Froogal's Retirement Blog
Practical Canadian retirement planning — CPP timing, OAS clawback, RRSP vs TFSA, and more.
The Alberta Pension Plan: where it stands and what it would mean for you
Alberta has not left the CPP. Here's what's actually been decided, what hasn't, the process that would have to happen first, and what would change for your pension if it ever did.
We modelled CPP break-even after tax in three provinces. It barely moved.
Everyone quotes a CPP break-even age of 74. We ran it after tax, across Ontario, Alberta and BC, and found the province is almost irrelevant — but the number you should be using isn't 74.
Will your RRIF cost you your OAS? We modelled three retirees
The OAS clawback is widely feared and rarely triggered. We ran three registered balances through to age 95 to find the line — and below about $1 million, RRIF minimums never take a dollar of your OAS.
Bank exit fees on RRSPs and TFSAs are on the way out
Ottawa has committed to draft regulations prohibiting transfer fees on registered accounts — currently about $150 a pop. What's coming, when, and how to avoid paying the fee in the meantime.
A 25% RRIF cut and a 5% GIS boost were promised. Neither arrived.
Two retirement measures were promised during the election and left out of the budget. Here's what was actually promised, what actually passed, and how to replicate a lower forced RRIF withdrawal yourself.
Turning 71 this year? Your RRSP has a December 31 deadline
If you turn 71 in 2026, your RRSP must become a RRIF (or an annuity) by December 31 — and mandatory withdrawals start the year after. What the minimum actually costs you, and the two levers most people miss.
The CPP enhancement is fully phased in for 2026 — what it actually adds
2026 is the first year the CPP enhancement runs at full strength. The real 2026 ceilings (YMPE $74,600, YAMPE $85,000), what CPP2 costs you, and the uncomfortable truth about who actually collects the bigger pension.
OAS rose 1.2% for July–September 2026 — here's what it means
Old Age Security increased about 1.2% for the July 2026 quarter. The new maximums, how quarterly indexing actually works, what GIS recipients get, who needs to watch the clawback line, and what (if anything) you need to do.
Welcome to The Retirement Beast
Meet Froogal and our mission — free, accurate, deeply Canadian retirement planning tools with the math shown, and no sales pressure at the end.
12 retirement numbers every Canadian should know for 2026
The 2026 figures that shape Canadian retirement decisions — CPP and OAS maximums, the clawback threshold, GIS cut-offs, TFSA/RRSP limits, RRIF and LIF percentages, and the credits that quietly lower your tax bill — explained, not just listed.
The 2026 TFSA limit is $7,000 — and your cumulative room may be much higher
The 2026 TFSA dollar limit is $7,000, but the number that matters is your cumulative room — about $109,000 if you've been eligible since 2009. How room really accrues, the re-contribution trap, why the TFSA is the best retirement account most Canadians underuse, and the survivor detail almost everyone misses.