2026 July Newsletter - Planning Ahead: Savings & Retirement

 

 

Planning Ahead: Savings & Retirement

 

As summer continues, evolving priorities and lifestyle spending can make this a good time to reflect on your financial habits. Reviewing how you are balancing saving, spending, and longer-term goals—such as building assets for the future—can help support greater financial flexibility over time.

 

In this newsletter, I've highlighted the following areas for your review:

• Review your income and savings approach: Understanding how income is generated—from employment, registered accounts, or investments—can help support both current needs and future planning goals.
• Plan ahead for key account milestones: Being aware of upcoming changes, such as Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) to Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF) conversion timelines or other account transitions, can help you prepare and make informed decisions over time.
• Balance saving and debt management: Aligning your savings strategy with any debt obligations can help support financial flexibility and long-term stability.
• Keep estate planning in mind: Reviewing how assets may be transferred and ensuring documentation reflects your wishes can support broader planning and provide clarity for the future.

 

Important Reminders

• Regularly reviewing your contribution and withdrawal totals can help ensure alignment with annual limits and avoid potential tax implications. Please contact us if you would like assistance reviewing your account activity or confirming your account status.
  Keeping your Will, powers of attorney, and beneficiary designations up to date can help ensure your wishes are clearly documented. Reach out if you would like to discuss how these elements fit within your broader planning strategy.
• The First Home Savings Account (FHSA) is now available through TD Wealth Private Investment Advice. Supporting the next generation is top of mind for many clients and plays an important role in wealth and legacy planning conversations. The FHSA can support these discussions by offering a tax-efficient way to help with first-time home ownership while introducing structured wealth planning early on. Click here to learn more, or contact us to open an FHSA account.

*Some services provided in collaboration with TD specialists.

Wealth Perspectives

Below are a few articles and insights that stood out this month.  Click here to read more articles.

 

Can investors still diversify beyond tech?

The S&P 500 has long been viewed as a diversified benchmark, but with technology stocks now making up an increasing part of the index, some investors are questioning whether that still holds true. Jeff Evans, Vice President, Director & Lead of Empirical Research & PM Support at TD Asset Management, discusses why traditional diversification strategies may be becoming less effective and where investors may need to look next for balance.
 

Canada's big banks: Are they really that cyclical?

The big six Canadian banks are up more than 50% over the last 12 months, outperforming the closest comparable sectors. Mario Mendonca, Managing Director at TD Cowen, explores why Canadian banks are outperforming and may not be as vulnerable to credit cycles as in the past.
 

ETF trends: Mega-IPOs and tech themes gain investor interest

There are now more ETFs than public companies, and among the new trends are funds that play mega-IPOs and current tech themes like digital memory. Andres Rincon, Head of ETF Sales and Strategy with TD Securities lays out some of the risks and opportunities with these new fund types.

 

Useful Tips

 

Use Extra Caution: Phishing Scams and Added Protection

Phishing emails and text messages may appear to come from TD in an attempt to collect personal information. TD would never ask clients to complete tax forms through email or text links.  Here are some useful tips:

• Watch for red flags, such as urgent requests, suspicious sender addresses, unusual links, or messages asking for confidential information.
• Do not click suspicious links or respond to unexpected messages.
• Report phishing attempts by forwarding the email or sending a screenshot of the text message to phishing@td.com.
• Consider adding a Trusted Contact Person (TCP), which is someone we may contact only in specific situations, such as concerns about fraud or difficulty reaching you. Please contact us if you would like to add a TCP to your account.
   

How to Check Your Contribution & Withdrawal Totals

Keeping track of your contributions and withdrawals can help ensure you stay within limits and avoid unexpected tax implications. You can review these details in your monthly statements. Your contributions and withdrawals year-to-date totals are shown at the end of the statement.

 

To book a quick mid-year financial check-in or annual review this July, contact us and I will be in touch shortly.