Pension Confidential: 50 Things You Don't Know About Your Pension and Investments

Robert Drummond, Chris Roberts

James Lorimer & Company, Dec 3, 2012 - Business & Economics - 232 pages

The media says you should be worried about your pension, the banks and financial advisors say Canadians aren't saving enough for their retirement, and Ottawa says drastic cuts to the Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security lie ahead. Is the future sounding a little ominous? In the face of all this negativity, just what are you supposed to do?

Pension experts Robert Drummond and Chris Roberts have nothing to sell, and they aren't trying to undermine government programs. This means they can provide unbiased and reliable advice, which is what they do in this no-holds-barred book.

Contents

• Introduction: 7
• 1 Why do I hear so much about pensions these days?: 11
• 2 What are pensions all about anyway?: 15
• 3 Why is there so much bafflegab about pensions?: 20
• 4 Who benefits from my confusion?: 25
• 5 Will I be poor?: 29
• 6 What do the experts say about retirement?: 34
• 7 Is something borrowed making me blue?: 38
• 8 Will I be able to retire to the south of France or anywhere else?: 43
• 9 How big does my piggy bank have to be?: 47
• 10 What is the retirement income system?: 51
• 11 What changes to my pension lie ahead?: 55
• 12 Whats wrong with raising the retirement age?: 59
• 13 Rainy today Chile tomorrow?: 63
• 14 Are our reform politicians blocking reform?: 69
• 15 How do I know what I dont know?: 74
• 16 If its not too late to learn what do I need to know?: 78
• 17 Whats so secure about securities?: 83
• 18 Whos gambling with my money?: 89
• 19 Why do I keep hearing about financial literacy?: 94
• 20 Why does my financial advisor contact me more often than my friends?: 97
• 21 Are RRSPs the answer to retirement planning?: 100
• 22 What are TaxFree Savings Accounts?: 105
• 23 Is our pension system a joke?: 110
• 24 What should I do with my savings?: 114
• 25 How can I invest my money ethically?: 118
• 26 What questions should I ask my financial advisor?: 122
• 27 Why should the government care about my pension?: 126
• 28 Retired or just tired?: 131
• 29 Isnt my pension part of my wages?: 134
• 30 Will my kids hate me?: 137
• 31 Will my kids have to support me when I retire?: 142
• 32 Will I have to support my kids?: 146
• 33 Who gets Old Age Security?: 149
• 34 If I only get OAS and GIS will I be poor?: 154
• 35 What do I need to know about applying for my government pensions?: 158
• 36 Whatever happened to company pension plans?: 163
• 37 What is a funded plan and why does it matter?: 167
• 38 Who really has a real goldplated pension?: 171
• 39 What makes a good company pension?: 175
• 40 Whos risky now?: 179
• 41 Isnt it better to know what Im getting than what Im giving?: 184
• 42 What would make notsogood company pensions better?: 188
• 43 Should I worry about my pension if the company is in trouble?: 192
• 44 The companys okay but is my pension safe?: 197
• 45 What happens to my pension if Im laid off?: 200
• 46 How do recessions affect my retirement?: 204
• 47 How does the CPP work?: 207
• 48 What should be done to improve the CPP?: 211
• 49 As the rich get richer do the rest of us have to keep working until we die?: 216
• 50 How can I ensure I have a good retirement?: 220
• References: 224
• A List of Resources: 226
• Index: 229

About the author

ROBERT DRUMMOND is Professor of Political Science and Public Policy and Administration at York University, specializing in Canadian politics and policy for an aging society. He is a former Dean of the Faculty of Arts and will retire from the University in July 2012.
CHRIS ROBERTS holds the title of Senior Researcher in the Canadian Labour Congress's Social and Economic Policy Department, where he works on pension, immigration policy, and other issues.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Pension Confidential: 50 Things You Don't Know About Your Pension and Investments
• Authors: Robert Drummond, Chris Roberts
• Publisher: James Lorimer & Company, 2012
• ISBN: 1459402677, 9781459402676
• Length: 232 pages
• Subjects: Business & Economics / Investments & Securities / General; Business & Economics / Personal Finance / General; Business & Economics / Personal Finance / Investing; Business & Economics / Personal Finance / Retirement Planning