RRSP meltdown strategies promise to ease your tax burden on withdrawals, but these complicated manoeuvres are usually more lucrative for brokers than for investors

Investors sometimes ask us what we think of the so-called RRSP meltdown. This strategy, a favourite of some wealth advisors, would let them make withdrawals from their RRSPs without paying income tax. When considering the best RRSP investment strategy, it’s important to understand various approaches.

How the RRSP meltdown works

When you take money out of your RRSP, you have to pay tax on your withdrawal at the same rate as ordinary income in the year you make the withdrawal. However, under the guidance of a wealth advisor, perhaps, you may opt to use an RRSP meltdown strategy. That’s where you aim to offset the additional tax by taking out an investment loan and making the interest payments from funds you withdraw from your RRSP (the withdrawals must be equal to the interest payment).

Since the interest on the loan is tax deductible, the tax on the RRSP withdrawal is cancelled out. This, in theory, results in zero tax owing on your withdrawal.

You can then use the investment loan to buy dividend-paying stocks, which you would use to provide income during retirement. Dividend-paying stocks also have the advantage of being very tax efficient. However, this may not be the best RRSP investment strategy for everyone.

RRSP meltdown by the numbers

The idea of withdrawing funds from an RRSP tax free has obvious appeal, something you may have heard from your wealth advisor. However, we’ve looked at a number of different RRSP meltdown strategies over the years and, for the most part, we have found that they serve the interests of the brokerage industry or your wealth advisor more than those of investors. Here’s why:

Say you make a $5,000 withdrawal from your RRSP and want to offset your tax payable using the interest from an investment loan. Supposing a 5% annual interest rate on the investment loan, you would have to borrow $100,000 to invest in dividend-paying stocks to generate a large enough interest deduction to offset the withdrawal.

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The fees and commissions that the investor generates when he or she invests the money are an obvious benefit to the investor’s broker, or some wealth advisors. The investor, meanwhile, significantly increases his or her leverage. Moreover, many investors attempt the RRSP meltdown when they’re at or near retirement. In other words, they attempt it at the worst possible time for them to take on additional debt. This is why it’s crucial to carefully consider what truly is the best RRSP investment strategy for your individual circumstances.

Some RRSP meltdowns involve extreme risk

Some financial advisors take this to a ridiculous extreme by offering arrangements that involve making RRSP withdrawals and placing the money in business or real-estate deals that generate large tax deductions. These then offset the taxable income from the withdrawals.

The investor who has participated in this type of meltdown is then left holding an illiquid, and often quite risky, investment. To generate the tax deductions, you may also have to take out or guarantee a large debt.

Sometimes the deal “guarantees” the investor a steady income. But the guarantee is sure to be full of holes. The only things that are reliably guaranteed in these deals are the huge fees and commissions they generate for the salespeople and financial institutions involved. This type of meltdown strategy is never a good idea—no matter where you are in your investing career or what your wealth advisor recommends.

Borrowing to invest can be a good strategy—but there’s no benefit to connecting it to RRSP withdrawals

Of course, borrowing to invest can go wrong if you buy at the top of the market and sell at a low. However, taking out an investment loan can be a good investment strategy for certain investors.

For example, you may consider borrowing to invest if you are in the top income tax bracket and expect to stay there for a number of years, you have 10 or more years until retirement, and you have the kind of temperament to sit through the inevitable market setbacks without losing confidence at a market bottom and selling out to repay your loan.

Either way, we see no benefit in complicating matters by tying your investment loans to RRSP withdrawals. When seeking the best RRSP investment strategy, it’s important to consider simpler, more straightforward approaches.

Bonus Tip: Index-linked GICs maximize the promises but minimize the payouts

Index-linked GICs (guaranteed investment certificates) provide the buyer with a return that is “linked” to the direction of the stock market in a given period. A quick look at the rules on these deals may give you the impression that the investor can profit substantially with little risk. However, the link depends on a formula or set of rules that is buried in the fine print.

These investments are marketed, by some wealth advisors and others, as offering all of the advantages of stock-market investing with none of the risk. But banks and insurance companies aren’t in the business of giving customers something for nothing. The capital gain that holders get depends on an ingenious formula, which is cleverly designed to sound generous while minimizing the potential payout.

In summary, this article discusses the concept of RRSP meltdown, a strategy promoted by some wealth advisors to withdraw funds from RRSPs without paying income tax. The strategy involves taking out an investment loan and using RRSP withdrawals to pay the interest, effectively cancelling out the tax on the withdrawal due to the tax-deductible nature of the loan interest.

However, the article cautions against this approach, highlighting that it often benefits the brokerage industry more than investors. The strategy requires significant borrowing, which increases investor leverage and risk, especially problematic for those near retirement. Some extreme versions of RRSP meltdown involve risky investments in business or real estate deals, potentially leaving investors with illiquid and high-risk assets.

While borrowing to invest can be a viable strategy for certain investors under specific circumstances, the article advises against complicating matters by tying investment loans to RRSP withdrawals. It also warns about index-linked GICs, which may seem attractive but often have complex rules that minimize potential payouts. This is why it’s crucial to thoroughly research and understand any investment product before considering it as part of your best RRSP investment strategy.

The key takeaway is that investors should be cautious of complex strategies that promise tax-free RRSP withdrawals and should instead focus on simpler, more straightforward investment approaches that align with their individual financial situations and risk tolerances.

This article was originally published in 2010 and ii is regularly updated.