Did you know that The Future, otherwise known as Retirement, is now the top financial priority (euphemism for ‘concern’?) of Canadians?

38% of participants in an RBC Asset Mgt. poll (conducted by Ipsos Reid) cited this as #1, while 27% of us said keeping our heads ‘above water’ was a top priority.

We’re putting our money where our mouths are: the average RRSP contribution for 2005 will be in the $5700 range.

British Columbians:

• 66% have RRSPS
• 44% of us plan to contribute this year
• 32% of us will contribute the max
• Average RRSPs held: $71,168

If you don’t ’stack up’, don’t despair. Remember, you have company: 34% of us are not contributing anything.
There can be a variety of reasons not to contribute.

If contributing is a struggle for you, consider these options:

• VanCity has a cool program. You can regularly auto-transfer as little as $41.66 a month into a special account that will pay you as much interest as you’d get on a term deposit. Once you’ve got $500, you get a term deposit to put into your RRSP (or simply save it). Your financial institution may offer a similar product. If $50 feels like too big of a challenge, carry on reading here.
• If you’d like to get seriously involved with your money, and start moving ahead financially, consider coaching (first one complimentary) or joining a YMbD seminar series.

If you’re broke, and anxious, check this out.