Your retirement is approaching. It's time for it to take shape.
Over the next 5 to 10 years, you will transition from accumulating to paying out. This pivot changes everything: your investments, your taxes, your protection, your estate planning. We support you through the most significant transition of your financial life.
What we are planning for you
Something we often hear in a first meeting
I have RRSPs, TFSAs, some real estate, an old pension from a former employer… and no idea how it all fits together.
You have accumulated wealth over 30 years through various jobs, institutions, and advisors. The result: a scattered portfolio, lacking an overall vision, where no one has the overall responsibility to ensure you land on the right foot.
Scattered heritageDo I really have enough?
The central question. You've saved, you've been disciplined, but deep down you don't know if you can truly afford the retirement you envision—or for how long. Uncertainty is uncomfortable, especially as the horizon draws near.
UncertaintyI don't want to make a mistake now.
In your 30s and 40s, a strategic mistake could be corrected. Five years from retirement, however, the room for maneuver shrinks. A poor tax decision, an ill-timed withdrawal sequence, a lack of protection at the wrong time—and five years of stress are added to your planning.
Shrunken marginI think about retirement, but also about my children, my aging parents, about what will be left.
Pre-retirement isn't just about money for you. It's a period of emotional transition where concerns multiply: longevity, health, helping adult children, caring for parents, legacy, and the meaning of this new phase of life.
Life transitionThe right plan at the right time — because early retirement is not something you can replay.
The 5-10 year period before retirement is the richest in strategic opportunities. This is when good decisions have the greatest impact.
Rigid retirement projection
How much do you have? How much do you need? For how many years? We build a detailed 30-35 year projection that answers the real question: when can you stop working, and under what conditions? With scenarios (optimistic, realistic, conservative) so you can make an informed choice.
Tax-optimized disbursement strategy
In what order should you withdraw your money?RRSP, TFSA, unregistered(pension, QPP, OAS, real estate)? When to convert your RRSP to a RRIF? When to claim your QPP (60, 65, 70)? Every decision has tax consequences for 20-30 years, and they are made before retirement, not after.
Consolidation and simplification
Multiple RRSPs at different institutions, an old pension from a former employer, TFSAs scattered everywhere: we consolidate what needs to be consolidated, simplify management, and give you a clear view of what you actually own.
Portfolio repositioning
The investment strategy of someone who has been saving for 30 years is not the same as that of someone who will soon be making withdrawals for 30 years. We gradually adjust the portfolio to manage the risk of a return sequence—the most underestimated risk of pre-retirement.
Protection adapted to this phase
Your life and disability insurance policies from the past few decades may no longer be relevant. But other forms of protection are becoming so: long-term care insuranceSerious illness, will revision, protection mandate, estate planning. We adapt the coverage to your new phase of life.
Estate planning and bequests
What you want to pass on, to whom, and how. Testamentary trust, strategic charitable giving, life insurance as a legacy tool, fairness between children: we help you clarify your intentions and implement them in a fiscally efficient way.
How we work together
Introductory meeting — free of charge, no obligation
A conversation to understand where you are, what you want, and what's on your mind. You'll leave with a clearer picture of your situation.
Complete financial statement
We gather and analyze your entire estate: investments, pensions, real estate, company (if applicable), debts, insurance policies, and estate planning documents. For perhaps the first time, you see everything in one place.
Retirement projections and strategic plan
Detailed modeling of your retirement over 30-35 years with different scenarios. Concrete recommendations on final accumulation, retirement timing, withdrawal sequence and protection.
Coordination with your other professionals
Accountant, notary, tax specialist: we work with them to ensure that your retirement strategy, will and tax planning are perfectly aligned.
Support during the transition
The 5 to 10 years before retirement are active. We adjust the strategy each year and support you in key decisions: pension buyback, property sale, business sale, starting the QPP, RRSP conversion.
Concrete results for real pre-retirees
A couple in their late fifties, he an engineer with a defined benefit pension, she self-employed with an RRSP/TFSA. Combined assets of $1,9 million. Never made formal projections. Anxiety: do we have enough to live 30 years without compromising our financial stability?
35-year projection incorporating defined benefit pension, RRSP, TFSA, QPP, OAS. Scenario analysis at ages 62, 65, and 67. Coordinated withdrawal between spouses. Portfolio repositioning for sequence risk.
A 58-year-old divorced technology executive with $2,4 million spread across four employers, three institutions, and several advisors. She has a pre-divorce will. Her needs: to simplify, protect, and plan.
Consolidation of RRSP/TFSA under a strategy, rediscovery of a forgotten old pension, portfolio overhaul, will update with notary, structured philanthropic strategy.
Owner of a small service company, 61 years old, planned to sell for $2,5 million in 5 years. His entire retirement plan depended on this sale. No safety net if the price were lower, later, or never.
Separation of "my retirement" vs. "selling." Acceleration of corporate withdrawals, maximization of RRSP/TFSA contributions, implementation of a private investment account generating $250,000 in independent assets. Coordination between the tax advisor and the general manager.
The results presented are examples based on typical situations. Each case is unique and results may vary depending on your personal circumstances.
Answers for pre-retirees
Ideally, 10 years in advance. Certainly at least 5 years in advance. The earlier you start, the more tax and withdrawal strategies can work. Two years before retirement, you optimize—but the major decisions have already been made.
Often yes, but not always. We analyze the fee structure, investment options, grandfathering rights, and ease of management before recommending consolidation. The goal isn't to bring everything back to us—it's to simplify your financial life and optimize your overall strategy.
The answer varies depending on your health, other income, spouse, and time horizon. Applying at 60 (with a reduction) may be optimal for some; deferring to 70 (with a bonus) for others. We model your specific situation rather than applying a general rule.
Managing a portfolio and planning for retirement are not the same skills. Many people nearing retirement have an excellent portfolio manager but have never done any real retirement planning. This is often where we make the biggest difference.
No, but let's be honest: options are more limited 5 years from retirement than they are 20 years from. We make a realistic projection, and we work together to adjust either the retirement date, the anticipated lifestyle, or the savings strategy. The truth, however uncomfortable, is better than a false sense of security.
Your retirement should not be uncertain.
A first conversation, free of charge and without obligation, to see where you are — really — and what remains to be done in the time you have left before retirement.