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Is this couple on track to leave their 3 kids an inheritance?

Featured writing by Allan Norman · M.Sc. · CFP · CIM

The Short Version

A retired couple in their late fifties and early sixties, both with defined-benefit pensions and a paid-off home, want to know whether they are on track to leave each of their three children a sizable inheritance. Allan approaches it the way a planner would: tallying their net worth, backing out their real annual spending from income, and projecting how their assets are likely to evolve over the decades ahead under reasonable assumptions. The exercise does more than answer yes or no; it surfaces ways to be more tax-efficient along the way, particularly in how they use their TFSAs and sequence withdrawals from different account types. It is most relevant to middle-class couples with pension income and a debt-free home who are comfortable today but want reassurance that their legacy goals are realistic, and a sense of the small adjustments that can make the plan work better.

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