Are those of us who save for retirement investing wisely?

October 10, 2019

A recent Angus Reid survey, reported on in The Financial Post, suggests that a surprisingly large number of us – 38 per cent – have no retirement savings at all.

That begs the question: are the 62 per cent of Canucks who are saving investing wisely? Save with SPP took a look around to find some answers.

A MoneySense article from a few years back reached the conclusion that Canadians aren’t good investors.

“A whopping 60% of the typical portfolio is being held in cash – far too much to meet most retirement needs when you factor in record-low interest rates and inflation. What’s more, nearly half of survey respondents (45 per cent) said they plan to increase their cash holdings next year. The average Canadian portfolio holds just 19 per cent in equities, seven per cent in bonds, four per cent in in property, three per cent in alternatives and the rest in other asset classes,” the article reports.

Let’s compare those numbers to the Saskatchewan Pension Plan’s current asset mix. With SPP, equities (Canadian, US, and non-North American) weigh in at 36 per cent of the portfolio. Bonds are the next largest category, at 29 per cent, and “alternatives” follow – mortgages, three per cent; real estate, 11 per cent; short-term investments, two per cent and infrastructure, one per cent. (Once you retire and collect your SPP pension, it is paid out of the Annuity Fund – a non-trading bond portfolio.)

So the self-investor is 60 per cent in cash in their retirement savings account, while the SPP’s balanced fund (typically the one chosen for the savings portion of retirement) has, perhaps, two per cent in cash/money market or other short-term investments.

Why the disparity?

“When asked why they’re sitting on so much cash, the majority cited accessibility and/or convenience while 25 per cent admitted to a fear of losing money and 10 per cent said it was because they didn’t understand their options,” the article notes. As well, the MoneySense report adds, “less than half of Canadians (44 per cent) agree with the statement `Investing is for people like me,’ and a full 51 per cent believe investing is like gambling.”

In plainer terms, those saving on their own – the majority of which MoneySense notes have never consulted a financial adviser – aren’t sure how to invest and are afraid to lose money. So they park their savings in cash.

A little personal note here. This writer, having worked in the pension industry (but not on the investment side), has decent general knowledge about investing and invests the family RRSPs on his own. Generally, we try to have an asset mix that’s 50 per cent stocks and 50 per cent bonds and balanced funds, more like a pension fund. It was a search for a good balanced fund that first connected us with SPP. What we notice is that over the decade or so that we have belonged to SPP, the SPP has always outperformed our own investment rate of return. That’s why we are gradually moving our RRSP savings over to SPP – they know more about investing and are doing a better job of it. Period, full stop.

There’s no question that it is exciting, and fun, to run your own investments. However if the money you’re in charge of is being invested for your retirement future, it might be a smart idea to get some help managing the ups and downs of the markets. A financial adviser is a good idea, and another good idea is to put some or all of your hard-earned savings in the professionally-invested, low-fee Saskatchewan Pension Plan. Check them out today.

Written by Martin Biefer
	Martin Biefer is Senior Pension Writer at Avery & Kerr Communications in Nepean, Ontario. A veteran reporter, editor and pension communicator, he’s now a freelancer. Interests include golf, line dancing and classic rock. He and his wife live with their Shelties, Duncan and Phoebe, and cat, Toobins. You can follow him on Twitter – his handle is @AveryKerr22

Angus Reid, MoneySense, Registered Retirement Savings Plan, RRSP, The Financial Post

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