Raiding your RRSP is the worst bankruptcy alternative and in this blog you will see why. The federal government introduced the Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) in 1957 to encourage Canadians to save for retirement. For many Canadians, RRSPs will be their only source of retirement income, in addition to Old Age Security (OAS) and Canada Pension Plan. However, according to a recent BMO survey Canadians are raiding their RRSPs to make ends meet and this is not advisable survival plan or bankruptcy alternative.
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What is an RRSP?
A RRSP is a personal savings plan registered with the Canadian federal government allowing you to save for the future on a tax-sheltered basis. It can contain a variety of investments including RRSP savings deposits, treasury bills, guaranteed investment certificates (GICs), mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), bonds and equities. Your contributions are tax deductible and your investments inside the RRSP grow inside tax free. However, when you take money out of your RRSP, it’s taxed as if it was income earned that year.
Are Canadians really using their RRSPs as a bankruptcy alternative?
According to a new BMO survey:
- 21% of Canadians have taken money out of their RRSP to cover living expenses or pay off debt
- 15% took money out to cover costs after an emergency
- 25% say they will likely never pay it back
So the results of the BMO survey show that rather than dealing with all of their debts once and for all using a proper bankruptcy alternative, they are creating a new, significant income tax debt by raiding their RRSPs to pay off some debt! Not a very sound strategy.
Why is taking money out of an RRSP not advisable?
- There is a withholding tax of 10% – 30% depending on the amount withdrawn
- The money taken out has to be declared as income, and taxed again (unless you’re making withdrawals to buy a first home under the Home Buyers Plan or covering education costs under the Life Long Learning Plan)
- If the funds, net of income tax, does not solve your debt problems, then it really isn’t a bankruptcy alternative
In a valid bankruptcy alternative, such as a consumer proposal, and in bankruptcy itself, other than for any contributions to your RRSP made in the 12 months prior to filing, you cannot lose the balance of your RRSP. You will actually have more RRSP at the end of a successfully performed consumer proposal, than if you raid your RRSP to avoid a valid bankruptcy alternative!!!
What should I do so I don’t have to raid my RRSP?
If you’re in “survival mode” when it comes to your finances, instead of raiding your RRSPs, we’ve got much better options for you. Although many people believe that bankruptcy is the only way of out serious debt, that’s not always the case. Ira Smith Trustee & Receiver Inc. can discuss other bankruptcy alternatives with you which include credit counselling, debt consolidation and consumer proposals.
If we get to see you early enough, at the first sign of trouble, you can utilize and implement one of the bankruptcy alternatives, to free you from the burden of your company’s financial challenges to go on to be a productive, profitable employer allowing management to focus on business growth and not be plagued by debt problems.
People consider us bankruptcy experts because we wrote the eBook which is sold on Amazon.com, explaining the Canadian personal insolvency and bankruptcy system, specifically directed to the person stressed out with too much debt. Come in for a no obligation, no fee consultation and let us help you get back on track to living a debt free life Starting Over, Starting Now. Give us a call today.
