What changes if I spend $5,000 more each year?
More spending today can change both the years your money supports and what remains later. Compare two spending amounts after tax, keeping the rest of the plan the same.
Open this made-up exampleThe example and basic calculator need no account. A spending comparison tests the amounts you enter; it does not promise a safe spending level or automatically find the highest amount.
One change. Two projections.
This is Alex’s made-up situation in Ontario: born in 1966, earning $90,000 a year before retirement. These numbers show how the tool works. They are not a prediction for you.
Retirement age: 65 in both versions. Yearly household spending after tax: $60,000 in the baseline; $65,000 in the alternative, in 2026 dollars, excluding contributions.
- Starting savings
- RRSP $550,000 · TFSA $100,000
Non-registered $50,000 · cash $10,000 - Benefits in both versions
- CPP $12,000 a year at 65
Full OAS from 65; 40 residence years - Assumptions in both versions
- 2.1% inflation · 5% annual return
Fixed return, no simulated market path
| Measure | spend $60,000 | spend $65,000 |
|---|---|---|
| First projected shortfall | 2055 | 2050 |
| End-of-plan position after tax In 2026 dollars | -$251,001 | -$511,281 |
| Projection ends | 2061 | 2061 |
The CPP amount is held as entered; stopping work earlier may reduce the actual benefit. Review your statement assumptions.
Both versions have a projected shortfall under these assumptions. The comparison shows when it begins. A negative end-of-plan position is a gap, not money left for family. Income tax and benefit exclusions matter; review them before changing spending.
Assumptions and calculation evidence
A first projection for one or two Canadian adults: employment, a defined-benefit pension, CPP/QPP, OAS, RRSP/RRIF, TFSA, non-registered investments and cash. No corporations, property, debts, children, benefit-entitlement history, LIRA/LIF or planned extra contributions. GIS, Allowance and refundable benefit payments (including Ontario GAINS and Trillium) are not included; missing benefits can make a projected shortfall look larger. Review eligibility and payment history before changing spending. Quebec employment requires explicit confirmation of Quebec payroll contributions; cross-province employment is outside this first-calculation scope. Excluded situations need additional facts and supported-case review.
Inflation 2.1%; invested return 5.0% nominal each year; uninvested cash 2%. These are assumptions, not forecasts. Invested accounts use 40% fixed income and 60% equity for tax treatment. Pension splitting and the standard withdrawal/contribution order are enabled. No extra contributions were supplied; surplus uses that order and the stated contribution room.
Alex: OAS uses 40 years of residence; opening TFSA room 0 CAD and RRSP room 0 CAD.
- Engine version
- a5245196fe9c440cac227184b300f58f54e073958c8bd49c259815cd391dec13
- Tax-rate fingerprint
- cf34ad9e08777f2c1f6b0429a2842c2db35669bccffda07886ee8a3081fc868f
- Calculation input fingerprint
- 57b0180e8a136b3025fb705540e5b8c9d856061fcb1302c4f62057ead041187b
These results were generated from this guide’s synthetic inputs using the Glacier engine. Opening the example does not run a calculation. Reviewing and calculating it again uses the available engine and rules at that time.
Download the made-up inputs ↗Keep the question simple.
Start with after-tax spending.
Use what the household spends in a year, excluding savings contributions. The example starts at $60,000 in 2026 dollars.
Change one amount.
The alternative uses $65,000 a year in the same dollars. Income, accounts, retirement age and benefits stay the same.
Inspect every year.
Compare spending coverage and after-tax estate, then inspect the years when savings or cash run short. The figures depend on the assumptions.
Have these facts ready.
- Annual household spending after tax, in today’s dollars
- Birth dates, province and retirement ages
- Income, pensions, CPP/QPP and OAS details
- Savings by account type and owner
- Return and inflation assumptions
Know the limits.
- This first calculation excludes property, debts, corporations, children, LIRA/LIF and planned extra contributions.
- GIS, Allowance and refundable benefit payments are excluded. Missing benefits can make a projected shortfall look larger.
- Returns and inflation are assumptions. A projection is not a promise or a personal recommendation.
Bring the question
to your numbers.
Start with the made-up example. Replace the inputs with your own only when you are ready, then review the scope and assumptions before calculating.
Open this made-up exampleThe software does not include personal advice. Opening a guide or copying instructions does not send your financial details or enrol you in marketing.
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Projections and education, not personalized investment advice. This made-up example is not a plan for you.