The key to making your plan as sustainable and tax-efficient as possible lies in understanding how you want to use your savings and how much you can afford to withdraw each year.
Fortunately, your IG Living Plan™ is designed to help you forecast:
1. How much income you will need in retirement
2. How much will be funded by government and private pension sources
3. How much you can withdraw from your registered and non-registered investments to cover shortfalls
4. How much you’ll be able to leave as part of your plan to share your wealth with your heirs
How you use your retirement savings
Assuming you have made provisions for your loved ones through your estate plan and for any causes you hold dear through charitable giving plans, managing your retirement funds comes down to how you want to use them. Here are some options to consider:
Plan to preserve all your money and live on the income only
If you enter retirement with substantial savings and multiple income streams you may be able to live on the income generated by your investments and never have to access the capital. This option results in the opportunity to leave a healthy bequest to heirs, charities, and groups you support.
Plan to spend some of your retirement funds
You may decide that you are comfortable living off the income from your investments while you draw some of the capital. In this case, you need to estimate how much you can withdraw taking into account limits that apply to Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF) withdrawals and your expected tax rate. You also need to ensure that any capital withdrawals are done in sustainable manner to ensure your funds last your lifetime and still meet your estate objectives.
Plan to spend most of your retirement funds
You may be comfortable depleting most of your retirement savings by a certain age. How long you need your money to last depends on your life expectancy (something you can’t estimate) and the percentage you withdraw each year. The chart below demonstrates the principle.
Whatever your plan, the amount that you allocate to retirement income can last a lifetime when it’s invested well and withdrawn in a sustainable, tax-effective way. Regardless of how much you have saved, making it last comes down to keeping your annual withdrawals at the right level. As part of your plan, you may also want to consider the use of life insurance to preserve or create an estate, allowing you to possibly access more capital during your retirement years knowing this part of the overall plan is covered.
Understanding your withdrawal rate
The amount you withdraw from your retirement savings each year affects how long the capital will last. This chart shows the effects of various withdrawal rates[1] on a moderate portfolio since 1970, a time marked by a severe market downturn, substantial inflation and then a really good market run with high returns.
Source: IG Wealth Management
As you can see, investors who withdrew only 4%-5% percent of their savings annually actually managed to grow their assets while enjoying a predictable income for 45 years. Investors who chose a more aggressive withdrawal rate of 8% saw their retirement savings depleted in approximately 17 years. Your optimal withdrawal rate will depend on several factors, including the rate of return, your tax rate, and whether you want to spend most, some or none of your total retirement savings.
Regardless of how you plan to optimize your retirement savings, now is the time to work with an IG Consultant who can help you synchronize all the dimensions of your financial plan to forecast your retirement needs and determine how much you can afford to pay yourself in retirement.
[1] Illustration is based on holding a portfolio of: 30% S&P/TSX Composite TF, 15% S&P 500 TR $C, 15% MSCI EAFE (Net) $C, and 40% FTSE TMX Canada Universe TR. Returns for FTSE TMS Canada Universe Index are back-filled using FTSE TMX Canada Long Term TR Bond Index for 01/01/1970 to 12/31/1979. The graph shows the movement of a $500,000 investment in the portfolio starting on 10/01/1970. Monthly withdrawals (which occur at the end of the month) are calculated based on a percentage (the annual withdrawal rate) of the beginning account value, increasing by a 2% inflation rate each year. Portfolio returns are calculated net of a 2.50% annual MER.
