Retirement Planning

Powering Up Your Retirement Years

You've worked hard to amass your wealth. And as you embark on this new stage of life, the last thing that you want on your mind is the management of your finances. By creating a wealth management plan that corresponds to your new life, you can get yourself retirement ready and free up more of your time.

Creating Retirement Income

One of the most important decisions you'll have to make is how to transition your Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) into an income stream. There are a number of ways to put your RRSP to work during retirement. The money you accumulated during your years of saving and investing is converted to a vehicle that provides you with income. Instead of making contributions, you will rely on withdrawals from your nest egg to subsidize your retirement expenses.

A Unique Investment Solution

Over the years as your portfolio has grown, so has the time and attention to monitor it. Whether you're looking to assign all portfolio management responsibilities to an expert, benefit from advice while maintaining control and eliminating transaction fees, or combine your investing and banking in one, we have a solution to suit your unique needs.

Use our Find An AdvisorOpens a new window in your browser. tool to locate a CIBC Wood Gundy Investment Advisor who can provide you with one to one expertise in all aspects of your financial life. Together, you can find solutions that will help you have the retirement that you have dreamed of.

Financial Planning Solutions

Securing Your Future

A financial plan can provide you and your family with the peace of mind that comes from knowing that you have not only given thought to your future, but have begun to build the path towards it.

We are living longer, healthier and more productive lives. As a result, you can now expect to spend one-third of your lifetime in retirement. Ensuring that you are prepared and have established a roadmap for your future financial success is critical in securing your financial well-being.

The financial planning process reviews your personal circumstances, develops appropriate strategies and responds to changes in your life, as well as changes in the world around you. Regardless of your stage in life, it is important to take control of tomorrow, by creating a financial plan today.

Helping You Plan For Tomorrow

Many people begin developing a financial plan by asking questions about what their future has in store, such as:

• How do I maximize my retirement income?
• Can I give my children a portion of their inheritance today, and still maintain my lifestyle?
• How do I create a structure and preserve the value of my business upon sale?
• What is the best way for me to make charitable donations?
• When will I be able to retire, and maintain my standard of living?

CIBC Wood Gundy's financial planning capabilities range from straightforward retirement planning to sophisticated solutions using trusts and holding companies.

Preparing Your Strategy

A CIBC Wood Gundy Investment Advisor and Estate Planning Specialist (Financial Security Advisor in Quebec) can take you every step of the way towards creating a financial plan that gets your where you want to be. Our sophisticated financial planning tools can analyze your current situation and help create a strategy to meet your goals.

Financial planning goes beyond investing. By leveraging the expertise of the CIBC group of companies - in areas such as taxation, business succession and estate planning - we can address your most complex financial needs. Together with a CIBC Wood Gundy Investment Advisor, you can create a tailored financial plan that encompasses all your financial, tax and estate planning needs.

Implementation And Ongoing Monitoring

We work with you to make your plan a reality - initiating the steps that will lead to achieving your goals.

With ongoing monitoring, your financial plan will continue to fit your lifestyle, and ensure that any life changes are considered while keeping you on the right track.

Whether you are looking for a road map to fund your dream retirement, or the most tax-efficient way to preserve your wealth for generations to come, CIBC Wood Gundy has the tools, the expertise and the professionals to show you how to get there.

Where Do I Start?

At CIBC Wood Gundy, the financial planning process starts with our Client Profile questionnaire and is a great first step. Your CIBC Wood Gundy Investment Advisor can help you get organized and assist you in preparing a comprehensive review of your personal situation. Use our Find An AdvisorOpens a new window in your browser. tool to locate a CIBC Wood Gundy Investment Advisor near you.

Secrets to a Successful Retirement

Ultimate investment goals can vary widely, and may include wanting to maintain your lifestyle in retirement; leaving as much as possible to your estate; making bequests to designated charities, etc. In addition, your goals will invariably change as you change.

Of paramount importance is what you want from your available resources, what you can afford to risk, and the stage you are at in life's journey. If there is one constant in a uniquely individual process, it is the need to build wealth according to a well-constructed plan that will not risk your precious resources beyond tolerable limits.

You should have a balanced portfolio with an equity bias. In establishing a successful portfolio, no decision is of greater initial and ultimate importance than the correct allocation of resources between cash or other short-term vehicles, bonds (and related-fixed income securities), and stocks (and related equities). It is, in fact, proven that superior investment performance depends much more on the judicious balancing and periodic rebalancing of investable assets than on the selection of individual securities.

Of course, successful investors may periodically change the bond and equity weightings as the relative attraction of each changes with economic and market conditions. In fact, eventual overall performance should be enhanced through periodic rebalancing. After all, you have probably heard the term "Don't put all of your eggs in one basket". So, not only should you not invest your hard-earned dollars in only one asset class, but you should also diversify across sectors and industries on the equity side, and between the length of term-to-maturity of the bond section.

In building portfolio wealth, one must never forget that it is equities that stand to provide superior growth over the long-term better than any other asset class. In other words, well-chosen stocks are essential as the true building-blocks of future wealth. It is important to review your portfolio at least annually to analyze the asset mix and to determine if rebalancing is required.