Retired Money

By Jonathan Chevreau on June 19, 2025
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

By Jonathan Chevreau on June 19, 2025
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Retirement Club for Canadians offers a sounding board and resources for people who do retirement finance all on their own.

Given that the financial media has long spent an inordinate amount of space on the topic of retirement, it seems the time was right for a retirement club devoted to Canadians on or near the cusp of retirement.

A few months ago, the Retirement Club for Canadians was launched by occasional MoneySense contributor Dale Roberts and a partner, Brent Schmidt of Strategic Fuel. Roberts, who once was a financial advisor for Tangerine Bank, is known for his Cutthecrapinvesting blog and his contributions to Seeking Alpha.

While I have no financial or business interest in the club, I did become a member. Monthly Zoom calls feature guest experts who present educational segments, which members can query and discuss. Topics include how to use retirement cash-flow calculators, building portfolios to match the plan, managing risk, the 4% withdrawal rule, how to best use different account types, RRSP-to-RRIF conversions, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), asset allocation in the age of Trump 2.0 and many other topics this Retired Money column often tackles. Club members also exchange views on softer lifestyle issues like how to create a retirement life plan and prepare for a life stage filled with vitality, pleasure and purpose.

You can find Roberts’ own announcement of the club—which charges an annual fee of $250—posted on my own site in mid-April. (It charges HST, but the total expense may qualify as an investment counsel fee deductible on your income tax return. As always, check with your financial advisor or accountant.) Asked to distill the club’s mission into one sentence, Roberts says it “would be moving retirees from a feeling of uncertainty to certainty. A retiree’s greatest fear is often the concern that they will outlast their money.”

The retirement cash-flow calculators help club members discover how to use their RRSP/RRIF/LIF, TFSA, corporate and taxable accounts in concert with company pensions, Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Old Age Security (OAS), and other income sources. The calculators help retirees determine when to draw income from each account, and the rate of spending from each, the........

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