043 | Your Retirement "Go-Go" Years Are Limited (Spend Them Wisely)

In episode 43 of Retirement Unpacked, Adam and Brett discuss the laddered income strategy and whether it makes sense to use inflation as your “ladder,” what your options are if your TFSA is maxed and you still have excess funds, whether RRSPs make sense if you have a pension, if you only need a cashflow wedge in the accounts you’re actually withdrawing from, and much more.Later in the episode, Paul Grenier joins to discuss a case study involving a couple who recently refinanced their mortgage, invested the proceeds in the markets, and are now looking at retiring early. The case looks at how shifting assumptions and expectations can impact the planning process, and why it’s important for both partners to be aligned and prepared before starting to plan for retirement.Chapters 0:00 Intro0:18 Can you let inflation 'ladder' your retirement spending?5:57 RRIF to non-registered strategy9:05 Maxed TFSA in retirement, where should excess funds go?14:20 Attribution rules when you have 2 spousal RRSPs18:06 Do RRSPs make sense if you have a pension?26:02 Does TFSA go to spouse if you list them as beneficiary?30:16 Can you partially convert your RRSP?35:37 Do you only need cashflow wedge in the accounts you're withdrawing from?41:19 Tax implications when passing on assets to next generation47:26 What does our retirement planning process look like?50:20 Expectations vs reality in retirement planning (case study)55:05 Will it ever make sense to defer OAS but not CPP?