What a Strong Market Can Change in Your Plan<

Why being ahead of plan can open new choices, plus our December 1 giving lunch, the 2026 year-end checklist and congratulations to Tanya.

What a Strong Market Can Change in Your Plan

After several strong years in the markets, many of our clients are ahead of where their financial plans called for them to be. We build every plan using the long-term return assumptions FP Canada publishes each year, so your plan does not depend on recent gains continuing. When returns exceed those assumptions, you may have choices that were previously out of reach.

The chart below illustrates this for a hypothetical couple planning to retire at 65. At 61, their portfolio is already close to their original retirement savings target.

If you are still working, being ahead of plan may let you retire earlier or save less each year. Retiring sooner means funding more years of spending, so we would need to check the numbers. Still, the original date may be worth revisiting.

If you are retired, you may have room to spend more on the things you enjoy, help children or grandchildren while you can see the difference it makes, or make a charitable gift during your lifetime rather than through your estate. We will explore giving strategies at our December 1 lunch, described below.

You may also prefer to keep your plans as they are and leave a larger margin of safety, or you may be able to reach the same goals while taking less investment risk.

Before making a change, we would account for the tax cost of accessing the money, particularly funds held in a corporation, and check that your revised plan can withstand weaker markets.

We update every plan before your annual meeting. If one of these choices is on your mind, you do not need to wait. Call us and we will work through the numbers with you.

Giving with a Plan: Join Us December 1

Presented jointly with

Join us for lunch on December 1 with Eric Avner, President and CEO of the Waterloo Region Community Foundation, for a conversation about giving and the needs in our community.

Our team will cover gifts of securities, donor-advised funds and considerations for business owners giving through a corporation. How you give can affect both the tax cost and how much reaches the causes you support.

Eric will share his perspective on local needs and how the Foundation helps donors put their giving plans into practice.

Tuesday, December 1, 2026
12:00 to 1:00 p.m. Doors open at 11:40 a.m.
In person in Kitchener-Waterloo. We will confirm the location with registered guests.
Lunch is provided. You are welcome to bring a guest.

Register for Giving with a Plan
Please register by November 24.

Your 2026 Year-End Checklist

Our 2026 year-end tax planning checklist is now available. It covers key dates and considerations for investment gains and losses, charitable donations and registered accounts. For incorporated business owners, it also addresses the salary and dividend mix, passive investment income and capital dividends.

We already handle many of these items as part of managing your accounts, including realizing gains and losses where it may help your tax position. If you would like to review the other items, we can work through them with you and your accountant.

Read the 2026 Year-End Tax Planning Checklist

Team Update: Congratulations, Tanya

In our third edition, we shared that Tanya Siripala had completed the Canadian Securities Course. She has since been promoted from Assistant to Associate and is now registered as an Investment Representative. Please join us in congratulating her.

If someone you know would find this newsletter useful, please pass it along. We are always happy to meet friends and family of our clients.

Enjoyed this edition? Subscribe to Steady Gains.

Caldwell Group
Richardson Wealth Limited