It’s rather easy to sum up 2024. “It exceeded expectations” is the most obvious way to put it. Even the most optimistic projections were well shy of the eye-catching gains investors experienced across equity and fixed income markets in 2024. Positive market surprises shouldn’t come as too much of a shock though, as the markets have a way of making forecasting the year ahead a futile and frustrating exercise. The markets don’t operate on a timeline dictated by forecasts, which is why we prefer to focus on the trends with any forecast, rather than try and hit the bullseye.
One of the most important documents you should have as part of your estate plan is an up to date power of attorney, otherwise known as a protection mandate in Quebec. This is a document that gives someone else the power to make financial decisions on your behalf if you are unable to. Needless to say, you need to give special consideration to whom you appoint as attorney or mandatary.
A core component of your retirement plan is the CPP retirement benefit (or Québec Pension Plan for Québec residents, which mirrors many aspects of the CPP). CPP offers flexibility as to when payments can begin, which affects how much you could receive. Familiarizing yourself with CPP provisions can help you decide when to start payments and optimize the benefit throughout your retirement.