Enhance your retirement
Source: Transamerica/Ivari
Dare to dream
Everyone has dreams of what their retirement years will be like. Will you be hiking in the Himalayas or sunning down south? Where will the money come from to fulfill these retirement dreams?
Before we answer that question, let’s look at how much money you will need to fund your retirement. To maintain your current lifestyle, the general rule is that you should aim to replace 70% of your pre-retirement income. However, hiking in the Himalayas may run you a bit more than your current lifestyle costs.
Show me the money
There are four common ways to fund your retirement years: RRSPs, TFSAs or other investments, CPP/QPP and possibly a pension from your place of employment.
1. Savings
According to Government of Canada research, personal savings rates have been in steady decline since 19801 and for those expecting to retire in 2030, savings are not even at the levels required to meet necessary living expenses2!
1https://www.fin.gc.ca/activty/pubs/pension/ref-bib/horner-eng.asp.
2Canadians Saving for Their Future: A Secure Retirement – Final Report of the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce – October, 2010 – Page 20.
2. CPP/QPP
You’ve paid into it your whole working life and now it’s time to reap the benefits! But CPP/QPP was designed to replace approximately 25% of your earnings from employment during your retirement years. And it has a maximum. Not exactly enough to fund some fun in the sun, is it?
3. Pension income
Are you one of the lucky 38% of Canadians who will enjoy the financial benefits of an employee-sponsored pension plan when you retire? That would be a nice little boost to your retirement income, wouldn’t it? Or would it? These days even a company-sponsored pension plan may not be guaranteed, so it’s important that you take the lead in securing your own sources of retirement income.
Supplement your retirement income
Now that you know your savings, CPP and pension income may not be enough to fund the retirement of your dreams, you may want to consider a universal life (UL) insurance policy as an additional vehicle to help protect what you have today, while supplementing a more comfortable tomorrow. Talk to your advisor about how a universal life policy can provide you with a potential source of supplemental retirement income. What else can you do?
By overfunding your UL policy, you can provide yourself with Living Benefits. Living Benefits are a tax-free† and surrender charge-free benefit* that you fund yourself through savings within your UL policy and can be accessed if you incur an occupational disability, or a disability caused by one of 26 critical illnesses, including the need for long term care. Living Benefits are ideal in your retirement years since permanent critical illness insurance or disability insurance may be costly and hard to qualify for and may include features you do not need. For more information on Transamerica’s universal life products and Living Benefits, talk to your advisor today to discuss the full details of these features as outlined in your contract.
† Under the Income Tax Act (Canada) and at the date of publication of this website, the receipt of Living Benefits is not currently taxable. Transamerica does not guarantee nor is it responsible for the tax treatment applicable to this policy feature. Please consult your legal or tax advisor for an opinion on this matter in relation to your particular circumstances. *For information on what qualifies as a disability and for the determination of the benefit amount available to you, please refer to the contract provisions. Disabilities caused by pre-existing conditions do not qualify.
