Making voluntary contributions to the Public Employees Pension Plan (PEPP) and contributing to Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs) lets you benefit now and in retirement.

Both types of contributions allow your retirement savings to grow while you pay less tax. Although they offer similar benefits, you will want to take time to analyze your personal situation to see if voluntary contributions to PEPP and/or RRSPs suit your needs best.

Most people have methods to improve their physical health. There are also ways to improve your finance and investment health.

Here are five best practices you may want to consider:

1. Save more.

Most people have methods to improve their physical health. There are also ways to improve your finance and investment health.

Here are five best practices you may want to consider:

1. Save more

Set aside a certain amount of money every month for your retirement savings and/ or other short-term goals. You may wish to make a monthly budget – then, chart your progress month-to-month and make changes, if needed.

Planning for retirement is not a one-size-fits-all recipe. Money is the magic ingredient. But how much money do you really need? Here are some tips to help remove the frustration:

As you plan for your retirement, you may hear others talk about the three-legged stool. This analogy means that most Canadians have three income sources in retirement.

First, do you know what each leg represents? The three sources include employer pension plans, government benefits, along with personal savings and investments.

The financial landscape is different than it was several years ago. Interest rates are going up, and many families are tightening their budgets. What happens if you can’t make ends meet and declare bankruptcy? Does this impact your retirement savings?

We can’t predict the future, but we can learn more about our financial options.

Did you know that you now have additional protection when dealing with your financial institution? The changes apply to banks, authorized foreign banks, and federal credit unions.

You’re considering borrowing money for a major life event. But why are interest rates so high? The answer is inflation. Inflation shows us how the economy is doing and where it is headed.

The Bank of Canada defines inflation as “the persistent rise over time in the average price of goods and services – in the cost of living.” A rise in inflation means that your paycheck won’t go as far as it did last year; things now cost more. If you have a fixed income, you may need to tighten your budget.

Life happens – and that’s true for everyone. Even if you have saved money for spending and retirement, you may still need to borrow for special occasions. Not all reasons for borrowing are bad, and borrowing itself can be done intelligently if you’ve already planned a budget!

Reasons you may need to borrow include:

We’ve talked previously about budgeting. An important thing to include in your budget is an emergency fund. Saving for an emergency before it happens is one way to achieve financial wellness.

Before I started paying off my debts, I saved my money until I had enough for a small emergency fund of about $1000. I have this money tucked away so I can pay cash, instead of using credit, if something unexpected happens.