Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plans

Lesson 1: Defined Contribution Registered Pension Plans (DC RPPs) and Defined Benefit RPPs (DB RPPs)

1. Types of Registered Pension Plans (RPPs)
2. Fundamental Difference Between a DC RPP and a DB RPP
3. How Are Employee Contributions in RPPs Determined?
4. How Are Employer Contributions in RPPs Determined?
5. Are All RPPs Either DC RPPs or DB RPPs?
6. How Are DC RPP Benefits Determined?
7. Simplified Pension Plan (SPP)
8. What Are the Major Differences Between an SPP and a Regular DC RPP?
9. Pension Adjustment (PA)
10. What Is the PA Arising from a DC RPP?
11. How Are Benefits Under a DB RPP Determined?
12. Flat Benefit Formula
13. What is the PA Arising from a Flat Benefit DB RPP?
14. Career Average Earnings Formula
15. What Is the PA Arising from a Career Average Earnings DB RPP?
16. Final Average Earnings Formula
17. What Is the PA Arising from a Final Average Earnings DB RPP?
18. Flexible Plan Add-Ons
19. What is the PA Arising from a Flexible Plan?
20. How Are Benefits Determined When an RPP Member Terminates or Dies?
21. Pension Adjustment Reversal (PAR)

Total pages in this lesson: 21 pages

Lesson 2: Group Deferred Profit-Sharing Plans (DPSPs)

1. Deferred Profit-Sharing Plan (DPSP)
2. Who Is Not Eligible to Participate in a DPSP?
3. What Is the Basis of Employer Contributions to a DPSP?
4. What Maximum Contribution Limit Applies to DPSPs?
5. How Much Can an Employee Contribute to a DPSP?
6. What Is the Pension Adjustment (PA) Arising from Participation in a DPSP?
7. What Vesting Requirements Apply to a DPSP?
8. How Are DPSP Funds Held?
9. How Are DPSP Contributions Taxed?
10. What Investment Options Can Be Offered Within a DPSP?
11. Can Funds Accumulated in a DPSP Only Be Used to Provide Retirement Income?
12. What Decumulation Options Are Available in a DPSP?
13. What Are the Tax Implications of Withdrawing Funds from a DPSP Prior to Retirement?
14. What Are the Advantages of a DPSP for the Employer?
15. What Are the Advantages of a DPSP for the Employee?

Total pages in this lesson: 15 pages

Lesson 3: Group Registered Retirement Savings Plans (Group RRSPs)

1. Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs)
2. Who Is Eligible to Participate in a Group RRSP?
3. What Maximum Contribution Limits Apply to a Group RRSP?
4. What Qualifies as Earned Income Under a Group RRSP?
5. What Happens if an Employee Doesn’t Contribute the Maximum to Their Group RRSP?
6. How Much Can an Employer Contribute to a Group RRSP?
7. How Are Employer Contributions to a Group RRSP Taxed?
8. Who Is Responsible for Validating Contribution Room in a Group RRSP?
9. What Vesting Requirements Apply to a Group RRSP?
10. What Investment Options Can Be Offered Within a Group RRSP?
11. Can Funds Accumulated in a Group RRSP Only Be Used to Provide Income Upon Retirement?
12. What Decumulation Options Are Available Under a Group RRSP?
13. What Are the Tax Implications of Withdrawing Cash from a Group RRSP Prior to Retirement?
14. What Are the Advantages of a Group RRSP?

Total pages in this lesson: 14 pages

Lesson 4: Nonregistered Savings Plans (NRSPs)

1. Nonregistered Savings Plan (NRSP)
2. Supplementary Employee Retirement Plans (SERPs)
3. Who Is Eligible to Participate in an SERP?
4. How Are SERP Funds Held?
5. What Vesting Requirements Apply to a SERP?
6. What Are the Advantages of a SERP?
7. Employee Profit-Sharing Plan (EPSP)
8. Who Is Eligible to Participate in an EPSP?
9. How Are EPSP Funds Held?
10. What Vesting Requirements Apply to an EPSP?
11. What Are the Advantages of an EPSP?
12. Stock Option Plan
13. Who Is Eligible to Participate in a Stock Option Plan?
14. How Are Stock Option Plan Funds Held?
15. What Vesting Requirements Apply to a Stock Option Plan?
16. What Are the Advantages of a Stock Option Plan?
17. Savings Plan
18. Who Is Eligible to Participate in a Savings Plan?
19. How Are Savings Plan Funds Held?
20. What Vesting Requirements Apply to a Savings Plan?
21. Can an Employee Withdraw Funds from a Savings Plan?
22. Group Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA)
23. Who Is Eligible to Participate in a Group TFSA?
24. How Are Group TFSA Funds Held?
25. What Vesting Requirements Apply to a Group TFSA?
26. What Are the Advantages of a Group TFSA for the Employer and the Employee?
27. How Does a Group TFSA Differ from a Group RRSP?

Total pages in this lesson: 27 pages

Lesson 5: Decumulation Options by Plan Type

1. What Are Distributions from Retirement and Savings Plans?
2. What Events Can Trigger Distributions from Retirement and Savings Plans?
3. What Key Factor Impacts the Decumulation Options Available to a Plan Member?
4. Most Common Decumulation Options Available to a Plan Member by Plan Type
5. Annuity
6. What Factors Impact the Actual Monthly Income Received by a Plan Member from an Annuity?
7. What Are the Most Common Types of Annuities Sold by Insurance Companies?
8. What Features Can Be Added to the Common Types of Annuities Sold by Insurance Companies?
9. What Are the Implications of Adding Features to a Life Annuity for a Plan Member?
10. Are Annuity Payments Taxable to a Plan Member?
11. Prescribed Annuity
12. Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF)
13. What Is the Actual Monthly Income Received by a Plan Member from an RRIF?
14. Are RRIF Payments Taxable to a Plan Member?
15. What Are the Key Differences Between an Annuity and an RRIF?
16. Life Income Fund (LIF)
17. What Is the Maximum Amount That May be Withdrawn from an LIF?
18. What Restrictions Do LIFs Have Over and Above Those on an RRIF?
19. What Are Some of the Basic Risks Plan Members Face in the Decumulation Stage?

Total pages in this lesson: 19 pages