How to Live Off Your Investments and How Much Do You Need? Featuring Ed Rempel

In this episode, I interview one of the most experienced Canadian financial planners that I know, and who I tend to go to when I have any complex tax and financial planning questions. His name is Ed Rempel, and in this episode, we tackle:

• How to determine how much you need to be financially independent?
• What are some sustainable withdrawal strategies that you can use to not run out of money when you’re living off your investments?
• How to pay less tax here in Canada
• And much, much more. 

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Here are all the questions we cover in the interview:

1. When somebody is trying to determine how much they need to be financially independent and have the option of retiring, what is the process that should be undertaken to figure this out?
2. What are some of the sustainable withdrawal strategies that you recommend, for those looking to live off their portfolio?
3. Have you ever used some type of variable withdrawal strategy with your clients where the amount withdrawn every year to live off the portfolio varies depending on how the markets did that year?
4. Have you ever done any sort of variable withdrawal strategies like using a spending ceiling and floor for the year?
5. For those that don't feel comfortable going with 100% equities, what do you recommend? Do you change your recommendation depending on what is happening in the bond market? (like with the recent drops)?
6. What is the process and calculations that you do annually with clients to ensure that they are withdrawing a sustainable amount from their portfolio every year?
7. When it comes to tax planning and making sure that we’re paying the least amount of tax when living off the investment portfolio, are there any strategies or approaches that you’d recommend?
8. For those that want to read or watch more of your research and insights, what’s the best place for them to go?
9. You have so many resources on your website, a YouTube channel with how-to's, where people can learn all about creating a financial plan. Why is it important to also work one-on-one with a financial planner like yourself for example?
10. You have been in this industry for multiple decades. Would you be able to recommend some resources online that you find to be reliable and reputable sources of information, for those that like to continue to educate themselves when it comes to financial planning, retirement planning, and investing in Canada?