Built for Canadians, by people tired of US-generic math

Why this exists

Most retirement calculators you find online are either built for the US system or built by a bank that would quite like to sell you a product at the end. Neither gives a Canadian a straight answer to a simple question: given my real numbers, am I going to be okay?

We built RetireSmarter.ca to be the honest version. The math reflects how Canada actually works — RRSP/RRIF withdrawals are fully taxable, OAS gets clawed back above an income threshold, RRIF minimums are forced on a schedule, and provincial brackets matter. No sign-up wall, no "talk to an advisor" funnel, no ads following you around the internet.

What you'll find here

• Calculators. Dozens of free tools — RRSP, TFSA, FHSA, CPP and OAS timing, RRIF minimum withdrawals, safe withdrawal rate, capital gains, mortgage, and more.
• The retirement planner. A full year-by-year model with CPP/OAS, lump-sum events, account-level tax, Monte Carlo, and an optional AI read on your scenario.
• Guides. Plain-language explainers on the things Canadians actually search — RRSP vs TFSA, when to take CPP, the FHSA, the 4% rule in Canada, tax-efficient withdrawals.

What we believe

• Built for Canadians. Real CRA and provincial rules, modelled correctly — not US-generic assumptions.
• Private by default. The calculators run entirely in your browser. Your numbers never leave your device unless you choose to save them to an account.
• Free, with no upsells. No bank pushing products, no required login, no spam. Just the tools and the math.
• Educational, not advice. We give you the numbers and the reasoning. Big decisions still deserve a qualified advisor who knows your full picture.

Who's behind it

RetireSmarter.ca was founded by Jason Sterling, its CEO. It's an independent Canadian project — not a bank, brokerage, or registered advisory firm. It started as a tool Jason built to stress-test his own family's real retirement plan on the actual Canadian rules, and grew into a free hub anyone in Canada can use. We're not pushing products; if a tool saves you a planning headache, that's the whole point.

How we keep it accurate

Money topics leave no room for guesswork, so every rate, threshold and figure on the site is read from a primary source — the CRA, the Bank of Canada, regulators, or an issuer's own page — and date-stamped. We don't publish a number we can't verify, our rankings are never sold, and we correct errors quickly. The full detail is in our editorial standards and methodology.

RetireSmarter.ca provides educational tools and information only and does not provide financial, tax, investment, or legal advice. See our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.