RRSP contributions
The Daily, Statistics Canada, Nov. 8th 2007.
Almost 88% of tax filers were eligible to contribute to an RRSP for the 2006 tax year. Of those, only 31% actually made contributions. The $32.4 billion they contributed was about 7.0% of the room available.
http://www.statcan.ca/

What is a CPP retirement pension?
Canada Pension Plan ?Retirement Pension, Social Development Canada, Feb. 2005
A CPP retirement pension is a monthly benefit paid to people who have contributed to the Canada Pension Plan. The pension is designed to replace about 25 percent of the earnings on which a person's contributions were based.
http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/isp/pub/factsheets/retire.shtml

How does the CPP calculate my retirement pension?
The CPP retirement pension is indexed to the Consumer Price Index annually. The average monthly retirement pension in 2006 was $473.09. The maximum was $863.75. Will you have enough to retire?
http://www1.servicecanada.gc.ca/en/isp/pub/factsheets/rates.shtml

Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security
Human Resources and Social Development Canada
The OAS (Old Age Security) and CPP (Canada Pension Plan) are designed to "provide a modest base upon which Canadians can build their retirement income." Find out more about your retirement readiness based on HRSDC's criteria. Links on this page include:

• Application forms
• Retirement income calculator
• Old age security program
• Canada pension plan

http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/oas-cpp/index.shtml

Portrait of the Canadian Population in 2006, by Age and Sex: Findings
The Daily, Statistics Canada, Jul. 17th, 2007
Data from the 2006 Census showed that the number of seniors aged 65 years and over surpassed the 4-million mark for the first time. The average person lives at least 3 different economic lives:

1. Childhood, based on economic consumerism;
2. Adulthood, based on economic productivity;
3. "Golden Age" based economic accumulation (what financial resources we have accumulated during the previous period).

The overview: http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/070717/d070717a.htm
Complete report: http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/analysis/agesex/index.cfm

Baby boomers
The baby boomer's generation is about the begin retiring at the end of this decade. In Canada there are 6 million "boomers" or roughly 20% or the total population.

Net worth of family units, by selected family characteristics
Statistics Canada compiles a number of tables on income, pensions, spending and wealth.

• Income, pensions, spending and wealth »
• Household assets, debts and wealth »
• Household spending and savings »
• Household, family and personal income »
• Low income and inequality »
• Pension plans and funds and other retirement income programs »

Inflation
Don't forget to include inflation when calculating projected value of your investments. A 5-10 year government bond yields about 4% interest. After inflation, real returns would be about 2%. For the full inflation report, go to:
http://www.bankofcanada.ca/en/ragan_paper/inflation.html

Planning for retirement: are Canadians saving enough?
Canadian Institute of Actuaries, Jun. 2007
If you are considering retiring in 2030, ask yourself the following three simple questions:

1. Do you contribute at least 15 percent of your yearly earnings to a Registered Retirement Savings Plan?
2. Does your employer sponsor a workplace pension plan?
3. Do you own a home and do you intend to have it paid for by retirement?

If you are 40 years old or over, and have not given much thought to these questions, your retirement planning picture may be somewhat troubled. While this is not good news, you should know that you are not alone. Estimates show that two-thirds of Canadians may not be saving at the levels required to meet required household expenses in retirement.
For the full report, go to: http://www.actuaries.ca/members/publications/2007/CIA%20Retirement%20(E).pdf

Gold
Gold is priced and traded in U.S. dollars and can be purchased in both RSP and margin accounts. Clients holding Canadian funds are offered preferential currency conversion rates on all purchases and sales of gold. Go to Questrade's gold pricing page for the current spot price.