Start with the retirement lifestyle you want, subtract reliable after-tax income sources, then test whether the remaining portfolio can fund the gap through a realistic planning horizon. Account type и taxes matter almost as much as the headline portfolio balance.
Начните с расходов, а не с накоплений
Estimate annual lifestyle spending in today’s dollars и separate it from irregular costs such as vehicles, renovations, travel, family support or major medical/dental expenses. Retirement spending often changes by stage, so one flat number can be misleading.
Оцените надежные пенсионные доходы
CPP, OAS, employer pensions и other recurring income reduce the amount the portfolio must fund. Their start ages matter: delaying CPP or OAS can increase future guaranteed income but requires additional funding in the delay years.
Преобразуйте разницу в тест портфеля
A simple screening ratio is portfolio divided by the first-year amount it must fund. For example, if a $1,000,000 portfolio must supply $40,000 in year one, that is 25 times the first-year portfolio-funded spending. If it must supply $60,000, it is about 16.7 times. Those ratios are only starting points because taxes, inflation, longevity и changing income all matter.
Do not ignore housing и taxes
A paid-off home can reduce ongoing housing costs и may provide future downsizing flexibility, while renting creates a different inflation-sensitive expense. Likewise, $1 million in TFSA assets is not equivalent to $1 million in RRSP assets because withdrawals have different tax consequences.
Создайте ответ для своей семьи
The planner combines retirement ages, spending phases, CPP/OAS, RRSP/RRIF, TFSA, taxable investments, home scenarios, taxes и market uncertainty. The result is more useful than a generic “you need 70% of salary” rule.
Рассчитайте свою пенсионную цель
Use your actual household spending, benefits и assets to test whether the plan is sustainable.