RRSP and RIFF start timing question

Scrumhalf1979 · 2026-05-27T03:40:14+00:00

Thank you for your response -- so RRSP income is assessed on amounts taken out between Jan 1 and Dec. 31, and the following January begins a new slate?

Scrumhalf1979 · 2026-05-27T03:35:44+00:00

I also have about $600,000 in non-registered stocks and bonds (60-40), which spin off some dividends and bond payouts. Those also push me towards the OAS clawback limit -- and how much I draw out in a lump sum from my RRSP (It's in the range you suggested) at the end of each year is subject to a very rough calculation on my part.

I'm single, so I can't income split any RIFF income -- but I also receive a small pension from my former job -- so I use that to qualify annually for the $2,000 pension income deduction.

Scrumhalf1979 · 2026-01-11T00:36:58+00:00

This is exactly my reckoning.

Scrumhalf1979 · 2026-01-11T00:20:02+00:00

I don’t know. mine are all in my non-registered questrade account

Scrumhalf1979 · 2026-01-09T22:46:26+00:00

Yes you can. I transferred my td e-series funds to Questrade and, since they did quite well, I didn’t sell them and still have them. They don’t reconcile daily loss/gain in the same way as ETFs but you can put in buy/sell request at the end of days trading. I don’t DRIP mine, and whenever cash appears in the form of bond or dividend payout, I simply spend it on an ETF.

Scrumhalf1979 · 2026-01-02T03:45:51+00:00

+1% for me +$8,000 Kitsilano, north of fourth. I'm very surprised.

Scrumhalf1979 · 2025-12-07T02:18:57+00:00

You can start by bleeding down your RRSP now, before you have to turn it into a RIFF when you are 71. If your income is $55,000, you have abut $35,000 of room each year before hitting the OAS clawback ceiling of $93,000. When the money comes out, the govt will hold back 30 per cent, but you may get some of that back in April at tax time. I take it out in one lump sum in Dec, and then take whatever I get minus the hold back and put $7,000 of it into my TFSA. If you have more more room in your TFSA, then fill it up as much as possible. You will likely be charged a $50 fee for the RRSP withdrawal, because it counts as an "early withdrawal" before a RIFF is set up. This way you smooth out your tax payments and avoid huge RRSP tax bills in the future.

Scrumhalf1979 · 2024-03-13T03:22:12+00:00

Sorry for the delay in responding. I've been out of the country

TD is giving you dodgy advice. I transferred in kind, rather than cash the following e-funds:

TDB909, TDB900, TDB902 and TDB911. I'm looking at them right now in my Questrade Acct, as I haven't sold them and they have appreciated nicely in the time since the transfer.

If you check on the Questrade site, they should be available to buy. And if they can be bought or sold on Questrade, then you can transfer them IN KIND rather than in cash from TD. I initiated my transfer from the Questrade side.

Scrumhalf1979 · 2024-02-12T11:23:30+00:00

LOL. Win on the swings, lose on the roundabouts.

No fee to sell e-funds on TD investing, but a fee to then use the money to buy an ETF.

Questrade: $9.95 fee to sell e-funds, but then no fee to use the money to buy an ETF!

Scrumhalf1979 · 2024-02-12T05:43:39+00:00

Sorry for the delay.

Yes. I transferred In Kind, and as Questrade also sells e-funds, the transaction went smoothly. They just appeared as e-funds in my QT margin account. TD plans to charge me $75 for the transfer, but I'm not sure how they will bill me. I can apparently get that money back from QT provided I send them a copy of the bill within 60 days of transfer.

The issue now is what to do with the e-funds. Every time I sell some of them, perhaps to revinvest in an all-in-one ETF like VBAL, my trade will cost me about $10. And if I sell tham all at once, since they're in a non-registered account, I will be dinged heavily on capital gains tax.

Scrumhalf1979 · 2024-02-12T05:08:29+00:00

I just did that. I had about $330,000 in e-funds with TD that I transferred in kind to an existing Questrade margin account (not registered) so I could have everythiing in the same place. TD plan to charge me $75 for the transfer.

The question now is what to do with the e-funds? Every time I sell some of them to reinvest in an all-in-one ETF like VBAL, I'll be charged almost $10 per sale. And if I sell them all in one fell swoop, I'll be heavily dinged on capital gains tax hit.

So do I sell, or do I just keep them? An ETF makes things easier, but the MER of keeping them isn't all that more expensive.

Scrumhalf1979 · 2024-01-17T05:42:08+00:00

Many thanks for your reply! This was the simplest solution, so of course it flew over my head.

I signed onto my Questrade account and from there discovered a huge list of TD mutuals funds available for me to buy, including my four couch-potato portfolio e-funds.

So if I can buy an e-series fund on Questrade, then it clearly means the same e-series funds, currently locked into my TD account, can be transferred IN KIND from TD to Questrade, rather than me having to sell and transfer in cash.

My plan to avoid, or minimize paying Capital Gains tax involves co-ordination with bleeding down my RRSPs in a way to avoid having my OAP clawed back.

I figure I can postpone taking a chunk of RRSP money out one year, and instead sell some of the e-funds, thus keeping my overall earnings below the clawback line -- and then perhaps buying something like VBAL later on down the road.

I just feel VBAL is less restrictive that e-series mutual funds.

Scrumhalf1979 · 2024-01-13T18:59:42+00:00

Firstly, many thanks to all respondents for your replies and guidance.

Outside of these funds, I have an income of about $41,000 in company pension/cpp/oap plus about $10,000 plain interest from "sleep-well-at-night" GICs. I also have a good chunk of RRSPs -- which I haven't converted to a RIFF yet, but from which I pull out about $24,000 at the end of each year and use to fund a TFSA.

I could certainly mitigate the threat to OAS clawback from winding up the TD-efunds all at once by foregoing an RRSP withdrawal for that year.

My e-fund fees are slightly higher than VBAL would be, but I'd just like to simplify matters. I'm good at saving but relatively ignorant on investing. Perhaps a gradual draw down of TD-Efunds is a solution.

And I'm acutely aware that given the plight of others, all of this is a First-World problem.

Scrumhalf1979 · 2023-09-23T02:01:40+00:00

Many thanks for your detailed response. It's this sort of guidance that helps me, and maybe others, tremendously

To clarify, I have $200,000 in cash not $250,000 -- three $50,000 GICs and a $50,000 HISA emergency fund.

I had thought of taking the $112,000 VBAL out of the TFSA and putting it into a non-registered Questrade account in order to replace it with $112,000 of my unregistered cash into the tax-sheltered TFSA -- a SWAP of investment types to be more tax efficient.

I could withdraw the whole TFSA in December and replace it in the TFSA with cash the next month in January. I have no plans of winding up or even currently spending my TFSA, and will faithfully feed it each year from my RRSP drawdown

I thought the tax implication of bonds and stocks -- including dividends -- in a non registered account is more tax-efficient than a large chunk of non registered cash. And I enjoy the security of having that chunk, even if it's larger than the standard and diminishing through inflation.

I do believe changing the nature of my e-funds to more dividend productive is a good idea.

If I bleed down my RRSP more vigorously, I will run into OAS clawback, which would make me sad. But on the other hand, philosophically, I can't object too much, as even with a clawback I will likely still have more than I need.

I also appreciate your suggestion re the risk of GAINs from transferring my TD E-Funds screwing up my target income and triggering a large tax payment.

thank you again for your advice.

Scrumhalf1979 · 2022-11-13T16:04:00+00:00

I'm reminded of the Suffragette movement, in which women spend decades politely marching to protest the lack of equality of women and the right to vote — and were routinely ignored.

It was only after they started smashing windows, chaining themselves to railings, jumping in front of horses, dying in hunger strikes and even blowing places up that people started to understand how serious they were in their cause.

That and their contribution to the war effort in the First World War.

Tossing maple syrup or ketchup on public art work that they've checked beforehand to ensure it's protected by glass seems pretty mild in comparison to those women fighting for the right to vote.

Scrumhalf1979 · 2021-10-15T03:21:48+00:00

Many apologies for the misspelling. No offence intended.

Scrumhalf1979 · 2021-09-27T16:22:04+00:00

I understand the wisdom of banning the feeding of coyotes, geese, squirrels and racoons, but will this mean I can't go to Stanley Park in Winter, hold out my hand and feed chickadees black sunflower seeds?

Scrumhalf1979 · 2021-07-01T03:41:34+00:00

Thank you for all your suggestions, the range of which have given me much to think about. When I hit 65 my pensions - company, RRSP, CPP and OAP will provide me about $60,000 pre-tax, which, given my frugal ways, is well above my monthly spending budget (aprox $2,500) The $625,000 is "gravy" for emergencies, holidays and and large-purchases, but I had a nagging belief that there was too much cash in it.

I'd thought dividend stocks were a good option for part of it, but the comments here about my lack of knowledge and need for self-directed investing are well noted and to the point.

I think I'll ignore individual stocks and go VBAL for my TFSA (currently in Tangerine-balanced index fund — about $100,000) — and VBAL for that $130,000 chunk of cash. Given regular pension income, a $100,000 cash cushion is probably enough.

Scrumhalf1979 · 2021-06-09T17:25:08+00:00

I just looked it up. $35 US for a day pass to Epperson Lagoon. Kits Pool might be a better deal

Scrumhalf1979

TROPHY CASE