The Real Retirement

In the face of government changes, financial market volatility, and an aging workforce, Canadians are understandably concerned about the impact on their finances and their future retirement. This reassuring book debunks the generally-accepted claims about necessary savings rates, which can cause paranoia among those beginning to contemplate retirement. The authors offer greater insight into planning approaches that are not widely understood, demystifies retirement targets (age, savings, income), and outlines concrete approaches to maximizing retirement savings.

• Offers practical advice for dealing with the changes to Canada's retirement system
• Includes advice for calculating your Neutral Retirement Income Target
• Contains solid financial advice in accessible language
• Written by the Executive Chairman and Chief Actuary of Morneau Shepell Canada's national actuarial consulting firm

The Real Retirement offers a down-to-earth guide for preparing for comfortable retirement and shows what it takes to achieve it.

Preface xi

Chapter 1: Crisis? What Crisis? 1

Chapter 2: Understanding the Foundation—Pensions 13

Chapter 3: Understanding the Foundation—Health Care 31

Chapter 4: Our Best Days are Behind Us 43

Chapter 5: When Can We Retire? 55

Chapter 6: How Workers Will Respond 65

Chapter 7: Deciding When to Retire 75

Chapter 8: The Three Phases of Retirement 85

Chapter 9: We are Better Prepared than We Thought 93

Chapter 10: Your Retirement Income Target—Why You Don’t Need 70 Per Cent 103

Chapter 11: The Neutral Retirement Income Target 115

Chapter 12: Arriving at Your Own Retirement Income Target 127

Chapter 13: Investment Basics 135

Chapter 14: Managing Your Portfolio 153

Chapter 15: Your Expected Return 165

Chapter 16: Choosing Your Savings Vehicle 173

Chapter 17: Should You Buy an Annuity? 185

Chapter 18: When You Can No Longer Cope on Your Own 193

Chapter 19: Tackling the Big Unknowns 201

Chapter 20: Ending on an Optimistic Note 211

Appendix A: Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 Benefits 219

Appendix B: Income by Source 223

Appendix C: NRIT Charts 225

Appendix D: A Guide to Retirement Programs in Canada 231

Glossary 241

Endnotes 253

Acknowledgements 257

About the Authors 259

Index 261

Fred Vettese has been Chief Actuary of Morneau Shepell for the past 21 years; has over 30 years of experience with national actuarial consulting firms; and is editor of, and primary contributor to, Morneau Shepell's newsletter, Vision. He has written op-eds for the National Post and Globe and Mail and is frequently quoted in both newspapers. He has appeared on various radio programs including CBC's The Current. He has written many pension articles for other journals, speaks regularly at national conferences such as the Conference Board of Canada, and is a member of the C.D. Howe Pension Policy Board.

Bill Morneau is Executive Chairman of Morneau Shepell. Under his leadership, the firm has grown from 150 to 2,500 employees. He is actively engaged with clients across the entire spectrum of Canadian business and government in their pension and benefit management. He sits on, and is chair of, several boards, including St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, the C.D. Howe Institute, AGF Management Ltd. and AGF Trust Company. He holds a B.A. from the University of Western Ontario, an M.Sc. (Econ.) from the London School of Economics, and an M.B.A. from INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France.

Praise for The Real Retirement

"An important contribution and sound analysis. Of fundamental importance to all Canadians, but most importantly for the growing numbers contemplating their retirement and the uncertainty of their financial well-being – they're richer than they think!"
– Rick Waugh, President and Chief Executive Officer, Scotiabank

"Fred Vettese and Bill Morneau are experts in the field of retirement, who express some very thoughtful views and advice, based on extensive research and analysis, in a friendly, easily- readable manner. While my personal view is that it is better to save more than less because of uncertainty, and because the consequences of 'running out' are so severe, Bill and Fred offer a calm voice of reason and hope for those who start early with a disciplined program of saving/investing for retirement. A voice of reason in a noisy subject area."
– Donald Guloien, President and Chief Executive Officer, Manulife Financial

"Hold the doom and gloom. This book realistically catalogues all the challenges to saving for retirement and yet ends up leaving you feeling encouraged."
– Rob Carrick, Personal Finance Columnist, The Globe and Mail

"At last, there's good news for retirement savers. You don't need to replace 70 per cent of your pre-retirement income, as the financial services industry tells you. The authors take a close look at the numbers, add a large helping of realism and conclude that the true retirement income target is closer to 50 per cent."
– Ellen Roseman, Personal Finance Columnist, Toronto Star, and University of Toronto Instructor, Continuing Education

In the face of dwindling pension benefits and an aging workforce, there is a widespread perception that Canadians are heading toward a retirement crisis. The Real Retirement explains that these fears are overblown as most of us have overestimated how much we need to save for retirement. The good news is that if Canadians take the time to plan properly, most will be just fine, and many may actually be better off in retirement than they were during their working lives. Written by the Executive Chairman and the Chief Actuary of Morneau Shepell—Canada's leading retirement consulting and administration firm—The Real Retirement reveals the forces at play, explains how to set realistic retirement goals, and offers concrete ways to achieve a comfortable retirement.