Friday, February 09, 2007

RRSP's on the Brain

So Mike and I have started talking finances.
Unlike some couples, we never discussed money before we got married. Really. We didn't. I had my financial goals, but we never discussed them at length. And, to be honest, as we went along we just kept going with the flow and hoping for the best.
Let me tell you, with or without kids, this is not the way to go at it.
Now that Mike has hit his 30's and I'm approaching them, we're realizing that we need to sort this stuff out. We did this thanks to the show we were on (yes, it has aired, yes it will air again, no I haven't watched it, yes I will).
But, my new found fear of retirement savings has really begun to hit home for me. Some of my friends/colleagues and I started the PPAC course - it's the Pension Plan Administration Course offered by Humber College. We've been doing this for a couple of weeks now.
The focus of the course is to get a broad understanding of pensions in Ontario. It's kind of interesting and kind of boring. But all together terrifying. I'm beginning to really understand that I may not have enough money to retire.
One of my friends did the calculation for me. If I were to stay at the company I work with (or any employment that offers my pension plan) for the next 30 years I could retire at the age of 60. So that gives me just over 30 years to save for retirement.
Mike has about the same, but no pension. So, essentially he could retire into poverty. What if I die??? (okay, we haven't actually gotten to the whole part about survivor benefits so he could actually be fine). But, really, can we survive on one salary when we retire?
I'm planning to travel. Have fun. Dote on my (yikes!) grandchildren. And, I can't do this if I'm not even able to afford a can of soup.
So, tonight, over dinner at McDonald's, Mike and I started a financial plan. We've lined up our RRSP guy and we're going to start saving. You know, my grandchildren will thank me!

And, on a much lighter note ... guess what? Mike and I are going to go away on a romantic weekend for 2 next weekend. A little post-Valentine's child free get away at a resort. I'm super excited!!!! We have never been away without Matt. I have some big plans for the weekend. Apparently they offer free cross country skiing and snow shoeing which Mike is excited about. I'm more excited about the pool, sauna, room service, spa and SLEEP!!!!

And, just for some fun, here are some pictures of Matt. Yesterday when I was trying to wake him up he just did not want to have any of it. He had removed all the sheets from the bed, was curled up in "child's pose" and was sleeping the cold away. I don't blame him.


Honestly, he really prefers the bed without the sheets. And, the pink blanket was mine when I was his age. He loves this blanket.

Poor Caillou ... buried under the neglected sheets!

PS He is sleeping in a bathrobe, but we always take the belt off - so he won't hurt himself.

2 comments:

Blog said...

I love taht car bed!!!!!!!! He's so adorable! :)

Unknown said...

Oh, I really like the car bed too, very fun!!

Yes, our futures are scary. It's so hard to know what the future will hold for us.