The great resignation is being talked about by people around the world. Not only are baby boomers retiring, but many people who have suffered from pandemic burnout are also changing their positions, selling their businesses and moving on to follow their passions. However, having invested time and energy into our positions, organizations and companies, we…
The Bradshaw Report attempted to look at the working conditions and benefits levels in non-profits
The recent death of former federal cabinet minister, and community activist, Claudette Bradshaw provides us with the opportunity to re-examine one of the very rare attempts at looking at the working conditions and benefits levels in the non-profit sector in New Brunswick. The Bradshaw report is a forgotten legacy left to the people of New…
You need to increase profitability, get the business to run without you, start planning and be creative
Forty-one per cent of businesses in North America are owned by baby boomers between 55 and 75 years old. These people are actively thinking about retirement and how they will get their money out of the business. Research shows that, in many cases, up to 90 per cent of a business owners’ equity is tied…
Innovative, low-cost features that make it easier for homeowners to maintain their independence over the long term
What does a home look like for someone who wants to stay there as they grow older? It’s a question that a University of Alberta researcher and an Edmonton-based homebuilder are tackling through innovative design. Collaborating with Effect Home Builders and using evidence-based research, doctoral candidate Lara Pinchbeck is helping identify meaningful features that can help design forever…
Organizations in Canada will face shortages of skilled workers if they don’t find ways to keep retiring ones working longer, according to a University of Alberta gerontology researcher. Donna Wilson also says early retirement isn’t necessarily the pathway to happiness people think it is. “Most people are at the top of their game when they…
When it comes to how and how much workers should save for retirement, the federal government doesn’t know better than Canadians themselves
As the calendar flipped to 2020, the federal government again made the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) tax more expensive, even though CPP doesn’t help the economy or workers. The combined employee and employer contribution rate has risen from 10.2 per cent in 2019 to 10.5 per cent this year, while the maximum taxable amount (but…
Part 2 of the retirement dilemma: city mouse or country mouse? It's time to put an end to urban living
We began to embrace country life in 2004 when we bought recreational property at the north end of the Sunshine Coast, two ferry rides and about 100 km of driving up-coast from Vancouver. Still living in Calgary, we knew it was time to start planning for retirement and the post-work world. Our 24 acres fronts…
Part 1: Defining the attributes of your successful retirement community
Who says you have to go on living in the same location when you retire? The choice is yours. City or country retirement is ultimately a personal decision. But it draws significantly on your prior life, and the skills and personal attributes you can bring to the retirement community you choose. How you retire is…
If you build up the money in your TFSA while you’re working, you can draw from it tax-free any time
K.M. wrote to ask if she should stop making registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) contributions and instead focus on her tax-free savings account (TFSA). With a little personal information from K.M., we decided it would be best for her to focus on her TFSA. Here’s why: K.M. works in a job she’s likely to leave…
One of the real pluses of being an Empty Nester is that you are no longer on view as a role model 24/7
Free at last, free at last! The children have grown up and moved away, your house is your own to do with what you will and your schedule is now open to anything you wish to pursue. So why are you so divided in your feelings? Empty Nest syndrome hits when your daughter or son…