Apr 18: BEST FROM THE BLOGOSPHERE
April 18, 2022
Canadians sock away $50.1 billion in RRSP savings
It appears the venerable registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) is alive and well, reports Investment Executive – and pandemic-related extra cash may be the reason why.
Citing Statistics Canada data, the magazine reports that “the number of Canadians that socked money away in their RRSPs increased in 2020, and their contributions rose too.”
In 2020, Canadians collectively contributed $50.1 billion in their RRSPs, the article notes. That’s an increase of 13.1 per cent over 2019, the article continues, and the number of contributors rose as well by 4.9 per cent.
Investment Executive reports that “the median RRSP contribution in 2020 came in at $3,600, which is the highest on record.”
Why did more people put more money away?
Well, the article states, “savings rose as public health restrictions limited consumer spending.” With little to spend money on other that food and fuel, the average Canadian was able to stash away “$5,800 in extra savings in 2020 on average.”
So, that extra pile of money found its way into people’s retirement savings kitties.
“With the added savings on hand, more Canadians put money into RRSPs. The proportion of taxpayers that made RRSP contributions in 2020 increased for the first time in 13 years, StatsCan said, noting that the share of taxpayers making contributions has been declining since the Tax Free Savings Account (TFSA) was launched as a retirement savings alternative,” the article reports.
While things are not as locked down (thank heavens) today as they were a couple of years ago, the retirement savings bug is still with us, reports Baystreet.ca.
More than $10 billion found its way into Canadian mutual funds this February, the site reports.
“That brought the total amount of mutual fund assets under management in Canada to $2 trillion as of March 1,” Baystreet notes. “In all, Canadians put $111.5 billion into mutual funds in 2021. That’s nearly four times the $29 billion in mutual fund sales in 2020, which was in line with average annual sales going back to 2000.”
So, let’s put those two thoughts together – Canadians are putting more money away in their RRSPs, including managed mutual funds. The trend seems to be that more money is going this way each year.
The Saskatchewan Pension Plan allows you to contribute up to $7,000 annually towards your retirement nest egg. And you are allowed to transfer in up to $10,000 annually from other registered savings vehicles. SPP is a voluntary defined contribution plan – it has some of the characteristics of an RRSP and some of a managed mutual fund. Where SPP differs from a typical retail mutual fund is in the fees charged. SPP provides you with professional investment management, but SPP’s fee is typically less than one per cent – less than half of what most managed retail mutual funds charge. SPP has a stellar investing record, and – again, unlike a RRSP – SPP gives you the option of converting your accounting into a lifetime SPP annuity, among other retirement income options. Check out this made-in-Saskatchewan success story today!
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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, and playing guitar. Got a story idea? Let Martin know via LinkedIn.
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