Your Pension: The Complete Guide to Pension Planning in Canada. Rev. ed.

Kathleen H. Brown, formerly an associate professor at the University of
Guelph, is a financial consultant.

As the subtitle indicates, this book offers a comprehensive explanation
of pension plans, particularly private ones. A logical but hardly
exciting chapter on the political history of pension plans opens the
book. The rest of the space is divided about one-fifth on public pension
plans and three-quarters on private plans, with two final chapters on
how to predict the amount of personal savings that will be needed to
fund retirement, and how RRIFs work.

Eligibility for Old Age Security and the Canada/Quebec Pension Plans is
explained clearly, but the Guaranteed Income Supplement gets very brief
mention, and the Spouse’s Allowance and provincial supplements are not
included.

Private or employer-sponsored pension plans receive detailed attention.
The differences between defined benefit and defined contribution plans
are well explained. Eligibility rules, vesting rights, survivor
benefits, early retirement, and differential benefits by gender are all
discussed thoroughly. A related subject of other employee benefits
(e.g., life insurance, health and dental insurance, disability coverage,
and travel insurance) is the topic of another chapter.

In summary, this is a useful reference book, particularly on the
complexities of private pension plans.