AskTMFG The Podcast

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AskTMFG, brought to you by The McClelland Financial Group of CI Assante Wealth Management Ltd, offers clear and straightforward guidance on investing, retirement planning, and wealth management. We address your most pressing financial questions and share practical strategies to help you plan with confidence and stay on track toward achieving your goals. Hosted by: Carlo Cansino, Senior Financial Advisor and John Iaconetti, Financial Advisor at The McClelland Financial Group of CI Assante Wealth Management Ltd. Follow us: Click here to request a meeting: https://tmfg.ca/schedule/ Check the episode video on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TmfgCa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tmfg.ca Instagram: instagram.com/themcclellandfinancialgroup_/ Please visit www.assante.com/legal for important legal and regulatory disclosures.

  1. 4d ago

    This NEW Retirement Calculator Makes NO Sense For Canadians

    In this episode of AskTMFG, John Iaconetti and Carlo Cansino dig into a tool most people trust without question: the free online retirement calculator. It looks simple, professional, and authoritative. Plug in your age, income, and savings, and it returns a clear chart showing whether you're on track. The problem is that these calculators are quietly getting the answer wrong for millions of Canadians. They unpack four flaws that show up across virtually every standard calculator: a flat 3% inflation rate applied to all expenses even though healthcare rises while other costs fall, a static average investment return that ignores real market volatility and sequence-of-returns risk, an assumption that spending stays flat through retirement when it actually dips in the middle years before rising again, and little to no accounting for tax-efficient withdrawal strategies.  They determined that standard calculators are built for simplicity, not accuracy, and that gap can cost you years of your life you didn't need to work. Getting a true picture means adjusting for category-specific inflation, sequence-of-returns risk, a realistic spending curve, and tax-optimized withdrawals, all specific to your own numbers, not a generic model. 👉 Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/Xl_6SWVU8Ns  Question for our listeners: Have you ever run your numbers through a free retirement calculator — and how confident are you that its answer was actually right? 👉 Complimentary portfolio analysis: https://tmfg.ca/portfolio-analysis/ Follow us: LinkedIn: The McClelland Financial Group Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tmfg.ca Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themcclellandfinancialgroup_/

  2. 5d ago

    5 Reasons to Convert Your RRSP to a RRIF Before 71 (And the One Reason Not To)

    In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, Carlo Cansino, Senior Financial Advisor with The McClelland Financial Group, tackles a decision most Canadians leave until the CRA forces their hand: when to convert an RRSP into a RRIF. Age 71 feels like the deadline, but it's actually the last resort; everything before that is a choice, and the clients who convert early usually end up with more control, not less. He walks through why converting before 71 lets you set your own withdrawal size instead of being locked into the CRA's mandatory minimum, why RRIF income (unlike RRSP withdrawals) unlocks pension splitting and the $2,000 pension income tax credit starting at 65, and how an early conversion gives you room to refill unused TFSA space on your own timeline. He also breaks down the compounding effect of waiting: a fuller RRSP balance at 71 collides with a higher mandatory withdrawal percentage, pushing more income onto a tax return at the exact moment CPP and OAS also kick in, and for 2026, crossing the $95,303 OAS clawback threshold costs 15 cents of OAS for every dollar over. 👉 Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/SelA_V0yWY0  Question for our viewers: Do you know whether converting your RRSP early or waiting until 71 makes more sense for your income picture? 👉 Complimentary portfolio analysis: https://tmfg.ca/portfolio-analysis/ Follow us: LinkedIn: The McClelland Financial Group Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tmfg.ca Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themcclellandfinancialgroup_/

  3. Aug 9

    Here's The SECRET To A Richer Retirement NO ONE Talks About

    In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, John Iaconetti and Carlo Cansino dig into a timing factor most Canadians never think to plan around: the specific month you retire. It's easy to pick a retirement date based on a birthday or an anniversary, but the month can quietly reshape your tax bracket, benefit eligibility, and first-year cash flow. They unpack why mid-year retirements can stack salary, unused vacation payouts, and partial pension income into one tax year and trigger unnecessary tax burdens, why CPP and OAS don't start automatically and need to be coordinated months in advance to avoid income gaps, and how different months carry different advantages, January for a clean tax-year split, December for maximizing year-end bonuses and pension credits, while April/May can create confusion as T-slips and multiple income sources collide in the same tax cycle. They wrap up with a simple framework: map out your income streams for the first 12 months post-retirement, coordinate CPP, OAS, and pension timing together rather than separately, and work with a financial planner to pick a retirement month, not just a retirement year. 👉 Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/3r_LkceCc6w  Question for our listeners: Have you thought about which month you'll retire in, or just which year? 👉 Complimentary portfolio analysis: https://tmfg.ca/portfolio-analysis/ Follow us: LinkedIn: The McClelland Financial Group Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tmfg.ca Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themcclellandfinancialgroup_/

  4. Aug 7

    $80K Pension vs $1M Net Worth: Who is Richer?

    In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, Carlo Cansino breaks down why a guaranteed pension isn't always the better deal compared to savings, using a side-by-side case study of two retirees. Sandra retires with an $ 80,000-per-year pension plus maxed-out CPP and OAS, landing at roughly $107,000/year — fully taxable. Mark retires with $1,000,000 split across an RRSP, TFSA, and non-registered account, and, on the surface, looks $40,000/year short. He unpacks why Sandra's "bigger number" actually costs her: her guaranteed income pushes her $11,677 over the 2026 OAS clawback threshold of $95,323, resulting in a permanent loss of about $1,752/year to the clawback, with no ability to adjust. Mark, by contrast, can strategically blend RRSP, TFSA, and non-registered withdrawals to keep his taxable income low, fully protect his OAS, and match or beat Sandra's spendable income, but only if he actively melts down his RRSP between 65 and 71, before mandatory RRIF withdrawals force his hand and push him into the same clawback trap. He wraps up with three takeaways: focus on total taxable income rather than the headline number, know your OAS clawback exposure, and don't skip the pre-71 RRSP drawdown window if you're relying on savings instead of a pension. 👉 Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/85XdYO3PG-I  Question for our listeners: If you're relying on savings instead of a pension, do you have a plan for drawing down your RRSP before age 71? 👉 Complimentary portfolio analysis: https://tmfg.ca/portfolio-analysis/ Follow us: LinkedIn: The McClelland Financial Group Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tmfg.ca Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themcclellandfinancialgroup_/

  5. Aug 2

    DO THIS To Avoid The RRSP Tax TRAP

    In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, Carlo Cansino breaks down how to avoid the RRSP tax trap for Canadians approaching retirement with large registered balances. Using a $1.7 million RRSP client as an example, he walks through the key questions that shape a smart withdrawal strategy, account consolidation, spousal income splitting, other assets, retirement income needs, CPP/OAS timing, TFSA room, and current versus future tax brackets, then lays out the actual plan: drawing down RRSPs early while in a lower bracket, redirecting some withdrawals into TFSAs, and timing government benefits to avoid clawbacks. 👉 Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/10vNX3NenUM  Question for our listeners: Do you have a withdrawal order mapped out for your RRSPs, or are you planning to figure it out at 71? 👉 Complimentary portfolio analysis: https://tmfg.ca/portfolio-analysis/  Follow us: LinkedIn: The McClelland Financial Group Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tmfg.ca  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themcclellandfinancialgroup_/

  6. Jul 31

    Don't Make These 3 CPP Mistakes in Your First Year of Retirement

    In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, Carlo Cansino breaks down the three most common (and expensive) CPP mistakes new retirees make in their first year, using Frank as a case study. He retired at 62 with a $650,000 combined RSP/TFSA portfolio and $25,000 a year in consulting income. He unpacks why retiring and starting CPP are two completely separate decisions (taking CPP at 60 instead of waiting to 70 locks in a permanent swing of over $1,000 a month for life), why CPP payments aren't taxed at the source the way a paycheque is, meaning retirees can get hit with a surprise tax bill if they don't request withholding, and why the online CPP estimate in MyServiceCanada can be misleading if your contribution history has changed since you last checked it. He wraps up with a simple three-part fix: don't default to starting CPP the moment you retire, either request voluntary withholding or manually set aside your marginal tax rate, and pull your actual contribution record rather than relying on the projected estimate. 👉 Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/guAhtH3_vic  Question for our listeners: Have you actually pulled your CPP contribution record lately, or are you still going off an old estimate? 👉 Complimentary portfolio analysis: https://tmfg.ca/portfolio-analysis/  Follow us: LinkedIn: The McClelland Financial Group  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tmfg.ca  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themcclellandfinancialgroup_/

  7. Jul 26

    Why Retirement Changes Once You Save $1M in Canada

    In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, Carlo Cansino and John Iaconetti unpack why hitting the $1 million mark in retirement savings isn't just a financial milestone; it's a psychological turning point, and what actually changes once you get there. They cover what a million-dollar portfolio can sustainably generate (roughly $7,000 a month after tax before government benefits are added), why the "touch RRSPs last" mindset often costs Canadians in lifetime tax, how income splitting becomes especially powerful for couples with larger portfolios, and how factors like retirement age, longevity planning to 95, and home equity all shape how far that million actually goes. They also lay out a simple annual optimization routine: reviewing withdrawal rates, investment returns, and tax bracket every year, and why becoming too conservative after reaching $1 million can work against you. 👉 Watch the full episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEydDQQbyA8  Question for our listeners: If you're getting close to (or past) the $1 million mark, have you built an actual withdrawal and tax strategy around it, or are you still just watching the number grow? 👉 Complimentary portfolio analysis: https://tmfg.ca/portfolio-analysis/  Follow us: LinkedIn: The McClelland Financial Group Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tmfg.ca  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themcclellandfinancialgroup_/

  8. Jul 24

    If I Was 67 With $1M in an RRSP and a Spouse - Here's Our Exact Retirement Plan

    In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, Carlo Cansino breaks down the married couples' version of the retirement income plan, how a 67-year-old with $1 million in his RRSP and a 64-year-old spouse with $200,000 in hers can structure withdrawals to keep $10,000 to $20,000 more per year than couples who don't plan strategically together. He covers the key moves: converting a portion of an RRSP to a RIF before age 71 to unlock pension income splitting (something RRSP withdrawals alone don't allow), using the income gap between spouses to shift income to the lower-earning partner's tax bracket, recalculating the optimal T1032 split every year as CPP, OAS, and RIF minimums change, and protecting OAS from clawback on both spouses' returns. He also walks through what happens if one spouse passes away first, and why building survivor benefit planning into the plan now (rather than after) matters for the surviving spouse's tax bill down the road. 👉 Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/PUY-5QzPj8A  Question for our listeners: If you're part of a couple, have you looked at your combined retirement income picture, or are you and your spouse still planning around two separate numbers? 👉 Complimentary portfolio analysis: https://tmfg.ca/portfolio-analysis/  Follow us: LinkedIn: The McClelland Financial Group Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tmfg.ca  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themcclellandfinancialgroup_/

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About

AskTMFG, brought to you by The McClelland Financial Group of CI Assante Wealth Management Ltd, offers clear and straightforward guidance on investing, retirement planning, and wealth management. We address your most pressing financial questions and share practical strategies to help you plan with confidence and stay on track toward achieving your goals. Hosted by: Carlo Cansino, Senior Financial Advisor and John Iaconetti, Financial Advisor at The McClelland Financial Group of CI Assante Wealth Management Ltd. Follow us: Click here to request a meeting: https://tmfg.ca/schedule/ Check the episode video on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TmfgCa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tmfg.ca Instagram: instagram.com/themcclellandfinancialgroup_/ Please visit www.assante.com/legal for important legal and regulatory disclosures.

Information

  • Creator
    asktmfg
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    62
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
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    AskTMFG The Podcast