Think Smart with TMFG

As inflation rises, many retirees begin asking the same question: Will my retirement income still be enough 10, 20, or 30 years from now?

In this episode of Think Smart with TMFG, we explore why rising costs create unique challenges for retirees, how inflation impacts retirement income, and why maintaining purchasing power becomes one of the most important long-term planning considerations.

We also discuss the risks of becoming too conservative with retirement savings, why relying heavily on fixed-income investments can create challenges during inflationary periods, and how equities can help retirees keep pace with rising costs over time.

Finally, we discuss the importance of flexibility in retirement planning as health needs, family circumstances, spending goals, and economic conditions evolve throughout retirement.

📌 If you're concerned about how inflation may affect your retirement income, withdrawal strategy, or long-term financial plan, feel free to reach out to us. We'd be happy to help:

Schedule a meeting here

🎧 Listen to the full episode on YouTube.

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LinkedIn: The McClelland Financial Group
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tmfg.ca
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themcclellandfinancialgroup_/

Many families spend decades building wealth, but far fewer prepare for how that wealth will eventually transfer to the next generation.

In this episode of Think Smart with TMFG, we explore four common wealth transfer problems families often overlook, including avoiding difficult inheritance conversations, navigating family cottages, managing rising estate tax exposure, and preparing the next generation financially.

We also discuss why more retirees are choosing to help their children earlier in life rather than solely through inheritance, how larger RRIFs and rising asset values are creating unexpected tax complexity, and why passing down wealth does not automatically transfer financial knowledge or responsibility.

📌 If you’re starting to think about retirement structure, estate planning, or long-term family wealth planning, feel free to reach out to us. We’d be happy to help.

Schedule a meeting here

We also help facilitate family meetings where these conversations can take place openly in a safe, structured environment.

🎧 Listen to the full episode on YouTube.

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LinkedIn: The McClelland Financial Group
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tmfg.ca
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Building a successful business and exiting one successfully are often two very different skill sets.

In this episode of Think Smart with TMFG, we explore the emotional and financial side of stepping away from a business, from succession planning and business valuation to tax structures, identity, and preparing a company to operate without the owner at the center of everything.

We also discuss why many business owners wait too long to start planning, how personal and corporate finances often become intertwined over time, and why the best exits usually occur years before the actual transition.

📌 If you’re a business owner wondering whether your corporation, succession plan, or personal financial structure is truly prepared for the future, feel free to reach out to us. We’d be happy to help.

Schedule a meeting here

📌 Want to learn more? Check out the article mentioned in this episode:
10 Years to Retirement: What Every Business Owner with $1 Million Should Be Doing Right Now

🎧 Listen to the full episode on YouTube.

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LinkedIn: The McClelland Financial Group
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tmfg.ca
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themcclellandfinancialgroup_/

Some financial decisions sound smart at first… until years later, when the long-term consequences finally start to show up.

In this episode of Think Smart with TMFG, we talk about the financial decisions and investing behaviours we’ve become more cautious about after years of working with investors, retirees, and business owners across different market cycles.

From overly complex investment products and financial structures to overconfidence during strong markets, we walk through the patterns we’ve repeatedly seen create unnecessary pressure, higher costs, and long-term financial stress.

📌 If you’re wondering whether your portfolio, risk tolerance, or financial plan is truly aligned with your long-term goals, feel free to reach out to us. We’re happy to help.

Schedule a meeting here

📌 Do you know what type of investor you are? Discover it in our episode 169:
Episode 169: The 5 Types of Investors - Which Type Are You?

🎧 Listen to the full episode on YouTube.

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LinkedIn: The McClelland Financial Group
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tmfg.ca
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themcclellandfinancialgroup_/

In this episode of Think Smart with TMFG: Client Stories, we sit down with Jonathan van Bilsen, a longtime TMFG client, author, radio announcer, photographer, and world traveller who has explored more than 107 countries. Together, we talk about what travel has taught him about retirement, purpose, and health, and why so many people wait too long to do the things they truly want. 

From stories in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings to planning trips across England using AI tools, this conversation explores what it really means to build a retirement around experiences, flexibility, and long-term thinking. We also discuss travel insurance, budgeting for travel, changing health in retirement, and why memories often become more valuable than possessions over time.

We also want to give a special shoutout to Jon’s book Photos n Travel, featuring photography and stories from his travels around the world. If you enjoy travel, culture, and photography, we definitely encourage you to check it out.

📖 Buy the book here: https://www.photosntravel.com/ 

We also encourage you to check out The Jonathan van Bilsen Show, which features compelling guests from across the community and gives viewers an opportunity to learn the “Story Behind the Person.”

📌  If you’d like to build a retirement that gives you more flexibility to travel and enjoy the experiences that matter most to you, connect with our team here: Schedule a meeting.

Question for our listeners:
What’s one place in the world you’ve always wanted to visit, and what’s stopping you from going?

🎧 Listen to the full episode on YouTube.

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tmfg.ca
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themcclellandfinancialgroup_/

A smooth retirement doesn’t always start the way people expect… in fact, the first year is often where the real adjustment begins.

In this episode of Think Smart with TMFG, we walk through what actually happens financially in your first year of retirement, and why it can feel so different from what you planned.

From shifting away from a steady paycheck to building your own income stream, we break down how sources like CPP, OAS, pensions, RRIFs, and investment accounts come together, and why they don’t always line up as neatly as a biweekly paycheque. We also explore the key decisions retirees face early on, from when to draw income and how different sources are taxed, to how poor market timing (sequence of returns) can impact your long-term plan.

The first year won’t be perfect… but it’s where your retirement plan starts to take shape.

📌 Want help building a retirement income plan that actually works in practice? Connect with our team:

Schedule a meeting here

📌 Want to better understand how your retirement income will be structured?
Download our free guide: 10 Critical Mistakes People Make When Planning for Retirement.

Question for our listeners:
What surprised you most (or what do you think will surprise you) about the first year of retirement?

🎧 Listen to the full episode on YouTube.

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LinkedIn: The McClelland Financial Group
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tmfg.ca
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themcclellandfinancialgroup_/

A tax bill doesn’t always mean something went wrong… it often means something worked.

In this episode of Think Smart with TMFG, we explain why taxes, especially on investments, are often misunderstood, and how they’re usually the result of growth, income, or smart financial decisions.

From interest and dividends to capital gains, we break down how each is taxed and why capital gains, despite being the most tax-efficient, tend to trigger the biggest reactions.

We also cover why realizing gains on purpose, like during portfolio rebalancing, can actually protect your long-term plan, even if it means paying some tax today.

Avoiding tax at all costs can lead to bigger financial mistakes.

📌 Want to understand how taxes impact your financial plan? Connect with our team:

Schedule a meeting here

📌 Want to understand how your investments get taxed?
Download our free guide: 10 Mistakes That Investors Make

Question for our listeners:
Have you ever avoided a financial decision just to avoid paying tax?

🎧 Listen to the full episode on YouTube.

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LinkedIn: The McClelland Financial Group

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tmfg.ca

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themcclellandfinancialgroup_/

 

Global events don’t stay global; they show up in your day-to-day costs.

In this episode of Think Smart with TMFG, we break down how disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz are driving inflation, increasing oil prices, and impacting everyday Canadians.

We explain why this is a supply shock, not a demand issue, and why interest rates don’t always fix it. From gas and groceries to travel and manufacturing, rising oil prices affect more than most people realize.

We also discuss what this means for your portfolio, and why reacting emotionally during periods like this can do more harm than good.

These events are out of your control, but how you plan around them isn’t.

📌 Want to understand how rising costs and market changes may impact your financial plan? Connect with our team to continue the conversation:

Schedule a meeting here

📌 Want to understand how rising costs may affect your long-term plan?
Download our free guide: “Will You Run Out of Money in Retirement?” 

Question for our listeners:
Have rising costs changed how you think about your financial plan?

🎧 Listen to the full episode on YouTube.

Follow us:
LinkedIn: The McClelland Financial Group
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tmfg.ca
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themcclellandfinancialgroup_/

In the continuation of our Understanding the Disability Tax Credit (DTC) series, we shift the focus to what happens after approval, and why this step can be more impactful than many Canadians expect.

In this episode of Think Smart with TMFG, we break down how the DTC works from a financial perspective, including how the non-refundable tax credit can reduce taxes payable and be transferred within a family when it can’t be fully used.

We also discuss the potential for retroactive tax adjustments, which can lead to meaningful refunds depending on how long eligibility has been in place.

Beyond taxes, we explore what the DTC unlocks, including access to the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP), government grants, and the long-term benefit of tax-deferred growth.

The conversation also covers important planning considerations, such as protecting government benefits, structuring assets properly, and how strategies like a Henson Trust can help preserve income support while managing wealth effectively.

📌 If you’d like help understanding how this could fit into your financial plan, you can connect with our team here: Schedule a meeting.

Question for our listeners:
If you or someone in your family qualifies for the DTC, are you fully using the opportunities that come with it?

🎧 Listen to the full episode on YouTube.

Follow us:
LinkedIn: The McClelland Financial Group
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tmfg.ca
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themcclellandfinancialgroup_/

In this special episode of Think Smart with TMFG, we’re launching a new series, Client Stories, conversations with clients about the experiences, decisions, and challenges that have shaped their lives and financial journeys.

To begin the series, we sit down with Rob McClelland, founder of The McClelland Financial Group of CI Assante Wealth Management Ltd, to reflect on what it really took to build a business from the ground up, and the lessons that only become clear in hindsight. Rob shares the uncertainty, financial pressure, and personal sacrifices that came with starting out, along with the mindset, discipline, and calculated risk-taking that helped him keep moving forward.

We also explore what it means to grow something sustainable over time, from leadership and hiring to systems, recurring income, and balancing business growth with family life. More than a business story, this conversation is about long-term thinking, resilience, and what it takes to build something that can last beyond you.

📌 If you’d like to learn more about who we are and how we help individuals, families, and business owners navigate long-term financial decisions, you can connect with our team here: Schedule a meeting.

Question for our listeners:
If you were building something from the ground up, what would you want to get right from the beginning?

🎧 Listen to the full episode on YouTube.

Follow us:
LinkedIn: The McClelland Financial Group
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tmfg.ca
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themcclellandfinancialgroup_/