Forever Young BC - March 2014 Mar. 2014 | Page 7

Your monthly retirement income will be an accumulation of benefits and payments from various sources… DISPATCHES p.7 Retirement income sources – know them all …and to get the most out of them, while paying the least amount of tax, you need to know what they are. Source 1: Public Income Programs and Pensions – in other words, what the government will pay you in retirement * Old Age Security (OAS) provides a basic monthly pension benefit at age 65. Benefits are taxable, adjusted for inflation, and ‘clawed back’ in increasing amounts as your individual net income climbs above a threshold amount. Individuals with lower incomes may also qualify for the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS). * The Canada Pension Plan/Québec Pension Plan (CPP/QPP) pays a monthly pension to people who have been employed and contributed to CPP/QPP. Benefits are approximately 25 per cent of your average annual earnings during your working life up to certain limits. Benefits are indexed to inflation, are taxable, and can start at a reduced amount as early as age 60, or as late as age 70 with an increase. Source 2: Employersponsored Pension Plans – in other words, what your employer provides * Defined Benefit (DB) pension plans provide a specific pension amount paid to you for your lifetime after you retire. The amount of a DB pension benefit is set according to your age, length of service, and salary. It may or may not be indexed for inflation. * Defined Contribution (DC) pension plans are also known as money purchase plans and do not guarantee the amount of your future benefits. DC retirement income depends on accumulated contributions and the investment returns earned by these contributions. Source 3: Individual Retirement Plans – in other words, what you will provide When you retire, investments held in your Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) can be converted to income in three ways: Continued from page 6 your assets, that they end up losing their sibling (or other) relationships. Family harmony is extremely difficult to maintain without an objective perspective; - If you don’t want to burden family members/friends with this job, or you simply don’t feel that you have anyone appropriate to appoint, and your Estate is of a certain value to warrant hiring a Professional Trustee, then a Professional Trustee is a very good option for you. Their experience and objectiveness is of huge value to Estates. Each Professional Trustee will have a fee struc- ture that you should carefully review. Their fees may be charged monthly, quarterly or annually based upon the value and type of the assets they are managing in a Trust or Estate. Some Professional Trustees also charge hourly fees or flat fees for certain activities or situations. It is very important to closely review the Professional Trustee’s fee schedule so that you understand how and what fees will be charged to your Estate. If the assets in your Estate do not warrant the level of fees to be charged, then obviously this is not a good option for you. All of the above should * A Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF) is like an RRSP in reverse. Instead of contributing to it, you withdraw from it. A RRIF offers the flexibility of a wide range of in ٕ