To improve your user experience, FÉRIQUE Fund Management and FÉRIQUE Investment Services use cookies. Please refer to our Terms of use and our Privacy Policy.

Skip to main content
4 mins
RRSP & TFSA

Publié le Mis à jour le

Three tips to follow when withdrawing your retirement savings

You undoubtedly accumulate retirement savings in various forms. In fact, RRSPs, TFSAs, LIRAs and other types of accounts all have their own special features, both when investing in these vehicles and when withdrawing income from them. So if you're near retirement, it's not always easy to know in which order to proceed.

Férique

A poor withdrawal strategy can have a major tax impact and reduce your available savings. That's why you should know which scenario fits your situation best before you retire. This way, you can make your savings last longer and pay less tax on them.

Some general rules

There are general recommendations to follow when establishing a withdrawal strategy. First, here are some rules you might find helpful.

1. Establish your strategy in advance
If possible, prepare your withdrawal plan a few years before you retire. At the same time, you can assess whether you have accumulated enough savings to meet your needs, and make adjustments if necessary. Preparing your strategy will also enable you to secure the necessary funds prior to withdrawal. It is generally recommended to make withdrawals in the following order: non-registered accounts, TFSAs, then registered accounts (RRSPs and LIRAs). This will enable you to take greater advantage of the tax deferral provided by registered investment vehicles. However, each situation is different, and the accounts to prioritize may differ from one person to the next. In some cases, it may even be appropriate to withdraw funds from more than one account at a time.

2. Secure the necessary funds in more conservative investments
It may be beneficial to transfer the funds to be withdrawn into low-risk investments one or two years in advance. Since the rest of your portfolio remains invested according to your investor profile, it can continue to grow.

3. Determine the best time to receive your government pensions
The longer your life expectancy, the more advantageous it is to defer your Québec Pension Plan (QPP) benefits. Unless you have a major health problem or a family history that shortens your life expectancy, you could wait until age 70 to receive your QPP benefits. In fact, if you wait until after your 65th birthday to apply for your pension, it will be increased by 8.4% for each year of deferral1 up to age 70. This represents an increase of 42% over five years.

Avenues to explore

Depending on your situation, there are several different strategies you can use. They vary according to your age, the type of accounts you hold, the capital you've accumulated, and other factors. The following details can help you make informed choices.

Non-registered accounts
When you plan to make withdrawals from your non-registered accounts, pay particular attention to the tax impact of capital gains or losses on funds you redeem. By comparing the book value to the market value of the funds, you can determine whether there is a capital gain or loss and see which of these scenarios is favourable for you. However, be careful not to unbalance the asset allocation of your portfolio.

RRSPS
It, at age 65, you plan to start making withdrawals from your RRSP without receiving a retirement pension, it's a good idea to first convert the RRSP into a RRIF. When you do so, you are able to claim the pension income amount.

Note that if you're planning withdrawals from an RRSP knowing that your income will increase over the years, you can, a few years before using these funds, withdraw them and transfer them to a TFSA to maximize your contributions. By doing so, you'll reduce future RRSP income which, unlike TFSA income, are taxable. This will increase your chances of benefiting from certain government programs, such as the Old Age Security pension.

Locked-in retirement accounts (LIRAS)
If you hold substantial sums in a LIRA, you should be aware of the following. To use the money accumulated in this type of account, you must transfer it to a life income fund (LIF) or a life annuity. However, a LIF has minimum and maximum annual withdrawal limits. If you believe that the maximum LIF withdrawal will be insufficient to meet your needs, you can plan your withdrawals so as to unlock funds in your LIRA and transfer them to an RRSP several years in advance. This way, you'll be able to use these funds as you please in the future.

RRIFS
Good news if you are a couple: you can use your spouse's age to reduce the mandatory annual withdrawals from your RRIF. Since these withdrawals increase with age, you can benefit from this measure if your spouse is younger than you. However, this choice is made when you open an RRIF account and cannot be changed afterwards, unless you open a new RRIF.

Surplus retirement income
Does your income from your RRSP, LIRA and other investments exceed your financial needs? If so, you can reinvest the surplus funds in a TFSA, if you have not used up all your contribution room, or in a non-registered account and hope for an additional return.

Finally, pension income splitting is an important element to consider for your withdrawal strategy, as it may provide important tax savings.

Reading in progress:Three tips to follow when withdrawing your retirement savings

Prev
Next

1 Source : Régie des rentes du Québec

FÉRIQUE is a registered trademark of Gestion FÉRIQUE and is used under license by its subsidiary, Services d'investissement FÉRIQUE. Gestion FÉRIQUE is an Investment Fund Manager and assumes management duties in relation to the FÉRIQUE Funds. Services d'investissement FÉRIQUE is a Mutual Fund Dealer and a Financial Planning Firm, as well as the Principal distributor of the FÉRIQUE Funds. Please note that for commercial purposes, Services d'investissement FÉRIQUE is also known in English as FÉRIQUE Investment Services.

There may be brokerage fees, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses associated with investment in the Funds. Management expense ratios vary from one year to another. Please read the prospectus before investing. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated.

The information contained in this article does not constitute an offer or a solicitation of any nature in any jurisdiction in which such an offer or solicitation would not be authorized or to any person to whom it would be illegal to make such an offer or solicitation. The information contained in this article does not constitute specific advice of a financial, legal, accounting or fiscal nature concerning investments. You should not act or rely on the information without seeking the advice of a professional.

You will also like

    Accelerate your financial independence

    Think about the future. Start investing today.

    Start investing Contact us