Ferguson Financial Planning of CI Assante Wealth Management Ltd.

09/25/2026

Should you take CPP early if you do not need the money right away?
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The decision is not only about whether you need the income today. It can also involve taxes, longevity, future income needs, and the value of receiving a larger monthly benefit later.
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In our latest video, we look at the main factors to consider when deciding when to start CPP.
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Watch:

If you are 60, retired, and your portfolio already covers your spen...

09/18/2026

Would you take a $48,000-a-year pension for life, or a $750,000 lump sum you could invest yourself?
In our latest video, we stress-test both options for a couple facing this exact decision.
We look at taxes, locked-in funds, survivor income, inflation, and market risk together, not one at a time.
The bigger number is not always the better decision once those factors are added up.
Watch: https://youtu.be/X9Z7kbVjyiQ

09/11/2026

Are you five years from retirement and unsure what your advisor should already be raising with you?
The five years before retirement are when the small decisions start to matter most.
CPP and OAS timing, RRSP withdrawal order, and tax bracket planning all need lead time to get right.
In our latest video, we walk through what these conversations should look like well before your last day of work.
Watch: https://youtu.be/o1S1ecSeTUc

09/10/2026

A household can look balanced on paper while one spouse holds all the future tax exposure.

Canada taxes individuals, not households. If most pension income, RRSP or RRIF assets, or investment income sits with one spouse, the “combined” picture can hide a real concentration. It becomes most visible after the first death, when income that once spread across two returns compresses onto one.

Pension income splitting helps in some cases. It doesn't solve every imbalance.

Before assuming your household plan is balanced, ask: if one of us passed away first, whose return would most of this income land on?

If that hasn't been reviewed with real numbers, the link in my bio is where that conversation starts.

09/07/2026

Two people can want $10,000 a month in retirement and need very different portfolios to get there.

The difference usually comes down to income mix. CPP, OAS, and any workplace pension form a floor of guaranteed income, and the stronger that floor, the less your investments have to produce. A household without a pension may need a meaningfully larger portfolio for the exact same lifestyle.

The number that matters isn't your total spending target. It's the gap left after guaranteed income is subtracted.

Before comparing yourself to anyone else's “number,” ask: how much of my monthly target is already covered by CPP, OAS, or a pension, and what's genuinely left for my portfolio to fund?

Without a pension behind you, that gap is likely bigger than you think.

09/04/2026

How much cash is too much to keep sitting on the sidelines the year before you retire?
For many people approaching retirement, the instinct is to hold a large cushion of cash just in case.
But too much cash can quietly work against a portfolio that is still built for the long term.
In our latest video, we break down how to size a cash reserve around your actual spending gap, pension income, and known expenses, rather than a flat percentage rule.
Watch: https://youtu.be/iFCyXgL6f4M

09/03/2026

Low taxable income in early retirement doesn't always mean low long-term spending pressure.

A lifestyle can feel easy to fund when cash flow comes from accounts that don't create much taxable income: cash, TFSA withdrawals, non-registered principal. The real test comes later, when more of that same spending needs to be supported by CPP, OAS, and RRIF withdrawals that are fully taxable and no longer optional.

Early retirement spending is worth treating as a draft, not a permanent setting.

Before locking in a lifestyle, ask: if this spending continues after 71, what gross taxable income would the plan actually need to support it?

Check that before the pattern hardens, not after.

08/31/2026

Retirement income surprises are usually stacking problems, not single-account problems.

A pension, CPP, OAS, RRIF withdrawals, and non-registered income can each feel manageable individually. They don't arrive on separate returns, though. They land together, on the same line, in the same year.

The useful shift is moving from planning year to year for cash flow, to modelling what total taxable income looks like once every source is active at once.

Before your next withdrawal decision, ask: if every income source I expect were turned on today, what would my total taxable income actually be?

If you haven't added them all together yet, that's the number to check before defaulting to the easiest option.

08/30/2026

Is a strong portfolio and a reassuring projection the same thing as a retirement plan?

A portfolio can look solid on paper and still leave real questions unanswered.

Questions like how next year's spending gets funded, how taxes are coordinated between spouses, or what happens if one partner can no longer manage the finances.

A true Wealth Plan connects the portfolio to RRSP and RRIF decisions, CPP and OAS timing, account ownership, survivor planning, and estate documents.

Watch:

🗓️ Book a call to discuss your Retirement Strategy:https://www.fer...

08/27/2026

Your spending goal and your withdrawal target are not the same number.

A lot of retirement plans quietly under-deliver because the after-tax spending goal is clear, but the pre-tax amount needed to produce it gets ignored. $10,000 a month from a TFSA is $10,000 in your pocket. The same $10,000 from an RRIF is taxed on the way out, so the real withdrawal has to be higher.

Same lifestyle. Different gross requirement, depending entirely on which account funds it.

Before setting a withdrawal plan, ask: how much of my monthly spending is coming from a taxable account, and what does that mean for the actual amount I need to withdraw?

If your target is after-tax, check the source before you finalize the order.