Peter Drake, senior vice president of retirement and economic research at Fidelity Investments Canada, discusses the changing face of retirement and how longer lives and lower interest rates are creating challenges for investors.
Even though Canadian equities markets are highly concentrated in a few sectors - and small compared with other markets - many clients remain uneasy about investing outside of this country. But it's a conversation advisors need to have
Canadian clients who spend significant amounts of time outside the country every year risk losing their health benefits, as well as possibly facing negative tax consequences
Tax rules allow for inadvertent overcontributions to a client's RRSP, which can grow tax-free for decades. But there are strict limits on the amount - and anything in excess of that could generate substantial penalties
Clients worried about outliving their money can receive steady income, but these products are not all the same - some comparison shopping is recommended. And patience is key: The older the client, the bigger the payout
To offset inflation within an annuity, some insurers offer an indexing option, in which the payments that a client receives increase over time. But this option comes with the cost of considerably lower payments in the first few years of the contract
More Canadians are retiring with debt than ever before. Although this situation is not ideal, it can make sense for some clients - but only if they understand the issues they face
There are many errors that clients make while planning for their retirement. Many are related to their finances - including poor cash-flow planning and taking on too much debt - and stem from not being prepared emotionally for this phase
There are a plethora of fixed-income ETFs, ranging from index trackers to more specialized products, that offer benefits such as liquidity and low management fees for clients
Although bond funds can be unpredictable, and generally perform less well than equities, careful selection and an eye on factors such as interest rates and inflation or deflation can do much to balance a retirement portfolio