When and how should I start drawing on my retirement savings?

Mary asks a question many people circle for years: when should she start drawing down her registered savings, and how. Allan's answer is that there is no single right time, because the best schedule depends on what she is trying to accomplish. If the goal is to maximize her own wealth over a long life, deferring withdrawals and leaning on the minimums tends to win, since the money keeps growing tax-deferred. If the goal is to leave as much as possible behind, the math can flip: drawing earlier and moving the surplus into a TFSA shelters more from tax at death and can grow the estate. The piece lays out those competing paths side by side, which makes it a useful read for anyone who has to decide what their retirement money is really for before deciding when to touch it.