Detailed Agenda

Day 1 – Retirement Planning

  1. Introduction (approx. 0.25 hour)
    • Welcome participants and review goals and objectives
    • Present agenda for the program
    • Solicit group input on specific questions and concerns
  2. Lifestyle and Wellness Planning for Retirement (approx. 0.25 hour)
    • Discuss the importance of lifestyle and wellness preparation and planning for retirement
    • Describe the approach and section of the workbook that leads participants through this form of planning/preparation for retirement
    • Briefly review the relevant topics for completion in the workbook:
      • The psychological transition to retirement
      • Your life values and, in turn, retirement activities
      • Where and what home will be in retirement
      • Travel
      • Relationships
      • Life fulfillment
      • Wellness – nutrition, fitness, and mental health
  3. Retirement Planning – Lifestyle Costs (approx. 0.75 hour)
    • Two individual exercises: Retirement Lifestyle Goals and Retirement Cost of Living
  4. Retirement Planning – Your Pension (approx. 2.5 hours)
    • Presentation of the federal government employee pension plan: standard PowerPoint presentation prepared by the Government of Canada Pension Centre – entitled “Plan Member Education Session (PSSA)”
    • Pension and Benefits Website
      • Tools and videos
    • Contributions
      • Before and after 2013
      • Calculation
      • Two-tiered approach
      • Coordination with CPP
    • Benefit Calculation
      • Formula
      • Bridge and lifetime
      • Coordination with CPP
    • Benefit Options
      • Lump sum payments
      • Immediate annuity
      • Annual allowance
      • Deferred annuity
    • Deductions
    • Indexing
      • How it works
    • Supplementary Death Benefit
      • How it works in retirement
      • Naming a beneficiary
    • Survivor Benefits
      • Spouse/partner and children
      • Minimum value
    • Group Insurance Benefits
      • Health plan
      • Dental plan
    • Buybacks
      • What is a buyback
      • Advantages
      • What can be bought back
      • Cost
      • Process to follow
      • Types of service buyback
      • Methods of payment
      • Summary
  5. Retirement Planning – Other Income (approx. 2.0 hours)
    • Review of Income During Retirement tool
    • Old Age Security
      • Eligibility
      • Benefit calculation
      • Deferral of benefit
      • Clawback
    • Canada Pension Plan 
      • Contributions
      • Benefits
      • When benefit starts – flexibility
      • Benefit reduction and enhancement rules
      • Benefit calculation
    • Income from Savings
      • RRSPs
        • RRSP to RRIF
        • RRSP to annuity
      • Non-registered investment income
    • Other Income
      • Employment income in retirement
  6. Retirement Planning – The Full Financial Picture (approx. 0.5 hour)
    • Exercise: Your Full Financial Picture in Retirement – pull together all personal financial information looked at so far (expenses and income)
    • Calculating income tax
    • Completion of exercise leads to ability to answer question “Will I have enough?”
    • Example of fully completed exercise
    • Review of financial tools via website

Day 2 – Financial Planning

  1. What is Financial Planning (approx. 0.5 hour)
    • Define financial planning and relate to process covered in Day 1 re retirement planning
    • Evaluating your net worth: individual exercise
      • Using net worth as a benchmark to measure progress
    • Evaluating cash flow
  2. Registered Savings Plans (approx. 1 hour)
    • Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSP)
      • RRSPs and taxes
      • Contribution limits
      • Financial value
      • Spousal RRSPs
    • Registered Education Savings Plans (RESP)
      • Contribution rules
      • Tax benefits
      • Canada Education Savings Grant (CESG – the grant)
      • Penalties
      • Withdrawal strategy
    • Tax Free Savings Account (TFSA)
      • Contribution limit
      • How they work
      • Tax benefit
  3. Tax planning (approx. 1.5 hours)
    • How the tax system works: tax brackets, average tax rates, marginal tax rates
    • Federal tax rates
    • Deductions
      • How they work – value
      • Marginal tax rate
      • Examples – RRSPs, pension contributions, carrying charges
      • Tips to maximize their value
    • Tax credits
      • How they work
      • Examples – medical, donations, pension, age
      • Tips to maximize their value
    • Income splitting
      • Why and how it works
      • Income splitting between spouses: CPP, pension splitting, RIFF/annuity income
      • Exercise – checklist: Tax Planning
  4. Investment Planning (approx. 1.5 hours)
    • Principles of investing
    • Investment plan – asset allocation strategy
    • Asset classes
      • Cash
      • Fixed income
      • Equities
    • Mutual funds
      • Concept
      • Fees
      • Performance
      • Active vs passive
    • Working with an advisor
    • Keys to investment success
    • Exercise – checklist: Investment Planning
  5. Life Insurance Planning (approx. 0.25 hour)
    • Needs analysis
    • Types – temporary and permanent
  6. Estate Planning (approx. 0.75 hour)
    • Records management
    • Taxes at death
      • Final (Terminal) tax return
      • Strategies to reduce
    • Wills
      • Dying without a will
      • Formats
      • Functions of a will
      • Updating
    • Probate
      • Purpose and process
      • Fees
      • Tips to reduce probate fees
    • Powers of attorney (POA)
      • What are they
      • Kinds of POAs
      • Purpose
    • Property ownership
      • Types of joint registration
      • Dos and don’ts
    • Exercise – checklist: Insurance and Estate Planning
  7. Summing Up (approx. 0.25 hour)
    • Developing your action plan: individual exercises