RRSP Basics: Questions Answered

Marci • January 24, 2017

Guest post by Randy Cass,

Welcome to RRSP season, otherwise known as the one time of year you’ll willingly read an article with RRSP in the title. It’s not a traditionally exciting topic, we get it, but it’s an important one. A little planning now will pay off big time later. We’re going to walk you through some of the most common questions we hear. Let’s get into it!

What’s so special about the RRSP?

A Registered Retirement Savings Plan is an account (think of it as a basket) that holds savings and investments. The magic of the RRSP is twofold: contributions are made with pre-tax income, meaning you’ll get a tax refund, and investments grow inside your RRSP basket tax free. That’s right, the tax man isn’t allowed to stick his hands in there. Compound interest is left to do what it does best, grow your nest egg!

Just remember deferring tax doesn’t mean you’ll avoid paying it altogether. You’ll have to pay taxes when you withdraw money during retirement just as you would on any other income. The idea is you should be in a lower tax bracket when you retire and take out money, therefore you’ll pay less tax overall. Making sense so far?

What kinds of things can I put in there?

You can fill your RRSP basket with investments like stocks, bonds, GICs, mutual funds, ETFs, and money market funds. A common misconception is that a RRSP is an investment you purchase. It’s an account you open (think basket) and fill with investments you buy.

How much can I contribute this year?

You can contribute up to 18% of your income to a maximum of $25,370 for 2016. Your contribution room accumulates over time so if you haven’t maxed out your contributions in the past (many people haven’t!) you’ll have even more room available. Check the notice of assessment you received with last years tax return, or give CRA a call, to find out exactly how much contribution room you have. Your accountant will be able to tell you as well.

What’s this contribution deadline I’ve seen advertised?

The stretch between New Years and the contribution deadline has been dubbed “RRSP Season” which you’ve likely seen advertised at local banks. March 1st 2017 is the latest you can contribute to your RRSP and have the deduction count for the 2016 tax year.

This doesn’t mean any contributions made during January and February 2017 have to be claimed against the 2016 tax year. If you want to make a contribution now and save part or all of the deduction for 2017 (perhaps you’re expecting your income to be higher) you can do that.

How often can or should I contribute to my RRSP?

All this RRSP season hype might give you the impression you can only contribute once a year, but that’s not true! You can set up regular automatic contributions (monthly, quarterly, etc) and avoid the RRSP season rush altogether.

An unexpected expense came up, can I withdraw money from my RRSP to cover it?

You can, but it might not be your best option. Depending on how much you withdraw you’ll be charged a 10-30% penalty and you’ll have to pay income tax on that money. Keep in mind you won’t be able to re-contribute the amount you withdrew at a later date. That contribution room is lost.

Two ways you can withdraw money without penalty is under the Home Buyers Plan and the Lifelong Learning Plan. The former is eligible to first time home buyers while the latter is available if you enrol in a qualified education program.

What happens to my RRSP when I retire?

Regardless of when you decide to retire, you’ll have to close your RRSP by December 31t in the year you turn 71. You can withdraw all your money (and be hit with a hefty tax bill), purchase an annuity, or transfer it into a Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF). You don’t have to convert your RRSP to a RIFF when you turn 65 or at the same time you retire. You can convert it at anytime before you turn 71.

What should I consider when opening or moving my RRSP?

You’ll need to look at the fees you’re paying —these include management expense ratios (MERs) for any mutual funds or ETFs, trading commissions, and annual administration fees. You want to keep these fees low so your money can grow as much as possible. If you’re working with a financial advisor check your statements to verify how much you’re paying. If you’re looking for lower fee investment options consider going the self directed route or opening account with one of Canada’s digital wealth advisors.

We think Nest Wealth is pretty awesome, but you know, we’re biased.

That’s it for now. You made it! You’re well on your way to mastering your RRSP and reaching those retirement goals. Knowledge is power, my friends.

This is a guest post from Randy Cass , CEO of Nest Wealth, a Canadian asset management company, it was originally published on their website on January 19th, 2017.

< Older Post Newer Post >

Alternative Lending Provides You With Options

By Marci Deane • February 19, 2025

Alternative lending refers to any lending practices that fall outside the normal banking channels. Alternative lenders think outside the box and offer solutions to Canadians who wouldn’t otherwise qualify for traditional mortgage financing. In an ideal world, we’d all qualify for the best mortgage terms available. However, this isn’t the case. Securing the most favourable terms depends on your financial situation. Here are a few circumstances where alternative lending might make sense for you. Damaged Credit Bad credit doesn’t disqualify you from mortgage financing. Many alternative lenders look at the strength of your employment, income, and your downpayment or equity to offer you mortgage financing. Credit is important, but it’s not everything, especially if there is a reasonable explanation for the damaged credit. When dealing with alternative lending, the interest rates will be a little higher than traditional mortgage financing. But if the choice is between buying a property or not, or getting a mortgage or not, having options is a good thing. Alternative lenders provide you with mortgage options. That’s what they do best. So, if you have damaged credit, consider using an alternative lender to provide you with a short-term mortgage option. This will give you time to establish better credit and secure a mortgage with more favourable terms. Use an alternative lender to bridge that gap! Self-Employment If you run your own business, you most likely have considerable write-offs that make sense for tax planning reasons but don’t do so much for your verifiable income. Traditional lenders want to see verifiable income; alternative lenders can be considerably more understanding and offer competitive products. As interest rates on alternative lending aren’t that far from traditional lending, alternative lending has become the home for most serious self-employed Canadians. While you might pay a little more in interest, oftentimes, that money is saved through corporate structuring and efficient tax planning. Non-traditional income Welcome to the new frontier of earning an income. If you make money through non-traditional employment like Airbnb, tips, commissions, Uber, or Uber eats, alternative lending is more likely to be flexible to your needs. Most traditional lenders want to see a minimum of two years of established income before considering income on a mortgage application. Not always so with alternative lenders, depending on the strength of your overall application. Expanded Debt-Service Ratios With the government stress test significantly lessening Canadians' ability to borrow, the alternative lender channel allows expanded debt-service ratios. This can help finance the more expensive and suitable property for responsible individuals. Traditional lending restricts your GDS and TDS ratios to 35/42 or 39/44, depending on your credit score. However, alternative lenders, depending on the loan-to-value ratio, can be considerably more flexible. The more money you have as a downpayment, the more you’re able to borrow and expand those debt-service guidelines. It’s not the wild west, but it’s certainly more flexible. Connect anytime Alternative lending can be a great solution if your financial situation isn’t all that straightforward. The goal of alternative lending is to provide you with options. You can only access alternative lending through the mortgage broker channel. Please connect anytime if you’d like to discuss mortgage financing and what alternative lending products might suit your needs; it would be a pleasure to work with you.

Benefits of Working with an Independent Mortgage Professional

By Marci Deane • February 12, 2025

If you need a mortgage, working with an independent mortgage professional will save you money and provide you with better options than dealing with a single financial institution. And if that is the only sentence you read in this entire article, you already know all you need to know. However, if you’d like to dig a little deeper, here are some reasons that outline why working with an independent mortgage professional is in your best interest. The best mortgage is the one that costs you the least over the long term. An independent mortgage professional can help you achieve this. Mortgages aren’t created equally. Oftentimes slick marketing leads us to believe the lowest “sticker price” is the best value. So when it comes to mortgage financing, you might assume the mortgage with the lowest rate is the best option. This isn’t always the case. When considering a mortgage, your goal should be to find the mortgage that will cost you the least amount of money over the total length of the mortgage. There are many factors to consider, such as your specific financial situation, the rate, initial term length, fixed or variable rate structure, amortization, and the penalties incurred should you need to break your mortgage early; the fine print matters. An independent mortgage professional can walk through all these factors with you and will help you find the mortgage that best suits your needs. Sometimes taking a mortgage with a slightly higher rate can make sense if it gives you flexibility down the line or helps you avoid huge payout penalties. Working the numbers with an independent mortgage professional will save you money in the long run instead of just going with what a single lender is offering. Save time by letting an independent mortgage professional find the best mortgage product for you. Let's face it, getting a mortgage can be challenging enough on its own. Everyone’s financial situation is a little different and making sense of lender guidelines is a full-time job in itself. So instead of dealing with multiple lending institutions on your own, when you work with an independent mortgage professional, you submit a single mortgage application that is compared to the lending guidelines of various mortgage lenders. This will save you time as you don’t have to go from bank to bank to ensure you’re getting the best mortgage. Simply put, an independent mortgage professional works for you and has your best interest in mind, while a bank specialist works for the bank and has the bank's best interest in mind. It’s no secret that Canadian banks make a lot of money. It seems every quarter they turn billions of dollars in profit (despite the economic environment). They do this at the expense of their customers by charging as much interest as they can and structuring mortgages to their benefit. It’s all about the alignment of interest. Bank employees work for the bank; the bank pays them to make money for the bank. In contrast, independent mortgage professionals are provincially licensed to work for their clients and are paid a standardized placement or finder’s fee for matching borrowers with lenders. When you work with a single bank, you only have access to the products of that bank. When you work with an independent mortgage professional, you have access to all of the lenders that mortgage professionals have relationships with and all their products. Working with an independent mortgage professional will save you money, time, and provide you with better mortgage options. Plus, you have the added benefit of working with a licensed professional looking out for your best interest, providing you with the best possible advice. If you’d like to know more or to discuss mortgage financing, please connect anytime; it would be a pleasure to work with you.

How to Ensure a Smooth Home Purchase

By Marci Deane • February 5, 2025

Chances are, buying a home is one of the most important financial decisions you’ll make in your life. And as mortgage financing can be somewhat confusing at the best of times, to alleviate some of the stress and to ensure your home purchase goes as smoothly as possible, here are six very high-level steps you should follow. While it might seem like the best place to start the home buying process is to browse MLS on your phone and then contact a Realtor to go out and look at properties, it’s not. First, you’re going to want to work with a licensed independent mortgage professional. When you work with an independent mortgage professional, instead of working with a single bank, you’ll be working with someone who has your best interest in mind and can present you with mortgage options from several financial institutions. The second step in the home buying process is to put together a mortgage plan. Unless you have enough money in the bank to buy a home with cash, you’re going to need a mortgage. And as mortgage financing can be challenging and not so straightforward, the best time to start planning for a mortgage is right now. Don’t make another move until you discuss your financial situation with an independent mortgage professional. It’s never too early to start planning. As part of your mortgage plan, you’ll want to figure out what you can afford on paper, assess your credit score, run some financial scenarios, calculate mortgage payments, and have a clear picture of exactly how much money is required for a downpayment and closing costs. You’ll also be able to discuss which mortgage product is best for you, considering different mortgage terms, types, amortizations, and features. Now, what you qualify to borrow on paper doesn’t necessarily mean you can actually afford the payments in real life. You need to consider your lifestyle and what you spend your money on. Understanding your cash flow is the key. Make a budget to verify you can actually afford your proposed mortgage payments and that you have enough funds to close on the mortgage. No one wants to be house-poor or left scrambling to come up with funds to close at the last minute. If everything looks good at this point, the next step will be to get a preapproval in place. Now, a pre-approval is more than just typing some numbers into a form or online calculator; you need to complete a mortgage application and submit all the documents requested by your mortgage professional. Only proceed with looking at properties when you’ve been given the green light from your mortgage professional. When you’ve found a property to purchase, you’ll work very closely with your mortgage professional to arrange mortgage financing in a short period of time. This is where being prepared pays off. As you’ve already collected and submitted many documents upfront during the preapproval process, you should be set up for success. However, remain flexible and provide any additional documentation required by the lender to secure mortgage financing. Once you have firm lender approval and you’ve removed conditions on the purchase agreement, don’t change anything about your financial situation until you have the keys. Don’t quit your job, don’t take out a new loan, or don’t make a large withdrawal from your bank account. Put your life into a holding pattern until you take possession of your new home. So there you have it, six steps to ensuring a smooth home purchase: Work with an independent mortgage professional. Put together a mortgage plan. Figure out what you can actually afford. Get a pre-approval. Provide the necessary documentation. Don’t change anything about your financial situation until you take possession. If you’d like to discuss your personal financial situation and find the best mortgage product for you, let’s work together. We can figure out a plan to buy a home as stress-free as possible. Please connect anytime; it would be a pleasure to work with you.