINGS CALCULATOR
Xavier, age 35, dreams of retiring at age 60 to devote           Results: if he retires at age 60, he will have to save $11,500
more time to his hobby, sailing. He does not contribute to a     a year; if he retires at age 65, he will only have to save
retirement savings plan offered by his employer. If he retires   approximately $5,000 a year to meet his goals. If Xavier
at age 60, he knows that in order to get by, he can only rely    wants to fulfil his dream and retire at age 60, he will have
on his pension under the Québec Pension Plan and his RRSP,       to limit his expenses and set specific savings goals.
which is worth $20,000 today. Later on, at age 65, he will be
entitled to an OAS pension. He decides to use the SimulR
calculator to determine his estimated needs in retirement,
his future shortfall and the savings he will need to offset
this shortfall.

Chart       6         AMOUNT XAVIER SHOULD SAVE ANNUALLY

Xavier will have to save $11,500 a year                          Xavier will have to save $5,000 a year
if he wants to receive $35,000 at age 60                         if he wants to receive $35,000 at age 65
                         Replacement rate                                                  Replacement rate
                  of gross working income by age                                    of gross working income by age

100%                                                             100%

 80%                              Goal                            80%                               Goal

 60%                                                              60%

 40%                                                              40%

 20%                                                              20%

  0%                                                               0%
               As of age 60                   As of age 65                                      As of age 65

          Accumulated amount       QPP        OAS

        3. YOU CAN LEARN                                         Let’s take another look at the example of Xavier. He has a
           TO MAKE A BUDGET                                      general idea of where his money is going. He knows how
                                                                 much he spends on rent, electricity, heating, loans, etc. Why?
Now that you have calculated how much you will need              Because they represent a large outflow of cash. He isn’t
to save each year, you would probably appreciate some            as sure, however, when it comes to variable expenses such
help achieving your savings goals. The first step is to          as food, clothing and leisure activities. He needs to be
prepare a budget that includes savings.                          thorough when it comes to making a budget. Xavier must
Many people simply do not know where their money goes.           start by putting all of his fixed and variable expenses down
It’s important to start by taking stock of your situation,       on paper. To do this, he can use the budget table in this guide.
figuring out what your needs and wants are and getting           He realizes that there is little he can do about his fixed
to know the amounts of your income and expenses.                 expenses. In order to save money, Xavier can reduce certain
That’s exactly what preparing a budget allows you to do.         variable expenses: supplies, outings, magazines, books, gifts,
It gives you an overview of your situation and helps you         donations, etc. This is where his power to choose lies. He can
find room to manoeuvre so that you can save money for            also use many of the tips in this guide to save without too
retirement and personal projects.                                much deprivation. Xavier will have to assess his priorities
                                                                 and make some lifestyle changes. This will require resolve,
                                                                 but Xavier accepts this as the price to pay now if he hopes
                                                                 to pursue his passion for sailing in 30 years.
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