What does this have to do with retirement planning? Everything!

Many folks are planning for a retirement, but don’t have a number in mind, about how long this money is supposed to last, which could cause problems later in life (said Captain Obvious).

For those planning their retirement with a Pension as the cornerstone of their Golden Years, how long you live is not as important, because you will have income as long as you keep breathing (and your pension plan does the same (remember Nortel)), but if you are planning on creating a Big Bucket of Money that you will then draw from for your retirement, you need to figure out when you are going to “pack it in”.

The other advantage a pensioner has, is that the pension payments won’t (or at least shouldn’t) decrease in value . They may decrease in value if the pension is not indexed against inflation, but unless another Nortel situation arises, most pensions shouldn’t drop in value, however, those who have a Big Bucket of Money, they have to live that delicate balance of having growth in the “Big Bucket”, but careful growth so that value is mostly lost from withdrawal (and not losing value).

As Preet was quoted by Moneysense

So what should your “lifespan” number be? How long did your parents live for, that would be a good barometer (as long as there aren’t mitigating circumstances like smoking or being hit by a truck) to start your calculations. Maybe add 10% to your parents age, due to better medical systems? It’s all up to you, but if you want to do as Preet advises might be better to overestimate how much money you will need.

Yes I have written about this before with Retirement Do’s and Don’ts  , One Thing to Do Before You Retire and Going to the Gym to Work on my Retirement, but I don’t think I can over emphasize this point.

What is a Healthy Retirement ?

“…Those who don’t have time for exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness…” –Unknown

In conversation I used this phrase on a co-worker a few days ago, and they gave me a blank stare in reply. I keep trying to get across to my younger co-workers and peers that retirement planning in terms of  your finances is essential (although as Civil Servants, not as hard, due to the current Pension Plan), but, no matter how much money you save, if you are too sick (or worse dead), it means nothing. The most important advice I can give for retirement is Don’t Die, before you can retire, and this is what you need for a healthy retirement.

Why do I go to the gym these days? To help keep my knees usable, and to make sure my heart stays in relatively good shape. In my younger days, I wanted to look fit, but “the look” matters little to me (now).  I want to be able to walk and I don’t want to end up bed ridden in my “golden years”.

Seasick Steve ?

Coincidentally, I was listening to an album from Seasick Steve, and there is one song on there that really drives the point home about retirement, and I urge you to listen to “What a Way to Go“. I heard that song, went home and hopped on my exercise bike. Listen to it on the iTunes store link (above), it says it all about retirement in one catchy song (and it is aimed at Civil Servants or anyone with a Pension). Here is the verse that drove it home for me:

The day of retirement have finally come
Get a gold watch and your work is done
One month later your heart give out
What was all that planning about?

— Seasick Steve, “What a Way to Go”

One Last Less Nice Thought

Oh and one other acidic piece of advice for my readers that still smoke, save yourself some money by not saving for your retirement. Enjoy your money now, because you aren’t going to need it. The other side of the coin is, I hope you have a medical plan for your retirement, because (if you make it to your retirement) you are going to need THAT! How dare I say that?

I watched my Father smoke, and his retirement was spent in a wheelchair, was it caused by his smoking? I think so. You want to do something for your retirement? Quit smoking, put your smokes money in a retirement account and start exercising, it might not be too late.  First comment that says, “… it’s my body…”, gets the Second Hand Smoke boot in the groin award (I worked for a tobacco company I have a good idea what is in those things).

Update on My Healthy Retirement

I continue to visit the gym. I am not in the shape I want to be (closer to a milk bag held on one corner as a shape). The work will continue on.

I wrote this in 2014 in reaction to Mr. Harper’s doubling of the TFSA limit to $10,000 per year and thinking of raising it to $11K.

I am borrowing an expression that David Lewis made about Canadian Corporations getting far too many tax breaks (his phrase was “Corporate Welfare Bums“). However, I feel it is correct, given the furor in the media about Rich Canadians getting fat off Retirement Welfare.

It all seems to be a reaction to The Harper Government™ proposing (or maybe only socializing) a doubling of the current TFSA yearly limit to $11K, and thus the fear of “Rich Fat Cat Canadians™” taking advantage of this unfair change to hide income and possibly end up getting paid the Guaranteed Income Supplement if they retire (GIS is really to help those who are retired with lower-income if you have a higher income it typically is clawed back). It is diabolical. Someone who could save $11,000 a year until they retire might appear to be a pauper and attempt to get government handouts? How dare they exploit this “tax loophole” ! #OMG.

Now let’s all calm the heck down, given  I have just whipped you into a fury of moral indignation about the Rich Fat Cat Canadians™ out there. I would guess that the government (as part of announcing the doubling of the TFSA limit (possibly)) will force folks applying for GIS to report their TFSA holdings, and that will then disqualify them from getting the GIS. Still, if you believe the statement, it is happening right now, and the Harper Government™ is doing nothing about it! #OMG

Of course, it is not the case, but having a higher TFSA limit does make for some fascinating questions about where to put your retirement funds, especially if you are younger (for someone like me, I have about ten years before retirement, if they DID double the rate and I DID max out my TFSA’s I could have about $140K or so (with growth) in my TFSA). I have seen many compelling arguments on both sides, and I am not entirely sure which is better. However, I will be proposing tomorrow (teaser) an exciting hybrid solution (that is neither brilliant nor new, just me rehashing old ideas (as usual)).

So all you Rich Fat Cat Canadians™ can thank the Harper Government™ for yet another break being given to you, you oppressors of the proletariat.

Full Disclosure: I believe if I use the definition of Rich Fat Cat Canadians™, I must disclose that I am (most likely, depending on the income line used) a member of this club too, and yes, I wrote this (a little) tongue in cheek.

Last week I was talking to an Insurance Agent about possibly changing my term insurance carrier, to see if I could get a lower rate, and (as usual) the conversation was not just about Term Insurance for guys over 50 (that was the topic I wanted to talk about), unfortunately the topic of retirement planning and insurance coverage to protect my family came up (no, I didn’t bring it up, you can guess who might be the protagonist in that part of the conversation).

At the Signpost Up Ahead, you see you are entering… The Financial Despair Zone

I pointed out that I have a pension plan (a very good and generous plan) so my family was going to be OK, in terms of retirement planning, or were they? The agent I was speaking with pointed out that the Life Insurance that went with my pension wasn’t really that much and if I died, my wife would only get a fraction of the money in my pension.

This statement is entirely correct, but it still annoyed me because after I hung up the phone I realized when you are talking to anyone selling financial services, you never are safe in terms of retirement or insurance coverage (yes, I will plead guilty on this, but I am not selling anything).

Let me give you a few scenarios I have been a part of over the past couple of years when talking to various financial service folks about various topics:

• If I talk about Life Insurance, and bring up that I prefer Term Insurance, inevitably the agent I speak with espouses the importance of “Whole Life” insurance as it will protect me in my “Golden Years”.
• Credit Card companies used to call me incessantly asking if I wanted to increase my Credit Limit, because you never know when something might go wrong and I needed some extra help.
• If I am negotiating a new Mortgage Term, the topic of Mortgage Insurance will inevitably come up, because it is important to protect my family in case something terrible happens.
• When I call to talk about disability insurance, suddenly the topic of Catastrophic Illness insurance comes up.
• And on, and on, and on….

My family is never really safe is it? I can never rest easy that I have enough insurance coverage, financial leverage or low enough debt load, is it? I realize that all of the cases I mention are sales folk simply trying to either up sell new services to me, or to make sure they have a bigger commission, but this does explain why I have such trepidation when I have to meet with anyone about my financial situation. I know I will be barraged with worst case scenarios, and how badly prepared I am for my retirement.