CPP & OAS timing
We model the break-even ages for CPP deferral and assess OAS clawback thresholds so you choose your start date based on data, not guesswork.
Income Strategy
Will your income last as long as you do?
Stonehmint sequences CPP, OAS, RRIF drawdowns, and annuity options to create a tax-efficient, dependable income stream across your entire retirement.
Income in retirement is a sequencing problem
The question is rarely whether you have enough saved — it is whether you will draw it down in the right order, at the right time, to minimize taxes and maximize longevity. Taking CPP too early can cost thousands of dollars over a 25-year retirement. Collapsing an RRSP without coordinating with OAS can trigger clawbacks. Converting to a RRIF at the wrong moment can push taxable income into a higher bracket. Stonehmint's income strategy service maps your exact situation — pension amounts, government benefit eligibility, account balances, and spending plan — and produces a year-by-year drawdown schedule you can follow with confidence.
Components of a solid income strategy
Each element is coordinated — no single source is optimized in isolation.
RRIF drawdown planning
We establish the minimum and optimal annual withdrawal from your RRIF, coordinating with other income sources to keep your marginal tax rate as low as practical each year.
Annuity analysis
For clients who value guaranteed income above all else, we assess whether a prescribed or life annuity belongs in the mix and at what proportion of total income.
Spousal income splitting
We apply pension-income-splitting rules and RRSP spousal strategies where applicable to reduce the household's combined tax burden in retirement.
What income strategy cannot control
Tax laws change. Interest rates shift. Health costs can deviate significantly from any projection. Our income plans are built with conservative assumptions and buffer scenarios for each of these variables, but we do not promise a fixed monthly amount unaffected by external conditions. The value of an annual review is precisely that it catches these deviations early — before a small drift becomes a structural problem. We also do not make investment management decisions on your behalf unless you engage a separate discretionary management service; our role is coordination and strategy.
“My wife and I had always assumed we would take CPP at 65. Stonehmint ran the numbers and showed us that waiting until 70 would add over $80,000 in cumulative income given our family longevity history. We had never seen that calculation laid out before.”
— Pierre M., retired civil servant, Lévis
See your income modelled year by year
An initial income strategy session with Stonehmint produces a clear, written projection — not a sales brochure.
Request an Income Review