About this session
Canadian retirement planning rarely sits inside one account. An employee may eventually draw income from CPP or QPP, Old Age Security, a workplace pension or group retirement plan, an RRSP or RRIF, a TFSA, and other personal savings.
Each layer works differently, and the useful starting point is understanding what each one does before trying to make decisions across them.
This session builds that map. Participants learn how RRSP contribution room and deductions differ from TFSA contribution room, why RRSP withdrawals and TFSA withdrawals receive different tax treatment, and why a TFSA withdrawal does not immediately restore contribution room.
They also connect personal registered accounts with workplace retirement arrangements and public pensions without treating any one source as the complete retirement plan.
The later stages focus on the move from accumulation to retirement income.
Participants learn what happens to an RRSP as it approaches maturity, explore RRIFs and other retirement-income routes at a high level, consider the role of pension timing, inflation, longevity, beneficiaries, and ongoing review, and build a Canadian Retirement Review Checklist they can revisit privately as circumstances and rules change.
What your people take away
- Map the major Canadian retirement-income layers across public pensions, workplace arrangements, RRSPs, TFSAs, and other savings
- Understand the practical differences between RRSP and TFSA contribution, tax, withdrawal, and contribution-room rules
- Connect employer retirement benefits with a broader personal retirement picture without duplicating benefits-plan navigation
- Understand how RRSP savings can transition toward RRIF or other retirement-income options
- Build a repeatable retirement-review process and recognize decisions that require individualized financial, tax, pension, or legal advice
Shared with you
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What each length covers
30 minutes
30 Minutes — Key Points: Map Your Canadian Retirement SystemA focused 30-minute session on three key points from Map Your Canadian Retirement System: see retirement as a system, not one account, separate public, workplace & personal retirement resources and identify the information you actually need.
- See retirement as a system, not one account
- Separate public, workplace & personal retirement resources
- Identify the information you actually need
Covers 3 of 4 points in Map Your Canadian Retirement System.
60 minutes
60 Minutes — Module 1: Map Your Canadian Retirement SystemStart with the complete retirement-income picture. Participants distinguish public pensions, workplace retirement arrangements, RRSPs, TFSAs, RRIFs, and other personal savings; identify what information they already have; and create a Canadian Retirement Income Map showing how the different layers may eventually work together.
- Module 1: Map Your Canadian Retirement System
- Canadian Retirement Income Map
- Public / Workplace / Personal Retirement Layers
- Retirement Account & Plan Information Check
- Questions to Clarify Before Making Retirement Decisions
- Live Q&A
Covers 1 of 4 parts: Map Your Canadian Retirement System.
90 minutes
90 Minutes — Modules 1 and 2: Map Retirement Income & Understand RRSP / TFSA RulesBuild on the retirement-income map with a practical comparison of RRSP and TFSA mechanics. Participants examine contribution room, deductions, tax treatment, withdrawals, recontribution rules, and the different roles registered accounts can play without being told which account they should prioritize.
- Module 1: Map Your Canadian Retirement System
- Module 2: Use RRSP & TFSA Rules Correctly
- RRSP Mechanics & Contribution-Room Check
- TFSA Contribution-Room & Withdrawal Check
- RRSP / TFSA Role Comparison
- Live Q&A
Covers 2 of 4 parts: Map Your Canadian Retirement System and Use RRSP & TFSA Rules Correctly.
3 hours
Covers 3 of 4 parts: Map Your Canadian Retirement System, Use RRSP & TFSA Rules Correctly and Move From Retirement Saving to Retirement Income.
Full day
Full Day — Complete Canadian Retirement Planning WorkshopExplore all four modules with time for worked examples and guided review. Participants map Canadian retirement-income sources, compare RRSP and TFSA rules, connect personal savings with workplace and public pensions, examine the transition from RRSP accumulation to retirement income, and build a practical Canadian Retirement Review Checklist. The workshop develops understanding and questions rather than prescribing a retirement strategy.
- Module 1: Map Your Canadian Retirement System
- Module 2: Use RRSP & TFSA Rules Correctly
- Module 3: Move From Retirement Saving to Retirement Income
- Module 4: Build a Canadian Retirement Review System
- Canadian Retirement Income Map
- RRSP / TFSA comparison exercises
- Contribution-room scenario practice
- Workplace and public pension integration exercise
- RRSP-to-RRIF transition map
- Canadian Retirement Review Checklist
- Live Q&A
Covers all 4 parts.
Also available as a 4-week or 8-week program, for change that lasts. Ask us about it.
What’s covered
Map Your Canadian Retirement System
Every length- See retirement as a system, not one accountParticipants map the retirement-income layers they may encounter across Canada.
- Separate public, workplace & personal retirement resourcesParticipants distinguish income connected to public pension programs from benefits provided through an employer and accounts they manage personally.
- Identify the information you actually needParticipants identify the documents and information that can make future retirement decisions more informed.
- Build a Retirement-Income Map before making changesParticipants create a simple Retirement Income Map showing what they already have, what they still need to investigate, and which organization holds the relevant information.
Use RRSP & TFSA Rules Correctly
90 minutes and longer- Understand what RRSP contribution room & deductions actually meanParticipants learn that RRSP contribution and deduction decisions depend on the individual's available deduction limit and that workplace pension participation can affect available room through pension adjustments.
- Understand the RRSP tax trade-offDeductible RRSP contributions can reduce taxable income, and investment income generally remains sheltered from annual tax while it stays inside the plan.
- Use TFSA contribution & withdrawal rules without creating room errorsParticipants learn that TFSA contributions are not deductible, while investment income and withdrawals are generally tax-free.
- Compare account roles without asking which one is always betterParticipants compare RRSPs and TFSAs across contribution treatment, withdrawal treatment, access, contribution-room mechanics, retirement transition, and interaction with other retirement resources.
Move From Retirement Saving to Retirement Income
3 hours and longer- Connect workplace retirement with the wider planParticipants place a defined benefit pension, defined contribution pension, group RRSP, DPSP, PRPP, or another actual employer arrangement into the wider retirement picture.
- Understand why public-pension timing is a decisionCPP or QPP and OAS can form part of retirement income, but the timing rules and resulting payment amounts are not identical across programs.
- Understand what happens when an RRSP reaches maturityUnder current Canadian rules, an RRSP must be dealt with by the end of the year in which the annuitant turns 71.
- Compare retirement-income sources before assuming they are interchangeableParticipants compare supplied examples involving pension income, RRIF payments, RRSP withdrawals, TFSA withdrawals, and other savings.
Build a Canadian Retirement Review System
Full day only- Plan for a retirement that may last decadesParticipants consider how inflation, longevity, changing expenses, housing, healthcare, investment uncertainty, and unexpected life events can affect retirement planning over time.
- Connect beneficiaries, family & estate questionsParticipants identify where beneficiary designations, spouse or partner circumstances, pension survivor provisions, RRSP or RRIF treatment, TFSA successor or beneficiary arrangements, and estate documents can intersect.
- Review the plan when life or rules changeParticipants create review triggers around employment changes, marriage or partnership changes, separation, parenthood, retirement timing, significant health changes, moving provinces, moving into or out of Quebec, becoming non-resident, approaching RRSP maturity, or changes in Canadian tax and pension rules.
- Know when the question has become personal adviceParticipants learn to distinguish general information from decisions that depend on personal income, marginal tax rates, pension entitlements, investment holdings, spouse or partner circumstances, estate objectives, expected spending, or retirement timing.
Tools and materials
- Canadian Retirement Income Map
- Retirement Terminology Guide
- Public / Workplace / Personal Retirement Layers Guide
- Retirement Information Checklist
- Workplace Retirement Arrangement Guide
- Public Pension Layer Map
- RRSP Mechanics & Room Checklist
- Contribution vs Deduction Explainer
- RRSP Decision Questions
- TFSA Contribution-Room & Withdrawal Checklist
- TFSA Recontribution Scenario
- RRSP / TFSA Account Role Matrix
- Retirement Account Role Matrix
- RRSP-to-RRIF Transition Map
- Retirement Income Source Map
How booking works
- Book online. Create a free Workbliss profile, then pay with session credits, by card or by invoice.
- Pick a date. Choose a date at least 14 days ahead, or book now and set the date later.
- Choose your expert. Within 3 working days, we send you profiles of the experts available for your date.
- We deliver it. Your expert is briefed on your people and goals, then runs the session live online or at your site.
Questions about Retirement Planning - Canada: RRSP and TFSA Optimization
How long is Retirement Planning - Canada: RRSP and TFSA Optimization?
Retirement Planning - Canada: RRSP and TFSA Optimization runs as 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, 3 hours or full day. You choose the length when you book. A 30-minute session covers three key points from Map Your Canadian Retirement System: see retirement as a system, not one account, separate public, workplace & personal retirement resources and identify the information you actually need. A 60-minute session covers Map Your Canadian Retirement System in full, with a live Q&A. A 90-minute session adds Use RRSP & TFSA Rules Correctly. A 3-hour session adds Move From Retirement Saving to Retirement Income. A full-day session adds Build a Canadian Retirement Review System. It is also available as a 4-week or 8-week program.
Can Retirement Planning - Canada: RRSP and TFSA Optimization be delivered online or in person?
Yes, both. It runs live online, so every office can join at the same time, or in person at your site, in any country.
How do we book Retirement Planning - Canada: RRSP and TFSA Optimization?
Create a free Workbliss profile with your work email, then open Retirement Planning - Canada: RRSP and TFSA Optimization to see the price for each length and book it. You can pay with session credits, by card or by invoice, and choose a date at least 14 days ahead, or set it later.
Who leads the session?
A vetted Workbliss expert, briefed on your people, culture and goals before the session. After you book, we send you profiles of the experts available for your date within 3 working days, so you can choose who leads it.
Can it be tailored to our company?
Yes. Every session is shaped around your goals, your people and the benefits you already offer, and delivered by experts in your people’s languages.