Retirement - My Own Advisor

Save like this, retire like that – My story about early retirement in style

Posted on September 7, 2015 by Mark | 70 Comments

For a few years now, I’ve been inspired by early retirement. We’re certainly not there yet but we’re starting on a good path. Using this site as my guide to document our financial freedom journey I’ve been fortunate to meet…

Seven tips to build a fat RRSP nest egg

Posted on August 16, 2015 by Mark | 18 Comments

Seven tips to build a fat RRSP nest egg We’ve all heard it before. The biggest enemy to your financial future is you. This of course is true. I’ve learned to appreciate this fact more than fiction because of my…

Lacking consensus on retirement withdrawal strategies

Posted on July 28, 2015 by Mark | 123 Comments

Lacking consensus on retirement withdrawal strategies If you think you’re confused about how best to accumulate assets for your financial future you haven’t seen anything yet. What might be some good retirement withdrawal strategies? How different is asset accumulation vs.…

Why living off your dividends or distributions works

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Mark | 88 Comments

Why living off your dividends or distributions works There. I said it. Well, I wrote it. I think living off the dividends or distributions your investments spin off is a decent start to retirement planning but certainly not everything. This…

Income Needs and Wants in Retirement

Posted on January 25, 2015 by Mark | 53 Comments

Income Needs and Wants in Retirement Some time ago on this site I wrote one of the biggest retirement questions is: how much is enough? What might be our income sources, needs and wants in retirement? The answer to such…

Cash Wedge and Opening the Investment Taps

Posted on November 9, 2014 by Mark | 23 Comments

Cash Wedge and Opening the Investment Taps The way I see it, most retirees will need to withdraw capital from their investment portfolios and take advantage of government programs like the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Old Age Security (OAS)…

Does life insurance for seniors make sense?

Posted on June 29, 2014 by Mark | 20 Comments

Does life insurance for seniors make sense? After I read this question myself, my immediate answer was “no way”. I don’t think life insurance for seniors makes much sense. Maybe that was narrow-minded and too blunt. So, I’m willing to…

Mandatory Withdrawals – RRIF 101

Posted on March 4, 2014 by Mark | 41 Comments

Mandatory Withdrawals – RRIF 101 Mandatory account withdrawals – sounds fierce but that’s what a Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF) is partly about. This is my favourite definition for a RRIF: it’s like a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) in…

Do you really need $1 million to retire well? Of course you do.

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Mark | 96 Comments

Do you really need $1 million to retire well? Of course you do. I read an article in The Globe and Mail that reminded me most experts say you need approximately 75% (or more) of your current salary to maintain…

Consider what you spend for your enough number

Posted on September 2, 2013 by Mark | 27 Comments

Consider what you spend for your enough number Earlier this year, I wrote one of the biggest retirement questions and potentially one of the most frequently asked retirement questions is “How much is enough”? The answer to this question at…