Hemisphere Capital Management Inc.

RRSP RRIF Conversion Expert Advice

Helping You Manage Your RRIF

We help you manage your retirement strategy by balancing investment risk, income needs and flexibility.

Do You Have A Strategy to Drawdown Your RRIF?

Managing your RRSP to RRIF conversion and subsequent drawdown can be complex. Your approach affects not only your retirement income, but also your taxes, portfolio risk, and long-term flexibility.

After years of building your wealth, you deserve a thoughtful approach to managing your retirement income.

A Personalized Approach To Managing your RRIF

Thoughtful Withdrawal Strategy

We help look beyond minimum withdrawals to evaluate how your portfolio can support your retirement income and develop a strategy that works for you.

Move from annual decisions to a thoughtful long-term approach.

Balanced Investments

Our investment approach gives the flexibility to fund withdrawals when you need them while supporting future growth. 

Balance growing your portfolio for tomorrow with your income needs today.

Tax and Benefit Considerations

We help consider how withdrawal amounts influence taxes and income-based benefits to help support your retirement goals.

Help reduce unnecessary surprises so you can keep more of your wealth.

Professional Oversight

As markets move and your needs change, portfolio structure and retirement income are continuously reviewed together.

Maintain alignment between your income needs and investment strategy.

What Goes Into a Personalized Approach

We review opportunities to improve your overall retirement strategy. This includes evaluating the benefits of converting your RRSP to a RRIF early, such as accessing pension income tax credits, enabling income splitting, and improving long-term outcomes.

Minimum withdrawals are only the starting point. A thoughtful withdrawal strategy balances maintaining tax-deferred savings with flexibility and your retirement income needs.

RRIF withdrawals can influence eligibility for income-based programs such as Old Age Security (OAS) and the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP). Withdrawals and income needs are reviewed against these thresholds and others.

Withdrawal timing can affect your lifetime taxes. Striking the right balance between drawing more income today and avoiding a large tax bill later — including at death — is an important consideration.

Withdrawals can gradually change your portfolio’s asset allocation. Left unmanaged, portfolios may become more aggressive, less resilient during downturns, or less aligned with income needs. Ongoing oversight helps ensure your portfolio remains consistent with your risk profile.

We Manage a RRIF, LIF, or Spousal RRIF for Over 40% of Our Clients

For many retirees, their registered assets are one of the most important parts of their retirement income strategy. In fact, we manage a Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF), Life Income Fund (LIF), or Spousal RRIF for over 40% of our clients.

For more than 30 years, we have helped clients approach the drawdown of their registered accounts with a clear and disciplined strategy.

Not only do we consider factors like taxes and benefits, we also focus on how your portfolio is constructed and how it evolves. As withdrawals occur, portfolios can gradually shift, often becoming more aggressive or less aligned with income needs. We provide ongoing oversight to maintain an appropriate level of risk while efficiently funding withdrawals.

We Highly Recommend Hemisphere Capital!

BH & BH
Client Since 2004
"My husband and I have been satisfied clients of Hemisphere for more than 20 years. Our investment profile has evolved over that time, and we have consistently been gratified, not only with our investment results, but with the relationships of trust we have developed. Our questions are answered clearly, we appreciate the reporting received, and we know that a phone consultation is always available. Skyelar always goes above expectations and offers what we think of as a boutique - caring and competence. We highly recommend Hemisphere Capital!"
MO & HO
Client Since 2017
"Hemisphere Capital Management has been absolutely incredible. From the very beginning they made us feel completely at home, like we were more than just clients. The entire team is personable, professional, and genuinely supportive. Their guidance has been clear, thoughtful, and incredibly helpful at every step. We’re extremely happy with their investment approach and very pleased with the financial returns we’ve seen so far. Their strategy gives us confidence and peace of mind. We couldn’t be happier with the experience and highly recommend Hemisphere Capital Management to anyone looking for a trustworthy and exceptional financial partner."
RT & BT
Client Since 2022
"Great company. We moved here from Victoria three years ago and were looking for a local company to manage our investments. Hemisphere fit the bill perfectly. Stephan manages our funds and is extremely competent and well informed. We trust him explicitly."

*Past performance does not guarantee future results.

How We Balance RRIF Withdrawals Requirements With Investment Risk

Once you transition from saving to spending, losses become harder to recover from. Withdrawals often must continue regardless of market conditions, and there is less time and fewer opportunities to offset them with new contributions. 

This creates a fundamental challenge: balancing near-term income needs with long-term growth. The timing of returns and withdrawals can have a meaningful impact on your retirement. Mandatory withdrawals increase this pressure.

We offer a thoughtful investment approach to help manage this transition.

Flexibility to match your income needs

We use individual fixed income securities with specific maturities to help align your portfolio with your expected withdrawals. This allows us to fund near-term income needs with greater flexibility. 

Avoid being a forced seller during downturns

By planning ahead and having flexibility for withdrawals, we reduce the need to sell assets during periods of market weakness. This helps preserve capital and avoids locking in losses that can negatively impact long-term outcomes.

Supporting today’s income while planning for tomorrow

While funding near-term withdrawals is important, your portfolio must also grow to support future income. We focus on a balanced approach to position your portfolio for long-term success.

Discover the Benefits of a Thoughtful Approach.

1 / Schedule an introductory conversation.

We start with a straightforward discussion together about your goals, priorities, challenges, income needs and current investments.

2 / Let Us Create a Personalized strategy.

We outline proposed changes to your retirement strategy and investments to better align your wealth with your objectives.

3 / Execute the strategy together.

We help implement your new strategy with care and discipline, keeping you informed every step of the way.

7 RRIF Decisions That Still Matter After Conversion

Converting your RRSP to a RRIF is only the beginning. Download our guide to learn more about which RRIF decisions continue to shape your retirement income even after conversion.

Or explore our other guides.

Bring Clarity to Your Retirement Income Strategy

At Hemisphere, we know you have spent years building your retirement savings. As you transition from saving to spending, you want confidence that your investments are structured to support your lifestyle.

But managing withdrawals can be complex. Decisions around timing, amounts, and portfolio structure can have lasting effects on your income, flexibility and risk. Without a clear strategy, it can be difficult to know if you are making the most of what you have built.

We understand how important these decisions are. And how uncertain they can feel. After years of disciplined saving, you deserve a thoughtful and well-managed approach to turn your savings into reliable retirement income.

That is why we provide a clear, disciplined and personalized strategy. Our approach is designed to help you manage risk, navigate income-based benefits, and maintain flexibility throughout retirement.

We invite you to schedule an introduction with one of our portfolio managers. With the right strategy in place, you can move forward with greater clarity, knowing your retirement income is being managed with care, discipline, and a focus on your long-term goals.

Conversion of RRSP to RRIF: What to Know Before Age 71
RRSPs are a beneficial savings tool for Canadians, but they also have an expiration date. You are required to collapse your RRSP by December 31 ...
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