The article “Gifting Your RRIF To Your Children” was originally published on MoneySense on August 8, 2017. Angie wants to give her RRIF to her children while she’s still alive Q: Can I change my RRIF back to RRSPs or put it all in a savings account? Bottom line is I…

The article “Should You Do A Pension Buyback?” was originally published on MoneySense on August 1, 2017. It’s almost always a good idea Q: I have been working at a college for 10 years. The last nine were full-time with pension deductions. My first year was contract and I did not…

The article “The Retirement Reshuffle” was originally published on MoneySense on July 25, 2017. How to rearrange investment accounts in your golden years. Q: I am married with a minor son. My wife and I have been successful saving and investing. Presently we have in excess of fifteen accounts. Mostly in…

The article “CPP And OAS After The Death Of A Spouse” was originally published on MoneySense on July 20, 2017. Keith arranged to split pensions with his late wife many years ago. What is he entitled to now? Q: I am 84 and many years ago my wife and I arranged…

The article “Reasons To Tap RRSPs Before Age 71” was original published on MoneySense on July 12, 2017. Doing this makes sense for plenty of Canadians. Is it the right option for you? Q: If you are self-employed and have a holding company, does it not make sense to use your…

The article “Should You Use RRSPs To Pay Down The Mortgage?” was originally published on MoneySense on July 5, 2017. Careful, the tax hit may be hefty if you tap your RRSP early Q: My husband and I will have good pensions. He is thinking that we should cash out our…

The article “Collecting CPP While Working In The U.S.” was originally published on MoneySense on June 27, 2017. How to transfer Social Security credits from the U.S. to Canada Q: I worked outside Canada for nearly 10 years (1992-2002) in the USA. I have two questions in regard to my circumstances:…

The article “Tax Facts When Hiring A Nanny” was originally published on MoneySense on June 20, 2017. You have different obligations depending on if your nanny is your employee or is considered self-employed Q: I have four children for whom I can claim child care expenses. I would like to hire someone…

The article “Retiring To Mexico – For A Lower Tax Rate” was originally published on MoneySense on June 13, 2017. You technically have to pay just 15% on your Canadian income, but there’s more to the story Q: We have a friend living in Mexico 10 months of the year. She…

The article “Using Real Estate vs. RRSPs To Fund Retirement” was originally published on MoneySense on June 6, 2017. You’ll have to unwind the RRSP regardless, so watch the tax bill when selling a home for retirement income purposes Q: We have three rental properties in Vancouver (one is mortgage free) and own…

The article “Turning Investment Income Into Mortgage Payments” was originally published on MoneySense on May 30, 2017. For conservative investors, paying down debt provides a great return Q: I have a mortgage of $120,000 with an interest rate of 2.25% variable. I have some monies which I move around depending on…

The article “Retirement Income Jitters” was originally published on MoneySense on May 23, 2017. Penny has a defined benefit pension, but no equities. Will she have enough income in her golden years? Q: I have a defined benefit pension, real estate (but not income-generating) and cash in GICs, but no equities.…