Investing during times of world turmoil – what strategies are out there?

There’s no question – amid wars around the globe and a tricky trade war here at home – that we are living in unusual times.

What, if anything, should investors be doing during this latest bout of world turmoil? Save with SPP took a look around to see what strategies commentators are suggesting to ride out the storm.

Writing in The Globe and Mail Gordon Pape suggests taking “part profits,” or selling off some of your holdings.

“I don’t like selling in times of adversity. In fact, most financial experts suggest the opposite course: buy when prices are weak. But we’ve enjoyed strong stock markets in recent years, and you may hold securities that have more than doubled in value, even after last week’s pullback. Taking some of that money off the table and holding it in reserve in case the situation further deteriorates isn’t a bad idea,” he suggests, adding that you should first “check out tax consequences” and not “overdo it.”

He suggests we “check out commodities. Wars are bad news for stocks and bonds. But they can lift commodity prices, as we’ve seen with oil and gas.”

Keep an eye out for “special situations,” or companies that are doing well because of the crisis, such as energy stocks (due to impacts on oil shipping). He adds that we should consider holding some gold, as the precious metal can be a hedge against inflation and is considered a “safe haven” investment. He concludes by suggesting we all keep a bit more money in the U.S dollar, as it is “holding up well so far. Part of your cash holdings should be in greenbacks.”

He suggests things “will get better, so keep your cool and take advantage of situations as they arise.”

Writing in the Financial Post, Peter Hodson of 5i Research suggests one strategy is to be contrarian, and “buy the fear.”

“When investors panic we will often start buying. It has proven to be a good strategy, since every market downturn has ended at some point,” he continues. Sectors like energy may do quite well in these times, he adds.

“Oil of course is always a strategic asset during times of war. In the current conflict, the threat of the Strait of Hormuz closing has resulted in a big spike in oil prices. The energy sector was already doing well before this war started but has picked up steam since then,” he writes.

Gold, he concludes, “can be a good place to hide out when worried about global events, financial crises, or wars.”

An article from MoneySense from three years ago makes some still-valid points.

Alan Small writes that there is often “not a lot” investors can do when faced with a time of crisis.

“When markets sell off for reasons that are more temporary than related to economics and performance, it’s important to take emotion out of decision-making and not go into panic mode about your investments,” he writes. “Markets may dip, but they don’t usually collapse. It’s possible your portfolio’s value may drop for a period of time. In the past, after a crisis has ended—and regardless of the outcome—the markets have regained stability, and investment returns have bounced back.”

“My best advice in the face of a world crisis: Stay calm, take a deep breath and focus on the fundamentals,” he advises.

Before adopting any new investment strategy it is a very prudent idea to talk to your financial adviser. If you don’t have a financial adviser, now might be a very good time to get one and leverage their experiences with managing through things like the Tech Wreck, the World Financial Crisis and the COVID-19 Pandemic.

If you’re not experienced with managing money, but want to save for retirement, the Saskatchewan Pension Plan might be a valuable saving partner. SPP is open to any Canadian who has registered retirement savings plan room.

You can contribute any amount you choose to the plan (up to your annual RRSP limit) and can transfer in any amount from other RRSPs you might hold. Once SPP has received your savings dollars, our job is to grow them via investment in our professionally managed, low-cost pooled fund.

At retirement, your job is to receive your grown savings as income, with options including the security of a lifetime monthly annuity payment or the more flexible Variable Benefit.

Check out SPP today!

Join the Wealthcare Revolution – follow SPP on Facebook!

We’re a “super-aged” country – are we ready for old age?

Writing for The Globe and Mail, Meera Raman sifts through some of the recent findings from the National Institute on Ageing’s annual survey – and ask if our aging population is ready, financially and health-wise, for a long tenure as seniors.

“Canadians are getting older, but they’re not necessarily preparing for it,” she begins.

She recently attended a presentation on NIA’s recent research, conducted with Manulife and Abacus Data, where the NIA’s policy director Talia Bronstein stated that Canada is now a “super-aged” country, “with 15.7 million Canadians aged 50 and older.”

Raman writes that while there is no doubt we are all living longer, “the bigger question is whether those extra years will be healthy and financially secure ones. Right now, the data suggests we’re not quite there.”

The article notes that the NIA study found that only 29 per cent of those surveyed feel they can “afford to retire when they want,” down from 35 per cent just four years ago.

“Nearly a quarter (22 per cent) have saved $5,000 or less for retirement,” the article reports.

“The survey also paints a worrying picture of how older Canadians are feeling,” Raman’s article continues. “Positive feelings about aging fell to 57 per cent last year from 62 per cent in 2024, the steepest drop since the survey began. More than half of respondents said they experience loneliness, and 43 per cent are at risk of social isolation. Those numbers haven’t budged since 2022,” she adds.

And, she adds, while 81 per cent of those surveyed want to age in place – or “move to a smaller (home) for as long as possible,” she notes that “62 per cent (say) they haven’t made any modifications or plans to prepare their home for aging in place.”

She reports that aging in place can lead to “financial and emotional strain.” We can add from personal experience that there is also financial and emotional strain when parents need to move to a long-term care facility.

One good bit of news, her article concludes, is that more seniors are able to afford dental care.

“The share of Canadians who say they can’t afford dental care dropped to 11 per cent in 2025 from 16 per cent a year earlier. The NIA pointed to the new Canadian Dental Care Plan as a likely reason – an example of how public policy can lead to real, measurable change,” she notes.

This is a great article. Those among us who are not yet retired need to consider how much income they’ll receive in the future, and as well, what things may cost. They also need to think about staying healthy – perhaps taking on new activities – and staying socially connected.

Workplace pension programs are becoming scarcer these days. If you have such a program through work, be sure to sign up and contribute as much as possible.

If you are saving on your own for the future, the Saskatchewan Pension Plan stands ready to partner with you. SPP offers you the retirement savings infrastructure you need – professional investing in a low-cost, pooled fund. And when it is time to turn those savings into income, SPP can provide you with a lifetime monthly annuity payment (it never runs out) or the more flexible Variable Benefit.

Check out SPP today!

Join the Wealthcare Revolution – follow SPP on Facebook!

See Canada first – staycations popular amid U.S. trade tensions

Ever since trade tensions, increased scrutiny at the U.S. border, and annexation talk, many Canadians have dropped plans to go south of the border. A lot of people are now seeing more of their home and native land.

Save with SPP took a look around the Interweb to see what people are saying about the ultimate made-in-Canada holiday – the staycation.

The lack of Canadian visitors to the U.S. is having an impact, reports Forbes.

“One year into a boycott of U.S. destinations, Canadian travelers have cost the American economy $4.5 billion—and show no inclination of returning in 2026, as trips to the U.S. took another tumble in January,” the magazine reports.

Road trips, the article continues, were down 27 per cent in January 2026 compared to one year earlier. “There was also an 18 per cent year-over-year decline in air travellers from Canada in January 2026,” the magazine notes.

Visits by Canadians to the U.S. dipped by four million in 2025 – a drop of 22 per cent, Forbes adds.

The reasons for the decline, Forbes reports, are political.

“The relationship between Canada and the U.S. has been strained by President Donald Trump’s hefty tariffs on the country’s goods and repeated threats to make Canada the 51st state. One year ago, after Trump announced a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods entering the U.S., outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged citizens to reconsider visiting the U.S. and travel domestically instead,” the article notes.

And it appears Canadians are doing just that.

The CBC reports that Canadians travelling within Canada could create a domestic economic boon.

Canadians are dropping plans for “a Kentucky bus tour… a five-day cruise to Alaska,” and “a multi-state road trip” to instead travel in their home country.

“`With everything going on in the United States at the moment, it doesn’t sit well with me to be putting our hard-earned money into their economy,’ Michelle Gardner, a B.C. resident who recently cancelled a U.S. spring break trip,” states in the CBC piece. In the end, her family toured Alberta, including a stop at the famous West Edmonton Mall.

To that end, the report continues, “provinces and territories are seeing increased interest from Canadian tourists — and they’re looking to capitalize on that momentum.”

“`With that increased national pride and sense of wanting to spend dollars here, there’s a real opportunity to get more of our provincial residents and national residents coming to different parts of the province, Jonathan Potts, CEO of Tourism Saskatchewan,” tells the CBC.

Brian Gallaugher, 66, tells the CBC he scrapped plans for a Kentucky trip and instead will tour through “eastern Ontario and Quebec.”

Discussing the 51^st state talk, he adds that “we really don’t plan on going back to the States until that kind of rhetoric stops,” the CBC notes.

Tourism industry operators are seeing a jump in bookings, reports the National Post.

The Clements family, who operate a 100-cottage resort near Ontario’s Sandbanks Provincial Park, saw bookings jump 87 per cent last year after the first presidential remarks about Canada having a governor.

“As Canadians started rallying, I think we realized we’re probably going to do better than we believed,” Scott Clement tells the Post.

The Globe and Mail reports that domestic flight bookings were up nearly 10 per cent last year, and that “the number of Canadians planning travel to another province within the country increased by 11 per cent.”

There’s a lot to see without leaving Canada, Renee de Ronde of Burlington, Ont. tells the Globe.

“You could spend a lifetime exploring Canada and barely scratch the surface,” she states in the article.

The Globe notes that “online searches for domestic stays by Canadians on Airbnb’s platform climbed nearly 20 per cent year-over-year” in 2025 compared to the year before. Locations most frequently searched include “Comox-Strathcona, B.C., as well as Quebec City, Waterton Park, Alta., and Moose Jaw,” the Globe reports.

Canadian air carriers, the newspaper adds, are adding more in-Canada flights and are cutting back on flights to the U.S.

In Ontario, reports the CBC, restaurant and hotel groups are calling on the province to restore an in-province travel credit that was introduced during the pandemic.

So, consider seeing a little more of your own country to help boost our economy, and your knowledge of the sights and sounds of beautiful Canada.

Travelling is something we all expect to do in retirement – but it generally costs a few bucks to gas up the car, jump on a train or bus, or fasten your seatbelt aboard a jet plane.

It can be difficult to put away money for the future when you are in your younger working years. But the Saskatchewan Pension Plan makes things easy for you. You decide how much you want to save, and we do the rest – investing your savings dollars in our low-cost, professionally managed pooled fund.

At retirement, your savings can be turned into retirement spending money in several different ways, including the security of a monthly lifetime annuity payment, or the more flexible Variable Benefit.

Check out SPP today!

Join the Wealthcare Revolution – follow SPP on Facebook!

Paper suggests employers should help workers build emergency savings

Should employer help their employees save up for emergencies?

An article by Bianca Thompson in The Globe and Mail reports on a recent report that suggests just such a cooperative approach.

“A recent report from the Financial Wellness Lab at Western University is calling on companies to help Canadians contribute to emergency savings accounts,” she writes.

“Researchers at the lab say many Canadians are living paycheque to paycheque, with little to fall back on when unexpected expenses hit. The white paper found that more than 60 per cent of working-age Canadians couldn’t cover a $1,000 emergency without borrowing or going into debt,” the article continues.

A possible solution, the article continues, would be “employer-sponsored emergency savings programs,” or ESAs.

With such a program, the report notes, “contributions to ESAs would be automatically deducted from an employee’s pay, much as they are with workplace pension plans. The money would be set aside in small amounts from each paycheque to cover short-term emergencies.”

The white paper envisions a “two-tier” approach for the ESAs. There would be a “rainy day fund” for “small, unexpected expenses” as well as a “larger emergency fund for major financial shocks, such as a job loss or large-scale home repairs.”

“Cash coming in does not always match cash going out, and we need a safety net,” states Chuck Grace, co-founder of Canada’s Financial Wellness Lab, in the Globe article. “When employees are less distracted by financial stress, they are healthier, more focused and more productive, which benefits employers as well,” he tells the Globe.

Interestingly, a couple of firms are already trying this idea out, the article reports.

Ontario’s Mainstreet Credit Union, the article notes, recently rolled an ESA program out to all staff. CI Financial contributed to the white paper, and CI’s Kambiz Vatan-Abadi tells the Globe that an ESA can be a “`win-win solution’ that supports employees’ financial stability while benefiting employers in the process.”

“Employers who are financially healthy and resilient perform better at work,” he tells the Globe.

The article points out, citing figures from The National Payroll Institute’s 2025 Annual Survey of Working Canadians, that “financial stress costs Canadian businesses nearly $70-billion a year in lost productivity.”

ESAs are common in the U.S. and “gaining traction” in the U.K., but are few are far between in Canada so far, the article reports.

The article suggests “auto-enrollment” as a way to get people into such programs. This means you are automatically enrolled unless you choose to opt out.

“A British study found that less than one per cent of workers opted in when they had to self-enroll, but participation jumped to 50 per cent once enrolment was automatic,” the article notes.

It will be interesting to see if this idea gains traction here in Canada.

Did you know that the average Canada Pension Plan payment in 2025 is, according to the federal government’s figures just $848.37 per month? And the Old Age Security adds – on average – a maximum of $740.09?

If you aren’t supplementing these modest amounts with your own savings, or via a retirement program at work, it might be prudent to begin putting money away for your retired life now.

A fine partner in this effort is the Saskatchewan Pension Plan. With SPP, you can make annual contributions of any amount, up to a maximum of your personal registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) limit. You can also transfer any amount into SPP from non-locked-in RRSPs you may have.

SPP then does the heavy lifting – investing those savings in a low-cost, professionally managed, pooled fund. When it’s time to retire, your choices include receiving a monthly annuity payment for life, or the more flexible Variable Benefit.

Check out SPP today!

Join the Wealthcare Revolution – follow SPP on Facebook!

Ways to put an end to procrastinating – and getting things done

Where there’s a will, there’s a way, they say.

However, procrastination – putting things off until later – seems to get in the way of getting things done. A recent article by Preet Banerjea of The Globe and Mail suggests that financial procrastination “is like paying another tax,” because you are enjoying fun things in the now instead of saving for the future.

Save with SPP decided to scout around the Interweb to see how others have liberated themselves from the clutches of procrastination.

The writers at Psychology Today offer up a few tips.

First, they suggest, why not break the task up into little bite-sized pieces?

“When you break a task into smaller steps, it becomes much more manageable, and taking the first step can build momentum,” the article explains.

“For example, if you’re avoiding cleaning your garage, don’t aim to finish it in one day. Instead, focus on sorting just one corner or organizing a single shelf,” the article adds.

Another trick is to “tackle your most dreaded task first,” the magazine notes. “Say you need to call customer service to resolve a complex billing issue. This kind of task can feel exhausting before you even begin. However, if you do it first thing in the morning, you’ll free up mental space to handle the rest of your day more smoothly,” the article recommends.

An interesting one is the Two-Minute Rule, the magazine continues.

“Popularized by productivity expert David Allen, the Two-Minute Rule suggests that if a task can be done in two minutes or less, do it immediately.This rule helps eliminate small tasks that pile up,” and can feel overwhelming, the magazine notes.

The Coursera website provides a few more ideas.

Got a to-do list? Trim it down, the site suggests.

“If you begin to work with a to-do list, it’s crucial to trim where you can. There are only so many hours in the day, and if you find yourself with long lists, then some things will have to be shifted around—or dropped altogether. For starters, go through and remove anything that doesn’t need to be done that day or that week,” the site tells us.

Next, Coursera suggests, you should minimize distractions.

“Turn off your phone, stay away from social media, and make sure you’re setting yourself up to stay on-task rather than deviating to something new,” the site notes.

Be sure, the site adds, to reward yourself for completing a task.

“You can use… personal rewards as motivation, such as a break for a snack or an activity. Or, if you’re working on a more involved project, maybe your reward is something bigger, like a nice dinner when you turn in the finished product,” the site suggests.

A few more ideas come to us via the Calm blog.

Techniques “like mindful breathing and meditation” can help you manage stress and anxiety, which the blog suggest fuel procrastination.

Consider, the blog advises, getting an “accountability buddy” to help you keep yourself on track.

“Don’t hesitate to ask friends, family, or professionals to be your accountability buddy if procrastination significantly impacts your life. Getting this support and encouragement from other people may help you to stop procrastinating and can give you ideas or coping tools,” the blog notes.

Review your success with anti-procrastination tools and reflect on what worked and what didn’t, the blog concludes.

Is procrastination holding back your retirement savings efforts?

Start small, with an amount you won’t really miss, and then ramp up over time.

The Saskatchewan Pension Plan does not have a required contribution rate. That means you can decide how much you want to contribute. Contributions can be received in many ways, including through pre-authorized transfers from your bank account or credit card, or via online banking, where SPP can be set up as a bill.

No matter how your savings dollars travel to SPP, once here they are invested in a professionally managed, low-cost pooled fund. When the time comes to withdraw your contributions as income, options include a lifetime annuity or the more flexible Variable Benefit.

Check out SPP today!

Join the Wealthcare Revolution – follow SPP on Facebook!

Should wealthier seniors get less Old Age Security?

Writing in The Globe and Mail, Robyn Urback wonders if the federal government will consider taking the politically risky step of reforming Old Age Security – specifically, to tweak the system so that wealthier seniors get less.

Today, she notes, the OAS system is “an $80-billion-and-growing” program “that currently rewards couples who earn up to $182,000 with the full $18,000 annually.”

By comparison, she adds, Child Tax Benefit clawbacks begin at a level that’s $100,000 lower than the OAS clawback limit.

“The combined cost of both OAS and Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) payments is both the largest and the fastest-growing expenditure for the federal government, and it will become even greater if the government adopts the proposal from the Bloc Québécois to hike OAS payments by 10 per cent for seniors aged 65 to 74,” she continues.

Previous attempts to reform OAS have not worked out well, she writes.

Many may remember what happened when former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney tried to de-index OAS benefits (reducing payout adjustments for inflation), Urback notes. Political opponents called the decision breaking “a sacred trust,” and a protester outside Parliament, Solange Denis, told Mulroney “You lied to us. You made promises that you wouldn’t touch (OAS). It’s goodbye, Charlie Brown!”

Former Prime Minister Jean Chretien tried to roll the OAS and GIS programs into a new entity, the Seniors Benefit, which would have been based on “household income, not individual income.” He too backed down under political heat, Urback reports.

Finally, a third former Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, made an effort to “gradually” lift the age of eligibility for OAS from 65 to 67. This idea also became a political hot potato, the article continues, and was reversed by the government of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Will Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government look at changes to OAS?

“Mr. Carney’s pitch to voters was that he was not a lifelong politician in pursuit of a legacy, but a guy who would come in, try to fix things, and then, one could reasonably infer, get out. Who better, then, to make the politically tough but economically necessary decision to rein in OAS benefits?,” she writes.

The article notes that Generation Squeeze, “an advocacy group for young adults, has proposed lowering the threshold for OAS clawbacks to couples earning $100,000, which it estimates will save Canada’s coffers $7 billion per year.” Some of those savings, the group suggests, could be “redirected to low-income seniors,” low-income families and families with kids, or simply be used to pay down the national debt.

Reviving the Harper plan, and moving eligibility to age 67 gradually, would save $10 billion in federal spending per year, the article adds.

Urback concludes by calling OAS reform “a necessary move” that will have political consequences for the government, but will stop the “insane” practice of “handing out billions of dollars to wealthy seniors in this economic environment.”

It’s worth noting that the OAS payments that people receive are actually quite modest. According to the Art of Retirement blog the maximum OAS for those aged 65 to 74 is $706.7 per month “if your net annual income is less than $148,451.” For those 75 and over, it’s $880.40 a month if your net income is less than $154.196, the blog reports.

Once you pass those income milestones, the OAS recovery tax starts to kick in and reduces your payments.

If you don’t have a pension or retirement program through your work, you might want to augment your retirement income from government programs with your own savings.

A tremendous partner in this effort is the Saskatchewan Pension Plan. All you have to do is make contributions – and you can transfer in any amount from a non-locked-in registered retirement savings plan.

SPP invests your savings in a professionally managed, low-cost pooled fund, growing them for your future retirement income. Among your options at retirement is a lifetime monthly annuity payment from SPP, or the more flexible Variable Benefit option.

Check out SPP today!

Join the Wealthcare Revolution – follow SPP on Facebook!

Retired financial writer reviews his first retirement moments

Any of us who have retired will remember, perhaps, the “I wonder what retirement will be like” moments we felt as the time clock for the last day at work wound down. We remember our last coffee run for the team, the last train ride home, and so on.

Rob Carrick of The Globe and Mail, a well-read personal finance columnist for many years, is now taking his first steps in the world of retirement.

“You have instant community when you retire – just go to a mall, diner or blood donation clinic early in the morning on a weekday,” he observes.

“Retiring is stepping into a different life with different rules. Let me tell you about a few of them based on personal experience,” he adds.

First, he writes, “regardless of your financial status, you are rich in time” once you are retired. “You can do what you want, when you want. And so, you go to the mall when it’s emptiest,” he adds.

Next, he adds, is the shift away from weekly or bi-weekly paycheques to monthly pension payments.

“Getting paid monthly means new thinking on how to save for big expenses. Right now, I’m carving off some of those monthly payments as soon as they’re received to cover recurring costs such as property taxes, insurance premiums and utilities. We have separate savings accounts for these, each labelled specifically. I find this really helps with organization,” he suggests.

Similarly, you must think a little harder about income taxes.

“Another expense to be covered is income tax, which brings us to one more way retirement differs from your working life. If you have an employer, the correct amount of taxes for your income is taken off the top of your paycheque. You may have a balance owing to Canada Revenue Agency when you file your annual income tax return, but it shouldn’t be anything unmanageable,” he notes.

Now, he continues, “my wife and I both have a 15-per-cent withholding tax applied to our pension payments. I set up yet another high-interest savings account to hold the additional amount of tax we expect to owe after we file our 2025 tax return next spring. With each pension payment, money is automatically transferred to that account.”

Carrick has an interesting take on the term “retirement” itself.

“One more life adjustment when you leave the full-time workforce is how the word `retirement’ sounds to your ears. Telling people you’re retired earns you all kinds of reactions – some envy, some surprise and some disapproval from those who can’t imagine their lives without the fulfilment and status of a job,” he notes.

He concludes with the good news that he’ll continue writing for the Globe on the topic of retirement and other personal financial subjects. We wish him the best in his new role.

While it is possible to self-fund a retirement through disciplined personal saving and a strong investment program, not all of us have the ability to stick with the program or the investment savvy to get started.

That’s where the Saskatchewan Pension Plan comes in. All you need to do is send us contributions, by pre-authorized contribution from a bank account or credit card, via online banking as a “bill,” by cheque – SPP is flexible. What we do is invest those hard-saved dollars in our low-cost, professionally managed pooled fund. You can ramp up contributions as you earn more, and transfer in any amount from registered retirement savings plans you may have.

At retirement, you can choose the security of a monthly annuity payment for life, or the more flexible Variable Benefit.

Check out SPP today!

Join the Wealthcare Revolution – follow SPP on Facebook!

Who wants to be a millionaire, but not feel rich?

Years ago, we joked that while we might never be millionaires, we could at least claim to be thousandaires.

But these days, reports The Globe and Mail, there are way more millionaires than ever before. Why, the article asks, do so many of them not feel rich?

Take the example, the article begins, of Martin Alderwick, 76, of Guelph. “The couple brings in about $7,500 a month in retirement income and own a townhouse that makes up nearly 40 per cent of their total assets. Their net worth crosses the seven-figure threshold,” the article notes.

All good, then?

“Mr. Alderwick doesn’t identify with the millionaire title. `I live comfortably,’ he said. `But I still look for bargains and where I can save,’” the article notes.

“His unease reflects a growing reality in Canada: A rising number of people technically qualify as millionaires, but don’t feel, or function, like it,” the Globe reports.

The article, citing the UBS 2025 Globe Wealth Report, notes that the number of millionaires globally has quadrupled since the start of the century. The report suggests there are 52 million people worldwide with wealth between “$1 and $5 million, U.S.”

Much of the growth in personal assets comes via real estate, the Globe reports. “As home values surged in major cities and even mid-sized markets, many middle-class homeowners became millionaires without doing anything beyond staying put,” the article explains.

However, having a million in assets these days may not be as big a deal as it used to be, the article continues.

“Many of these individuals are likely confronting an uncomfortable truth that having a million-dollar net worth doesn’t necessarily mean you are financially ready for retirement,” the article adds.

“We still have this notion of a millionaire as someone on a yacht or a private jet,” said Brenda O’Connor Juanas, a financial adviser at UBS, tells the Globe. “The makeup of what this millionaire looks like is quite different,” she states in the article.

Incredibly, by last year, the “average Canadian household net worth reached $1,026,205, a 30 per cent jump from 2019, according to Statistics Canada,” the article notes. Gen Xers had the “greatest average real-estate wealth, at $666,146 per household,” the Globe adds, followed by Boomers, at $550,994 per household.

The article makes the point that your real estate holdings – i.e., the family home – isn’t really something that counts towards retirement savings.

“If your $1-million net worth includes a $900,000 house and just $100,000 in liquid savings, you’re likely well short of the mark of what you may feel like you need in order to comfortably retire,” the Globe tells us, citing data from Fidelity Canada’s 2025 Retirement Report.

Fidelity’s Michelle Munro tells the Globe that while “the sale of a home can be a way to fund long-term care, it’s a good idea to have assets that are more easily accessible.” She recommends “having a portion of liquid assets in accounts such as a high-interest savings account for short-term goals,” and “investing in the stock market can offer growth over a longer period” for longer-term goals. She stresses the importance of having a savings plan, “not just a number,” the Globe article concludes.

Lots to digest here, but the takeaway seems to be that even a valuable home may not be enough to fund a long period of retirement, particularly if you or your partner needs long-term care.

If you are saving for the long term – to generate income when you are no longer working – be sure to join your workplace retirement program and contribute to the max. If there is no such program, or you want to augment the one you have, consider the Saskatchewan Pension Plan. Open to any Canadian with registered retirement savings plan room, SPP will take your contributions (you decide how much to save) and grow them in a professionally managed, low-cost pooled fund.

At retirement, your SPP income options include a lifetime monthly annuity payment, or the more flexible Variable Benefit.

Check out SPP today!

Join the Wealthcare Revolution – follow SPP on Facebook!

“Buy low, sell high.” As well, there’s “sell in May and go away.” There’s “buy and hold.”

These are among the investment tips Save with SPP has heard about over three decades writing about pensions. But what other gems are out there – what “one best tip” exists, or is at least spoken about, in the great Interweb universe?

Well, let’s start with well-known personal growth guru (and financial author) Tony Robbins.

In a GoBankingRates piece, he offers us three ideas to put us on the path to being millionaires.

“Capitalize on compound interest,” he suggests. “Compound interest is the key to long-term investment success with mutual funds, individual stocks and bonds. It takes a long time to reap the full benefits of compound interest, so as Robbins endorses, the earlier you can start on your time horizon, the better.”

OK, start investing early, and leave the investments alone so that the growth and interest compounds. What else?

Robbins also tells us we have to diversify – “you can’t put it all in one place.” And finally, your savings approach needs to be automated, a “set it and forget it” strategy.

“If you set up your accounts to automatically transfer money into savings and investments, you won’t have the opportunity to talk yourself out of socking it away. It then becomes a habit that you don’t even have to think about — you’ll just be automatically building your wealth without even lifting a finger.”

Let’s turn to the Oracle of Omaha, newly retired Warren Buffett, for some more key investing strategies, in an article from The Globe and Mail.

“Be greedy when others are fearful, and be fearful when others are greedy,” the article quotes Buffett as saying. In other words, if the market takes a downturn, that’s a good time to be “greedy” and buy low.

Other advice from Buffett: “don’t be a stock picker, be a business-picker.”

“[W]e own stocks based upon our expectations about their long-term business performance and not because we view them as vehicles for timely market moves,” he is quoted as saying in the article. “That point is crucial: (We) are not stock-pickers; we are business-pickers.”

Timing the market, or waiting for the perfect moment to wade in, is also not a wise idea per Buffett.

“If you wait for the robins, spring will be over,” he states in the piece. Huh?

“I can’t predict the short-term movements of the stock market. I haven’t the faintest idea as to whether stocks will be higher or lower a month or a year from now,” he is quoted as saying in the article. “What is likely, however, is that the market will move higher, perhaps substantially so, well before either sentiment or the economy turns up. So if you wait for the robins, spring will be over.”

Last word goes to the Get Smarter About Money blog.

They suggest avoiding “trending” investments, to “consider the type of investment advice you want and the cost,” and to “commit to a plan rather than be guided by emotions.”

It’s a wise step to get some professional investment advice before you venture into investing on your own.

There is a way to get professional investing at a low cost for your retirement savings – joining the Saskatchewan Pension Plan either as an individual, or as an organization. SPP invests savings dollars in a pooled fund that is professionally managed at a fee of less than one per cent. When it’s time to retire, your grown savings can be received as income in retirement – options include a lifetime monthly annuity payment, or the more flexible Variable Benefit.

Check out SPP today!

Join the Wealthcare Revolution – follow SPP on Facebook!

Are retirement parties becoming a thing of the past?

We remember it well. After a little over 20 years at work, we turned in our security pass and headed for retirement. And to cap it all off there was a nice party in Toronto with work colleagues and friends. A great memory.

But, according to The Globe and Mail that retirement party in 2014 may well be a relic from a bygone era.

Take the example of B.C.’s Linda Lawrence, the newspaper suggests.

“The former marketing and communications professional planned to retire in June, but her role was suddenly eliminated last year when her employer was purchased by investors in the United States. She found out on an online call,” the Globe reports.

“After briefly considering finding a new job, Ms. Lawrence decided to retire early,” the article continues.

“Months later, the B.C. resident, now 60, says she has struggled with reconciling how her 30-year career ended with zero fanfare. She had long looked forward to celebrating her retirement in the company of loved ones and colleagues like her parents had, but that didn’t happen,” the Globe notes.

“I couldn’t wrap my head around it,” she tells the Globe. “I felt cheated.”

It’s not an uncommon feeling, the article continues.

“While a workplace retirement party was once seen as a rite of passage marking the end of one’s career and the start of a new chapter, many departing employees are leaving without sheet cakes and novelty-sized farewell cards – and with a lack of closure,” the article explains.

Retirement coach Marilyn Hintsa tells the Globe the retirement party “is a tradition that appears to be waning.”

“People retiring now have lower expectations about what happens when they retire. I think it’s unfortunate that it’s happening, especially if you put in a lot of years with that employer,” she tells the Globe.

“If Wednesday is your last day at work, Thursday is your first day of retirement, and there’s not some line that’s drawn between that, the first day will be tough,” she states in the article.

Why is the tradition changing?

The Globe cites a number of factors, such as “shorter average job tenures” and the rise of remote and hybrid work. Shrinking company budgets, where the onus is on employees to pay for gifts and parties rather than the company, is another factor.

A smaller party is better than no party, the article suggests.

Last word to B.C.’s Linda Lawrence, who believes “organizations should play a role in recognizing retirees’ contributions and wishing them well in their new chapter.”

“What does it cost to send an email,” she asks.

Whether or not you get a gold watch or a slice of cake, retirement is still something to look forward to, particularly if you have retirement savings.

If you don’t have a workplace pension, fear not. The Saskatchewan Pension Plan has a do-it-yourself, voluntary defined contribution program ideal for individuals or organizations. You determine how much you want to contribute, and SPP does the rest, investing your savings dollars in a low-cost, professionally managed pooled fund. And when it’s time to start life after work, your SPP options include the chance of a lifetime monthly annuity payment, or the more flexible Variable Benefit.

Check out SPP today!

Join the Wealthcare Revolution – follow SPP on Facebook!