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Retirement planning for Canadians

Retirement planning for Canadians, with both countries in view.

RRSPs and RRIFs, CPP and OAS, the TFSA, and any U.S. accounts you’re carrying — brought into one plan built around your life in Canada, and ready for the border if it ever matters.

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The basics

Retirement planning, built for Canadians.

Most retirement advice assumes a single, simple Canadian picture: contribute to your RRSP, retire, draw it down. Real Canadian retirements are rarely that tidy. You may be weighing when to convert your RRSP to a RRIF, when to start CPP and OAS, how to use — or avoid — the TFSA, and what to do with a 401(k) or IRA left behind from years working in the United States.

We build retirement plans for Canadians that pull all of those pieces into one coordinated income plan: tax-efficient, paced for the decades retirement now lasts, and aware of the cross-border details that trip people up. As a fee-only, fiduciary firm, we never sell products or take commissions — the plan is the only thing we’re selling.

And if your retirement might cross the border — wintering south, or moving to the U.S. one day — we plan for that from the start. For households living squarely between the two countries, our cross-border retirement planning goes a layer deeper.

What we coordinate

Every piece of a Canadian retirement, pulling together.

RRSP & RRIF strategy

When and how to convert your RRSP, and the withdrawal order that keeps more of it working for you.

CPP & OAS timing

Deciding when to start each benefit — a choice that can move your lifetime income meaningfully.

TFSA — including the U.S. trap

Using the TFSA well, and knowing when U.S. citizenship turns it from tax-free into a reporting headache.

U.S. accounts left behind

401(k), IRA, and Roth balances from time in the States — held, drawn, and reported correctly from Canada.

Tax-efficient withdrawal order

Sequencing registered, non-registered, and government income to smooth tax across your whole retirement.

OAS clawback management

Structuring income so the OAS recovery tax takes as little of your benefit as possible.

Canadian retirement check

Where does your plan stand?

Six quick questions to surface the decisions Canadian retirees most often leave on the table — an educational starting point, not tax advice.

1. Do you have an RRSP and are within a few years of age 71?
2. Have you decided when to start CPP and OAS?
3. Are you a U.S. citizen or green-card holder living in Canada?
4. Do you still hold a U.S. 401(k), IRA, or Roth?
5. Could your retirement income be high enough to trigger the OAS clawback?
6. Might you move to the U.S. (or elsewhere) in retirement?
Answer the six questions and we’ll flag the Canadian retirement decisions worth your attention — and what looks well in hand. →
Your Canadian retirement check

Here’s what we found

    Talk it through with us →

    Educational only — a general flag of common Canadian retirement issues, not tax, legal, or investment advice. Account rules, benefit ages, and the OAS clawback turn on your specific income, residency, and the year’s thresholds.

    Who this is for

    Retirements we plan every week.

    • Canadians within 5–10 years of retirement who want a real income plan
    • RRSP holders approaching age 71 and the mandatory RRIF conversion
    • Dual citizens and U.S. green-card holders living in Canada
    • Canadians who worked in the U.S. and still hold 401(k)s, IRAs, or Roths
    • Snowbirds splitting the year between Canada and the U.S.
    • Anyone who may eventually retire outside Canada
    Good to know

    Canadian retirement questions, answered plainly.

    When do I have to convert my RRSP to a RRIF?
    By December 31 of the year you turn 71, an RRSP must be converted to a RRIF (or used to buy an annuity) — otherwise it can be fully taxed. The bigger question is how to do it: the conversion, the minimum-withdrawal schedule, and the order you draw your accounts all shape your lifetime tax bill. We plan that well before the deadline.
    When should I start CPP and OAS?
    CPP can begin anywhere from 60 to 70, and OAS from 65 to 70 — and the longer you wait, the larger the monthly benefit. The right age depends on your other income, health, and how long you expect to draw on it. We model the options so the decision is made on numbers, not guesswork.
    I’m a Canadian with U.S. citizenship — is my TFSA a problem?
    Often, yes. A TFSA is tax-free to the CRA, but the IRS doesn’t recognize it — so for U.S. citizens and green-card holders it can create U.S. tax and onerous reporting that erase the benefit. We help you decide whether to use one at all, and how to hold the rest of your savings instead.
    What happens to my U.S. 401(k) or IRA now that I live in Canada?
    In most cases these accounts can stay invested and continue to grow — the Canada–U.S. treaty generally lets them keep their tax-deferred status. What matters is coordinating withdrawals, currency, and reporting on both returns so you aren’t taxed twice or surprised at withdrawal time.
    Will the OAS clawback affect me?
    The OAS recovery tax (“clawback”) reduces your OAS once income passes an annual threshold. Whether it hits you depends on your total income — and the order in which you draw RRIFs, pensions, and other sources can keep more of your OAS in your pocket. (Note: the clawback doesn’t apply to OAS recipients who are U.S. residents.)
    What if I retire to the U.S. or elsewhere later on?
    Leaving Canada can trigger a departure tax — a deemed disposition that treats much of what you own as sold the day you go. With planning before the move, you can manage the timing, decide what to do with registered accounts, and avoid an unnecessary tax bill. The earlier we look at it, the more options you have.
    Ready to put a real plan behind your retirement?
    A free, no-obligation conversation — fee-only and fiduciary, always.
    Book a free call →