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The 4% Rule Just Dropped to 3.9% — But Your RRIF Doesn't Care

  Published August 5, 2026 Morningstar's newest research says retirees can safely start withdrawing 3.9% a year. Ottawa's RRIF rules don't ask what's "safe" — they just tell you how much to take out, whether the math agrees or not. For years, the shortcut retirees leaned on was simple: take out 4% of your portfolio in your first year of retirement, bump it up with inflation every year after, and your savings should last three decades. Morningstar's 2026 State of Retirement Income report just trimmed that number to 3.9%. On its own, that's a small adjustment. On a $500,000 portfolio, it's the difference between withdrawing $19,500 or $20,000 in year one. But for Canadians, the number that actually controls the withdrawal isn't Morningstar's — it's the Canada Revenue Agency's. And once your RRSP becomes a Registered Retirement Income Fund, the CRA's required minimum can blow right past whatever a "safe" withdrawal rate i...

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Trudeau's Resignation and CRA's Persistent Issues: A Taxpayer's Dilemma

 

The resignation of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has thrown the proposed capital gains tax hike into uncertainty. Initially introduced in the April 2024 federal budget, the capital gains inclusion rate proposals aimed to increase the inclusion rate from 50% to 67%. However, with Trudeau's resignation and the prorogation of Parliament, these proposals are now on life support.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has stated that it will continue to apply the proposed increases even if an election is called. This decision has sparked controversy, with critics arguing that the CRA's administrative policies are not being respected. Despite the political chaos, the CRA maintains that its long-standing practice of asking taxpayers to file based on proposed legislation is proper and grounded in parliamentary convention.

The uncertainty surrounding the capital gains tax hike and the CRA's handling of the situation has left taxpayers in a difficult position. As the political landscape continues to shift, the future of the capital gains proposals remains unclear.


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