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How to Retire in 10 Years or Less

This course will take you step-by-step though planning and saving for retirement starting later in life, as late as in your fifties, and the best way to fund your retirement years.

Created byDavid Trahairworkspace_premiumBest Instructor
BeginnerUpdated Jan 21, 2025

What You'll Learn

  • check_circleImplement the most important step for personal finances: tracking your spending
  • check_circleOptimize your retirement accumulation and drawdown strategy using a FREE spreadsheet
  • check_circleDecide what is the best option: RRSPs, TFSAs, pay down debt or use a regular investment account using another FREE spreadsheet
  • check_circleAppreciate all the different retirement funding sources including RRIFs, annuities, CPP and OAS
  • check_circleKnow all the advantages and disadvantages of RRIFs versus annuities
  • check_circleUnderstand how to make use of the tax opportunities available during retirement
  • check_circleBe cognizant of the risks of old age healthcare costs including what the government covers and what they don’t
  • check_circleBe aware of the tax implications of death including probate fees

About This Course

Let’s face it, planning and saving for retirement is not easy. We are told that the earlier we start the better, and that the “magic of compounding” will make our dreams come true. But for most people that’s simply not possible. In our twenties through our forties, we are busy paying for our housing, our cars, our kids and all the other costs of living. Out of necessity many of us become procrastinators when it comes to saving for retirement. But there is hope. This course will take you step-by-step though planning and saving for retirement starting later in life, as late as in your fifties, and the best way to fund your retirement years. It is an easy-to-follow plan for retirement that can be done in ten years or less. It all starts with the most important step you can take to improve your personal finances which is to start tracking your family’s spending. You’ll see how to do just that using a free online resource called Mint.com. You will also see demonstrations of spreadsheets including “The Procrastinator’s Number Cruncher” to optimize your investment accumulation and drawdown strategies, the “Estate Planning Record Keeper” to make estate planning simpler, the “RRSP Needed for Mortgage Calculator,” and the “RRSP vs Pay Down Debt” calculators. All spreadsheets are free with the course.
And don’t worry if you are younger as all the concepts will still be useful to you.

Course Content

14 activities • 64 videos • duration: 3h 59m

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Introduction-Part12 videos • 2 min
  • videocamIntroduction
    Duration 1:32
  • videocamLearning Outcomes
    Duration 0:31
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Tracking Your Spending-Part17 videos • 26 min
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The Golden Opportunity-Part16 videos • 22 min
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Your Pre-Retirement Investing Strategy-Part17 videos • 42 min
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Retirement Tax Opportunities-Part15 videos • 9 min
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Length Of Retirement-Part14 videos • 10 min
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Your Post-Retirement Investment Strategy-Part13 videos • 16 min
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RRIFs VS Annuities-Part17 videos • 17 min
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The Procrastinator's Number Cruncher During Retirement-Part14 videos • 21 min
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Old Age Healthcare-Part14 videos • 20 min
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Death, Taxes And Probate Fees-Part15 videos • 17 min
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Attacking Debt-Part17 videos • 24 min
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Choosing The Best Credit Card-Part12 videos • 7 min
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Conclusion-Part11 videos • 1 min

Your Instructor

David Trahair

Acclaimed Author and On-demand Course Developer

menu_book39 courses
star13,044 reviews

David Trahair, CPA, CA, is an author and eLearning developer who creates on-demand video courses for CPAs across Canada. His courses cover topics including personal finance, ethics, AI, and Microsoft Excel. David is also the author of six personal finance books, three of which are national bestsellers. Through his firm, he helps CPAs build practical skills through engaging, self-paced learning.

Credit Information

Is this course eligible for my CPD requirements as a Canadian CPA?

Provincial regulators of CPAs in Canada do not require that independent providers of CPD be approved to offer courses. Instead, individual CPAs are responsible for assessing whether a CPD activity meets their requirements, and may take activities from any source provided those requirements are met.

Every course offered on LearnFormula is delivered by a qualified subject matter expert or learning organization, and advances learning objectives that are relevant to the responsibilities or professional competencies of Canadian CPAs. All activities on LearnFormula are quantifiable in terms of hours, and are also verifiable, in that users receive documented evidence of their attendance via a certificate of completion after finishing a course (and this certificate is stored by LearnFormula indefinitely). Nearly 100,000 Canadian CPAs successfully satisfy their CPD requirements via LearnFormula on an annual basis.

What Students Are Saying

4.5 out of 5
Student's Choice
275 reviews
  • KS
    Kevin S.
    starstarstarstarstar

    Very informative covering a broad range of topics leading up to retirement.

  • LR
    Louise R.
    starstarstarstarstar

    Reasonable match.

  • CB
    Cory B.
    starstarstarstarstar

    This is an extremely valuable course not only for me, but for many Canadians who will find it difficult to retire with current markets and inflation. Thank-you for the resources and great tips!

  • RH
    ROGER H.
    starstarstarstarstar

    Was very informative.

Frequently Asked Questions

We are a registered provider with 300+ associations and regulatory bodies worldwide. We operate across 27 global markets including Canada, the US, Australia, and the UK. Every course page clearly displays its specific accreditations. Upon completion, you receive a professional certificate that can be validated online. Our certificates include all necessary accreditation details, credit hours, and completion dates, and are formatted specifically to meet the submission requirements of most global regulatory bodies.

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