Since their introduction in 1957 as an incentive to save for retirement, Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs) have evolved into the most popular savings vehicles in Canada. All too often, though, RRSP decisions are made in a panic to meet a deadline, with little or no planning or understanding of the effects of our actions.
Here are a few top strategies to help you get the most from your RRSP and retirement plans:
Investors who start saving at a young age automatically have one of the most powerful assets on their side: Time. To get ahead financially, young adults should beware of some of the most common pitfalls discussed below that can all too easily sabotage a financial success strategy.
A Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) 1 is a retirement plan that is registered with the federal government and that you or your spouse or common-law partner can establish and contribute into until the end of the year when the plan holder turns 71.
Deductible RRSP contributions can be used to reduce your tax. Any income you earn in the RRSP is exempt from tax for the time the funds remain in the plan. However, you generally have to pay tax when you cash in or receive payments from the plan.
Maureen, age 20, figures she can save $325 each month; or she can keep frittering it away at the mall. She lives with her parents and they think she should save it. Dad says, 'Put it into an RRSP and get a tax break as well.' Her friends think RRSPs are for old fogies and she doesn't need to start thinking about retirement savings until she's 30.
