The Retirement Income System In Canada

Get the Most Out of Your Canadian Government Pension! Are you getting everything you can from the government? The public pension system is complex and often changes, which means many people are not claiming money that they’re entitled to. Could you use more money to pay your bills? Do you know all of your options for maximizing your pension? Many people missed out on government pensions because they failed to take action to maximize their benefits. Read this book to make sure you’re not missing out on benefits that could help you pay your bills. Did you know? * Government pensions are not automatic. You have to apply for it. * You do not have to stop working to receive your government pension. * You may be eligible for government pensions from Canada even if you are living abroad and have never worked in Canada. * You may have to pay back part or all of your Old Age Security pension if your annual income is higher than a certain level. It is also known as the OAS clawback. * Many people missed out on government pensions because they failed to take action to minimize the clawback. * You can minimize the clawback, maximize your pension, and save taxes by following a few simple and proven strategies. This book was written to help you get the most out of your government pensions. Inside you'll find everything you need to know about Canada's public pension system and the actions and strategies that you can take to reduce the clawback on your OAS pension. Specifically, you will learn: * What benefits are offered, how to qualify, and how to apply for it. * Why it is important to have an RRSP withdrawal strategy. * Why it is important to have a tax-efficient investment strategy. * How you can minimize the clawback, maximize your pension, and save taxes by following a few simple and proven strategies. Read this book and start getting the money you deserve!

This paper revisits trends in the level and distribution of income among Canadian seniors in the context of what is arguably the major source of change in these trends since the end of the seventies, the maturation of Canada's public and private earnings-related pension systems. The expanded role of earnings-related pensions in the 1980s and 1990s is largely the result of changes that occurred in the 1950s and 1960s. The Canada and Quebec Pension Plans (C/QPP) were implemented in 1966 and the first cohort to receive full C/QPP benefits turned 65 in 1976. Cohorts retiring after this period were also the beneficiaries of the expansion of private occupational pensions that took place between the 1950s and the 1970s. The author relies on a detailed decomposition of income by source to show that not only did the maturation of these earnings-related programs produce a substantial increase in average real incomes but also to a substantial reduction in income inequality among the elderly, due mainly to C/QPP benefits. Rising real incomes went disproportionately to lower income seniors contributing to the well-known decline in low-income rates among the elderly.

The first level: Income Security Programs -- The second level: the Canada and Quebec Pension Plans -- The third level: occupational pension plans -- Registered Retirement Savings Plans -- Appendix A: the retirement income system -- Appendix B: tax breaks for seniors.

The retirement income system has been hailed as one of the great successes of Canadian social policy. However, contemporary pressures have generated a vigorous debate about the way ahead. Fundamental reforms are being proposed and Canadians face important choices.