Pre-retirement planning seminar in Whitecourt

By Rechell McDonald
Many people don’t start actively planning for retirement until well into their thirties, when they realize that they’ve waited too long. It’s not uncommon. A great deal of us rely on RRSP programs run by our employers, or we assume that our Canadian Pension Plan (CPP) and Old Age Security (OAS) benefits will be enough to sustain us – but will they really?
It’s easy to sit back and hope that a work-organized RRSP will be enough in the end, and that our CPP and OAS will cover the difference – but it’s not that easy. The truth is that we should all be actively planning for our retirement on our own time, beginning when you secure your first ‘real’ job. Opening and managing your own RRSPs or a tax-free savings account is important. The truth is that CPP and OAS are significantly small monthly sums that, in most cases, are not enough to live on.
Pre-retirement planning doesn’t have to wait until you are in your 40s or 50s; it should start right now. On June 25 there will be a free pre-retirement workshop at the Forest Interpretive Centre, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. A Service Canada representative will also be on hand to answer any questions you may have regarding these government programs.