Make the Most of What You've Got: The Canadian Guide to Managing Retirement Income

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian Studies at
Concordia University and an avid outdoor recreationist. She is also the
author of The Mountain Is Moving: Japanese Women’s Lives, Kurlek, and
Margaret Laurence: The Long Journey Hom

This guide for seniors follows the success of You Can’t Take It with
You: The Commonsense Guide to Estate Planning for Canadians (1998), a
national bestseller by Sandra Foster, RFP, FCSI. Foster specializes in
wealth management, and her practical, commonsense approach is very
welcome to nonexperts in the field. Many seniors will live for more than
20 years in retirement. If they are not working, their money should be.

In a clear and conversational style, Foster covers the field of
financial planning. Topics include government benefits such as the
Canada Pension Plan (CPP), Old Age Security (OAS), company pension
plans, converting an RRSP, annuities, RRIFs and LIFs, building a
portfolio, managing cash, getting the most from fixed-income
investments, stocks as income, a reverse mortgage on one’s home,
taxes, wills, and professional advice. No small agenda.

Making the Most of What You’ve Got is a long book packed with
information. Foster’s patient, pleasant style, however, helps the
medicine go down. Formatting is used to good advantage—space is well
used, headings are in large print—and the book’s general
organization is excellent. “TIPS” are enclosed in boxes; periodic
questions and answers are marked “Q & A” and set off with indented
margins. Adults of any age who might feel financially challenged will
profit by Foster’s sound and practical financial advice.