AskTMFG The Podcast

In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, Carlo Cansino walks through a step-by-step drawdown strategy for a 67-year-old retiree with $1M in an RRSP and no pension. He shows how CPP and OAS (boosted through deferral) form the income floor, why withdrawing $35,000/year from the RRSP before mandatory RIF conversion at 71 beats waiting, and how routing that money into the TFSA builds tax-free flexibili...

In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, Carlo Cansino and John Iaconetti explore why so many financially prepared Canadians still feel disappointed in retirement, a pattern they call the retirement disappointment gap. They dig into the psychological side of retirement that most planning ignores: loss of identity and structure after leaving work, how Canadian winters can deepen isolation, and how b...

In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, Senior Financial Advisor Carlo Cansino breaks down the RRSP-to-RRIF conversion mistake costing Canadians with $1M+ in savings up to $50,000 -$200,000 in avoidable lifetime taxes. The conversation covers the mandatory conversion deadline at age 71, rising minimum withdrawal rates, and how those withdrawals stack with CPP, OAS, and investment income to trigger...

In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, Financial Advisors Carlo Cansino and John Iaconetti dig into a striking statistic: 1 in 5 Canadians have NO retirement plan whatsoever. The conversation explores what the latest data reveals about retirement readiness in Canada, why RRSP contributions are falling sharply (especially among younger Canadians), and how rising costs, debt, and stagnant wages are...

In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, Carlo Cansino explains how the July 2026 Old Age Security recalculation could quietly reduce the monthly benefit of well-prepared Canadian retirees, often without any letter, phone call, or warning. The conversation explores why OAS is recalculated quarterly rather than once a year, and why the "clawback" catches far more retirees off guard than just the ver...

In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, financial advisors Carlo Cansino and John Iaconetti tackle one of the most common retirement misconceptions Canadians hold: that reaching $1.5 million means you're financially set for retirement. The conversation explores why $1.5 million may not be the safe number many people assume, how inflation silently cuts purchasing power in half over a 30-year retire...

In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, Carlo Cansino reveals how one retirement income strategy saved a Canadian retiree more than $200,000 in taxes, with the exact same savings, investments, and lifestyle as the alternative plan. The conversation explores why most retirees assume their tax bill in retirement is largely fixed, how withdrawing from the wrong account at the wrong time can cost tens...

In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, Financial Advisors Carlo Cansino and John Iaconetti reveal a truth that goes against conventional wisdom: Why delaying retirement past age 60 could actually be costing you. The conversation explores why age 60 is such a critical inflection point, why the old advice to "just work longer and save more" often backfires, and why chasing magic numbers like $1 mil...

In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, we tackle one of the biggest transitions Canadians face in retirement: what to do after downsizing your family home. The conversation explores why downsizing is a retirement planning event rather than just a real estate decision, how a tax-free lump sum can affect taxes, OAS clawbacks, and long-term flexibility, and why the biggest mistakes happen after the...

In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, Financial Advisors Carlo Cansino and John Iaconetti tackle a question many Canadians ask after reaching a major financial milestone: What happens if you stop saving for retirement after accumulating $1 million? The conversation explores the psychological shift that often occurs after reaching seven figures, why $1 million can create a false sense of financia...

In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, Financial Advisor Carlo Cansino discusses one of the most overlooked retirement planning risks for Canadian couples: what happens financially when a spouse passes away. The conversation explores how retirement income can change after the loss of a spouse, including the impact on CPP survivor benefits, pensions, RRIF withdrawals, income splitting opportunitie...

In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, Financial Advisors Carlo Cansino and John Iaconetti break down one of the most common retirement questions Canadians ask: Is $850,000 enough to retire and never work again? The conversation explores how CPP, OAS, withdrawal strategies, and spending habits can dramatically change what retirement actually looks like for Canadians. Carlo and John also discuss t...

In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, Senior Financial Advisor Carlo Cansino explains why taking only the minimum RRIF withdrawal may not always lead to the best long-term tax outcome. The conversation explores how growing RRIF balances can eventually lead to larger mandatory withdrawals, higher taxable income, OAS clawbacks, and increased estate tax exposure later in retirement. We also break d...

In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, Financial Advisors Carlo Cansino and John Iaconetti break down how the decline of pension coverage in Canada has completely changed retirement planning for millions of Canadians. They explain why having a pension can dramatically improve retirement security, and why not having one may require a very different savings and investment strategy. The conversation...

In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, Senior Financial Advisor Carlo Cansino breaks down the estate tax trap many Canadian retirees unknowingly build over time. He explains how RRSPs, RRIFs, cottages, and investment accounts can eventually create a large future tax bill if there’s no long-term withdrawal and estate strategy behind them. He explores how retirement income, RRIF withdrawals, and un...

In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, Financial Advisors Carlo Cansino and John Iaconetti break down why blindly maximizing your RRSP every year may actually work against your long-term financial plan. They explain how high-interest debt, lower retirement tax brackets, RRSP loans, and poor contribution timing can quietly create opportunity costs that many Canadians never account for. The convers...

In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, Senior Financial Advisor Carlo Cansino breaks down how enhanced CPP is quietly changing retirement planning for Canadians approaching retirement between now and 2027. He explains how larger CPP payments may eventually interact with RRIF withdrawals, Old Age Security (OAS), and taxable investment income, creating retirement tax and clawback issues many retire...

In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, Carlo Cansino and John Iaconetti break down 9 strategic purchases that can help create a stronger retirement plan. They discuss how guaranteed income sources like annuities, dividend-paying investments, and rental properties can help support long-term cash flow, while protection strategies such as insurance and diversified assets can help reduce financial ri...

In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, Carlo Cansino and John Iaconetti break down what a $1 million RRSP at age 65 could realistically provide in monthly retirement income, and why the answer depends on far more than just the account balance. They discuss how taxes, RRIF withdrawals, inflation, investment returns, and retirement timing all affect how long your money lasts and how much income you...

In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, Carlo Cansino and John Iaconetti break down how the order you claim CPP, RRSP withdrawals, and Old Age Security can significantly impact your lifetime retirement income. They walk through the key factors behind each decision, from how life expectancy and health influence CPP timing, to how RRSP withdrawals can be used strategically in low-income years, and h...

In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, Carlo Cansino and John Iaconetti break down retirement into five distinct levels for 2026, showing that where you stand isn’t just about how much you’ve saved, but how your income, taxes, housing, and benefits all work together. They walk through each level, from relying primarily on government benefits to having fully self-directed income, and explain what...

In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, Carlo Cansino and John Iaconetti challenge the idea that a pension alone is the safest path to retirement. They walk through seven different assets, from TFSAs and RRIFs to real estate, GICs, annuities, life insurance, and dividend-paying stocks, and explain how each one can offer more control, flexibility, and in some cases, even more security than relying...

In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, Carlo Cansino and John Iaconetti focus on a reality that’s becoming more common: retiring on your own. They walk through why it can quietly cost more in taxes, how income from RRIFs, CPP, OAS, and investments can pile up faster than expected, and where OAS clawbacks can start to creep in. More importantly, they show how small changes in how you draw income a...

In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, Financial Advisors Carlo Cansino and John Iaconetti explore a shift that’s happening quietly among Canadian retirees: Why many are moving away from relying solely on RRSPs. While RRSPs have long been a cornerstone of retirement planning, the reality is that they’re built on tax deferral, not tax elimination. And for many retirees, that can lead to higher tax...

In this episode of the AskTMFG Podcast, Financial Advisors Carlo Cansino and John Iaconetti revisit one of the most widely used rules in retirement planning: Why the 4% rule may not be as reliable as it once seemed. While it’s often used as a simple way to estimate retirement income, the reality is that it relies on assumptions that don’t always hold, like stable markets, consistent inflation, and...