Mid-Summer Reviews: When to Collect OAS and CPP

Did you know that 61% of Canadians are afraid of running out of money during retirement? According to a new CPP Investments survey, that fear is widespread. Yet surprisingly few people understand even the basics of public pension planning. For example, Canadians are not obliged to begin OAS or CPP at age 65. By delaying, they can significantly boost after-tax income and improve retirement security.

There are numerous funding options to help make your professional studies more affordable, including financing available through Knowledge Bureau, funding through each student’s own tax-assisted savings plans, and tax assistance through various CRA tax incentives. However, what can be deducted depends on who you are and what programs you will be involved in.

Tax professions know that not every client will file their income taxes on time, and that’s a costly mistake. Did you know that each year over three million Canadians file past the deadline? Those late filers are losing big money. First if they are due a refund, they are losing out on the money that could be accruing in a TFSA, RRSP, FHSA or another tax savings account.  But there is a second, more expensive consequence, one that will increase in the future, too. 

Canadians awoke on April 29th to another minority government. Mark Carney is the Prime Minister, but we don’t know for how long. What we do know are some of his plans for the country as he forms government, based on the Liberal election platform.  Despite picking up 8 more seats than 2021, the Liberals will still have to make deals in order to remain in power, and these provision could need tweaking as a result. Here’s an overview, which will be discussed in more detail at the May 21 CE Summit with Evelyn Jacks and guest instructors.  Register by May 15.

Canada has a new government.  The 338 new Members of Parliament (MPs) are tasked with taxing and spending Canadians’ money to achieve a myriad of goals, and they are lawmakers.  They receive handsome remuneration for doing so.   Not dissimilar to the role of professional tax and financial advisors, MPs are advocates for their constituents and stewards of their precious resources, and their roles do intersect, if they are to deliver on Job #1.  Filing their tax returns can be a challenge too, given their compensation structure.

It’s April 30 and there has rarely been more confusion about a tax filing deadline than in 2025!  Not only is CRA’s Auto-fill My Return (AFR) service unreliable, the tax filing deadlines themselves have shifted:  April 30 for most people, May 1 for trusts with capital gains, June 2 for T1s with capital gains and June 16 for T1s with small business income (proprietorships).  Even the income tax filing statistics seems off.  Have a look:

Knowledge Bureau congratulates Michael van Lierop and his whole team at NOW – New Outlook Wealth in Winnipeg for graduating with the RWM™ designation.  In this interview with Michael, who has also taken a leadership role at the Acuity Conference for Distinguished Advisors, November 23-26 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico as a Platinum Sponsor,  we find out more about his innovative firm, his passions and how the RWM – Real Wealth Management – framework has been a game-changer.