In print
and on the record.
A running collection of columns and feature pieces on retirement, decumulation, scenario-based planning, and the questions Canadians actually ask about money, published in the outlets that matter.
By Allan Norman · M.Sc. · CFP · CIM
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- MoneySenseSeptember 2026
The ripple effect of RRIF withdrawals
A reader whose first RRIF withdrawal pushed his tax bill higher than expected, and triggered CRA instalment payments, asks Allan about the ripple effects of mandatory RRIF withdrawals after age 71. Allan walks through why the withdrawal is taxed as ordinary income stacked on top of other income, how instalment payments work and how to avoid being caught off guard by them, and covers pension splitting, spousal RRSP contributions, and basing minimum withdrawals on a younger partner as ways couples can soften the impact. He also makes the case for not overreacting: RRSPs and RRIFs remain excellent vehicles despite the tax that eventually comes due.
- Financial PostAugust 2026
How to save taxes while converting your RRSP to a RRIF
A 71-year-old still working full-time writes in frustrated that the CRA forces his RRSP to convert to a RRIF the year he turns 71, triggering mandatory withdrawals and a tax bill on money he doesn't actually need yet. Allan walks through the RRIF conversion rules, how the required withdrawal factors have been eased over the years, and the case some are making to push the mandatory conversion age closer to 75. He also lays out practical ways someone still earning a paycheque at 71 can soften the tax hit from those forced withdrawals.
- MoneySenseJuly 2026
We're not wealthy. What can a financial planner do for us?
A 63-year-old reader and her 68-year-old husband, who is still working, write in wanting a 'state of the nation' overview of their finances and some clear direction on what to do next. Allan walks through why a thorough discovery meeting is the real starting point of any plan, then introduces scenario planning as a flight-simulator-style way to test different what-ifs, like retiring now versus later, before committing to one path. The piece is less about handing over a single answer and more about helping the couple find a direction they genuinely believe in.
- Financial PostJuly 2026
Hazel will have CPP and OAS. Should she also buy an annuity?
A 62-year-old retired woman with $531,400 spread across a RRSP, TFSA and LIRA, and no company pension, asks Allan whether she should buy an annuity to guarantee some of her income on top of CPP and OAS. Allan uses scenario planning to test her retirement, and points out that delaying CPP and OAS is itself a way to effectively buy a larger annuity, one already built into the government system. He weighs an annuity purchase against simply drawing down her portfolio, and looks at what it actually takes to make sure Hazel's income lasts as long as she does.
- Financial PostJuly 2026
Is Caesar, 37 and a renter, putting too much into retirement savings?
A 37-year-old renter with close to $1 million saved, split across a $400,000 RRSP, $150,000 TFSA, $135,000 in employee stock and a non-registered account, and earning $170,000 a year, asks Allan whether he is over-allocating to retirement savings at the expense of living today. Allan looks at what happens once that RRSP eventually converts to a RRIF, why managing which tax bracket the withdrawals land in matters years before the conversion, and how blending RRIF income with non-registered withdrawals can help hold down a future government benefit clawback. He also points to the advantage of drawing from several account types taxed differently rather than leaning on just one.
- Financial PostJune 2026
Should Peter put his dad's money mostly into fixed incomes?
A reader holding power of attorney for his 88-year-old father, who is comfortably covered by guaranteed retirement income and settled in assisted living, wonders whether $500,000 of his dad's savings should sit mostly in fixed income for safety since he doesn't currently need to spend it. Allan asks whether investing for growth instead might make more sense given the money isn't needed, and looks at gifting some of it now, while his father is alive, as a way to save tax and sidestep probate, along with what power of attorney actually allows an attorney to decide.
- MoneySenseJune 2026
Segregated funds are no tax panacea
A 69-year-old widow holding an $840,000 RRIF wonders whether switching it into segregated funds will spare her heirs the tax bill when she dies. Allan walks through how an RRSP or RRIF is actually taxed at death, unpacks what a segregated fund's insurance wrapper does and doesn't do, its death benefit and maturity guarantees, creditor protection, and probate bypass, and shows why the higher fees and trade-offs can leave heirs worse off unless the strategy is modelled first.
- MoneySenseApril 2026
Don't neglect financial planning's missing middle
A reader without a clear set of goals says two fee-only planning firms turned them away, unsure what to do with someone who couldn't yet answer what they wanted their money to do. Allan introduces scenario planning as the step both firms skipped, the bridge between gathering someone's numbers and handing them a solution, where a person tests different what-if paths around their living situation, lifestyle, family and career to see what's actually possible before settling on a goal worth planning toward.
- Financial PostApril 2026
How much should Gerry, in his 70s, have in equities, bonds and cash?
A retired couple in their late 70s with more than enough savings wonders whether to cash out of their blue-chip Canadian stocks and move everything into GICs for the sake of capital preservation. Allan looks at what equities and fixed income are each actually doing in a retirement portfolio, how much needs protecting for the next three to five years of income and near-term expenses, and why inflation makes an all-cash answer riskier than it feels, arguing the real question goes well beyond a standard risk tolerance questionnaire.
- MoneySenseMarch 2026
How can I plan to die with nothing?
A reader wants to know how to actually calculate spending their savings down to zero rather than leaving money unused. Allan works through Bill Perkins' Die with Zero philosophy, the idea of memory dividends from experiences enjoyed while you can still enjoy them, and giving to children and causes you care about now instead of only after you're gone, reframing the real risk in retirement as running out of time and health rather than running out of money.
- Financial PostMarch 2026
Are GICs enough to keep Silvia's nest egg going?
A 61-year-old single retiree holding roughly 80% of her portfolio in GICs and treasury bills asks whether that much safety is enough to keep her nest egg going for good. Allan weighs the inflation and purchasing-power risk of staying that conservative against the longevity risk of outliving her money, and looks at whether her government retirement income alone would be enough of a backstop, before laying out the trade-off between preserving capital and giving some of it room to grow.
- MoneySenseFebruary 2026
We're 10 years apart. Can we retire together?
A couple a decade apart in age, 63 and 53, want to know if they can retire together at the end of 2027. Allan models a range of return and spending scenarios, weighs the withdrawal restrictions that come with a LIF, and looks at downsizing and working a little longer as levers if the numbers come up short, with the caveat that the plan needs revisiting every year as circumstances change.
- Financial PostFebruary 2026
Woman worth about $4M is scared it won't be enough to retire
A 65-year-old single woman with close to $4 million spread across RRSPs, a TFSA, non-registered savings, rental properties and a private corporation still doubts it's enough to retire on. Allan and Julie Cazzin use her request for a second opinion to unpack what actually makes a financial plan trustworthy: working through it collaboratively, not skimping on the details, using realistic assumptions, and revisiting the numbers every year rather than treating a plan as a one-time exercise.
- MoneySenseJanuary 2026
Can I still use my FHSA after my spouse bought a condo?
A reader whose spouse already bought a condo wonders whether that purchase closes the door on their own FHSA. Allan walks through the CRA's separate first-time home buyer tests for opening an FHSA versus later withdrawing from one, why a spouse's ownership does not automatically disqualify a withdrawal, and the 30-day window for taking the money out tax-free after closing.
- MoneySenseJanuary 2026
If not bonds, then what?
A reader tired of lacklustre bond ETF returns asks whether there is a better place for the fixed-income sleeve of a balanced portfolio. Allan revisits what bonds are actually there to do, weighs their historical returns against the drawdown risk of leaning harder on equities, and looks at what the trade-off means for a retiree drawing income from the portfolio.
- Financial PostDecember 2025
Should couple's TFSAs, RRSPs and more be 90% equities?
A DIY couple, the husband 56 and his wife a decade younger, ask whether their largely all-equity TFSA, RRSP and non-registered accounts still make sense heading into retirement. Allan and Julie Cazzin work through account tax treatment, RRIF income splitting and government benefit clawback thresholds before touching the asset mix.
- Financial PostNovember 2025
What’s the best way to take money out of an RRSP when you’re close to retirement but still working?
While there are tax efficient ways to handle RRSPs and RRIFs, consider also behavioural issues of retirement spending.
- MoneySenseNovember 2025
Making the most of the pension tax credit
A reader asks whether converting a LIRA to a LIF before age 65 qualifies for the $2,000 pension tax credit — it doesn't, and Allan explains why the credit is worth only about $290 federally, while pension income splitting after 65 is often the more valuable strategy.
- MoneySenseNovember 2025
What’s more important: your wealth or your legacy?
A 77-year-old wonders whether to draw extra from his RRIF and LIF to fund TFSA contributions and maximize his estate for his son. Allan models gradual $15,000-a-year TFSA catch-up contributions kept below the OAS clawback threshold, lifting the after-tax estate to about $703,000 from $654,000.
- Financial PostOctober 2025
Laid off at 52, no pension and $250,000 in RRSPs. Is retirement a pipe dream?
There is hope, but act strategically to survive unemployment and set yourself up for catching up on retirement saving.
- MoneySenseOctober 2025
Taxes halved their inheritance. Could anything be done?
After both parents died unexpectedly, taxes took $659,000 of an Ontario family's estate. Allan explains why little can be done after a sudden death — and how life insurance can give children tax-free cash to cover estate taxes without forcing a rushed property sale.
- MoneySenseSeptember 2025
I inherited my husband’s TFSA. Does that affect my contribution room?
Rolina inherited her late husband's TFSA and worries it reduced her own contribution room. Allan explains that an exempt-contribution rollover has no impact on her future room, and shows how to confirm it through CRA My Account.
- Financial PostSeptember 2025
How can I reduce taxes on my estate so my children inherit more?
One strategy is to give your kids money before you die. Here are more tips.
- Financial PostSeptember 2025
Does it make sense to use my home equity for borrowing and investing?
Leveraging is risky and not for everyone, but it is a worthy strategy for some people.
Showing 24 of 226 articles
Most articles start with a real question.
If something here sparks a question about your own retirement, decumulation, or planning situation, that's the conversation we should be having.
