
Episode #71
Pension vs. RRSP at 75: Which One Saves You More Money?
In this episode of AskTMFG, Carlo Cansino compares two common retirement income profiles at age 75: a retiree with a $60,000 a year indexed defined benefit pension, and a retiree holding $900,000 in an RRSP. The RRSP balance appears larger on paper, but a closer look at the tax treatment of each reveals a more nuanced picture. Both retirees start at 65 with the same CPP and OAS baseline, but their income paths diverge fast. The pension grows only with inflation, reaching $73,140 by 75. The RRSP, converted to a RRIF, faces mandatory minimum withdrawals that climb every year regardless of market performance, forcing out roughly $69,000 at age 75 alone. In year one, the RRIF holder actually shows less taxable income than the pension holder, and both retirees cross the 2026 OAS clawback threshold, with the pension giving back more in that single year. But the real risk isn't the annual grind, it's what happens at death. Carlo walks through how a RIF balance is fully taxed in the year of death with no spreading out, potentially creating a tax bill between $400,000 and $510,000 on an account that grew to nearly $950,000. A pension simply stops or drops to a survivor benefit, with no lump sum for the CRA to claim. He closes with the planning levers that matter most: naming a successor annuitant or beneficiary on the RIF, drawing down the RRSP earlier between ages 60 and 71, and using permanent life insurance to offset the eventual tax hit. Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/xwWVMDdQ1_c Question for our listeners: Which would you rather be holding at 75, the pension or the RRSP? Complimentary portfolio analysis: https://tmfg.ca/portfolio-analysis/ Follow us: LinkedIn: The McClelland Financial Group Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tmfg.ca Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themcclellandfinancialgroup_/

