Should a divorced mother with little savings prioritize RRSPs over other savings strategies?

A recently divorced woman aged 48 in Montreal, who earns a strong salary and owns her home outright, asks how to split her monthly savings between retirement and her son's education when she has little else saved. For the education goal, Allan points to a registered education savings plan, since government grants may be available while the child is young enough to qualify. For retirement, he questions the standard order of RRSP first, TFSA second and taxable account third. He models each approach under the same assumptions, once with the RRSP tax refund reinvested and once with it spent. The results may differ a great deal depending on that single habit, because each account type is taxed differently on the way out. He closes by asking her to be honest about how she would actually behave, and suggests a conversation with a planner to build a plan that fits.