Tax-Deferred Retirement Saving in Canada

Canadian employers who sponsor retirement plans have mostly adopted arrangements that qualify for deferral of taxes.  It is no longer clear that this is the best choice. Low interest rates and the emergence of Tax-Free Savings Accounts mean that there could be better alternatives for future generations of employees.  This research report re-examines the effectiveness of tax deferral and other fundamental choices.  Analysis is specific to unmarried persons working and retiring in Ontario, but similar conclusions could be reached in other jurisdictions and family situations. The material was authored by Doug Chandler, Canadian retirement research actuary.

Materials

Questions

If you have any questions or comments regarding the report, please contact Doug Chandler at dchandler@soa.org.

Thank You

The following actuaries generously volunteered their time and expertise to review and comment on this report prior to its publication.

• Émilie Bouchard, FSA, FCIA
• R. Dale Hall, FSA, CERA, MAAA, MBA
• Bruce Jones, FSA, FCIA, PhD
• Malcolm Hamilton, FSA, FCIA, MSc

The Canadian data-driven in-house retirement modeling oversight group is a collaboration of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and the Society of Actuaries. It provides insight into the retirement industry’s data-driven actuarial research needs and guidance over priorities.

• Faisal Siddiqi, FSA, FCIA
• Chun-Ming (George) Ma, FSA, FCIA, PhD
• Malcolm Hamilton, FSA, FCIA, MSc
• Minaz Lalani, FSA, FCIA, CERA, FCA
• Bruce Jones, FSA, FCIA, PhD
• Michel St-Germain, FSA, FCIA, MS