Testimonials
Here are some of the comments from our clients:
"I would like to thank you for taking the time to answer my CPP/OAS questions. You clarified my queries like no one has. I am beyond grateful for your patience, knowledge and approachability. Basically, I can plan for my financial future and not be consumed by uncertainty and anxiety. It was my good fortune to discover you, the internet does have some redeeming qualities." N.B.
"You helped me out 4 years ago, and I appreciated it. Just to let you know, I just turned 60 and the CPP you predicted I get, was $8 within what I get. My situation was complex since I am a widow, AND I am still working AND I am taking the CPP at 60. Your services helped me to decide when to retire, and you were spot on. Thank you for all that you do, as a widow, I appreciate your precise, professional help. I highly recommend your services to anyone wanting an accurate assessment of CPP benefits. Keep doing what you are doing!" J.B., London, Ont.
"Recently, (August 2021), I used Doug’s services to help calculate the differences between collecting CPP whether 65 or 70 years of age in consideration of PRBs and some tax issues, while I was still working until I would be 70 years old. Doug was very clear in his response and produced a spreadsheet and other charts that were clear and easy to understand. I would reach out to Doug again if needed without hesitation! Five stars!" J.S.
"I reached out to Doug Runchey after my application for OAS, GIS and Allowance for Spouse was stuck at Service Canada for about 20 months with no hope for an easy resolution. After just a few emails between us, he was able to quickly assess my circumstances and as my representative he laid out my case to Service Canada with clarity and directness and followed up regularly with the various departments. My application was fully approved without any changes and my spouse and I are now in receipt of our benefits just about 6 months after first representation.
I strongly advise anyone, particularly landed immigrants who might have unusual residence and employment histories in and out of Canada, to engage his services. Navigating the complex and confusing regulations concerning social benefits is best left to experts, and Doug Runchey fits that bill." A.J.Y.S., Kitchener, Ont.
"I appreciated that Doug responded quickly and concisely. An unfortunate change in health required revision of the plan not to access CPP until 70. The answer for Doug may have been straightforward, but to others who haven't the expertise and have much else on their minds, Doug's timely response was most helpful." T.W.
"I hired DR Pensions to do a CPP calculation for myself and my wife. We received super-prompt service and detailed calculations on when it made sense for us to begin our CPP pension. The level of detail in the report was great. Having retired early, at ages 55 and 56 respectively, the government estimates on our CPP entitlement at ages 60, 65 and 70 were skewed and not reflective of the impact of early retirement on our ultimate CPP pensions. Further, it was very helpful to get clarity on the child-rearing provision which enhanced my wife's CPP pension entitlement.
Thanks to Doug for the detailed calculations. Best money I've spent in 2020." S.P.
"My wife and I recently retired and we are planning our fiscal future. Part of this includes optimizing the CPP and OAS. I scoured the Internet and Services Canada website for the formulas to calculate our personal CPP pension amount. Well, it is the government's best kept secret! I could only find estimates... until I found Doug’s detailed explanations on the Retire Happy website for determining an accurate CPP pension amount. The formulas and assumptions are quite elaborate, with yearly adjustments, dropout periods, and early penalties or increases. Well, I normally don’t send payments to websites for calculations, but I needed accurate figures to do our financial planning and went to the DR Pensions Consulting website to purchase a few calculations.
Doug immediately responded to my email. He gave me options on our SOC submissions, and within one business day, I had both our detailed CPP amounts at three different ages, and a lifetime cumulative table to compare the benefits subscribing at different ages. It assists people to determine the best age for taking CPP depending on their personal choices and circumstances.
Doug offers a quick, dependable and fully backed-up calculations package to elucidate a quite complex issue. And he stands behind the numbers and expertly answers any questions related to the calculations.
I fully endorse and recommend Doug’s CPP service for a thorough fiscal planning exercise. I will retain Doug's coordinate as a valuable resource for future CPP issues." C.P., Ottawa, Ont.
"Doug provided me with some very good information for my mother's CPP retirement calculation. Doug was very professional and responded very timely to my inquiry. I would definitely use Doug's services again. 5/5 stars. He runs his business with integrity." S.Q.
"Maybe other people will have had more luck, but based on my experience I think it's a sad commentary on Service Canada that they encourage people to ask for their (free) estimates but produce widely differing calculations, depending on who you happen to talk to. If I had only called them once, and based my decision on that feedback alone, I definitely would have chosen what I now understand to be a less advantageous start date. I feel fortunate that my banker gave me your contact information. You provide a valuable service —speedy, accurate and professional — and people should know about it." L.S.
"Thanks very much for the report, and sending it to me so quickly. The information in the report is clear and understandable, and extremely informative and helpful. Your additional notes and explanations are much appreciated. I haven't made a decision yet on which age I'll start collecting CPP, but at least I can make a much more informed decision based on the data, and won't be stewing for the rest of my life about what I might have gained or lost if I had chosen a different age to start collecting my CPP." B.G.
"Doug, thanks for all your help and expertise regarding the CPP plan including estimated benefit calculations, etc. You really know this stuff!" J.S.
"A while back you did some CPP calculations for me. On the basis of your work I applied for CPP as of Feb 2016. Today I received a confirmation of the start date and amount. It was exactly, to the penny, what you calculated. You may recall that I had previously asked for calculations from Service Canada. I had over the last two years received calculations from them that had varied by more than $400. None of them matched your calculation. The closest was out by more than $100. I just wanted to thank you for providing the information that allowed me to have confidence in my decision. It was $60 well spent." L.S.
"As a financial advisor, I can attest to how challenging it is to find detailed information on the CPP. Even though advisors receive training on government benefits through their various associations and course work, the content is quite general in nature. When working with client files, I have also found that even Service Canada representatives are challenged to explain the inner workings of a CPP calculation so that we advisors can in turn provide clarification to our clients. Doug was able to bring his great depth of knowledge to assist us with case work and provided us with specific and detailed answers that were simply not available elsewhere. Thanks again Doug for your help." R.R.
"Thank you so much for the report, Doug! It was a pleasure speaking with you, and I feel so much better now that I have realistic and accurate numbers to work with that I can incorporate into my future planning. The service and quick turnaround time you provided was exceptional; I can't remember the last time a business or service impressed me so much. I'm looking forward to entering the numbers you crunched for me into a spreadsheet so I can see how the different scenarios will look in the future. :-) I will certainly be telling my financial advisor about you and sending people your way any chance I get." R.S.
"I can hardly believe it. I received a letter today from Service Canada agreeing with all your calculations ... to the penny!! Monthly pension for 2013 will increase by $5.66 to $729.77, and retroactive payment will be $230.80 ... exactly as per your email. I never doubted your numbers, but am very surprised (and delighted) it has been so quick and easy to get a resolution from them. Again, many thanks to you for making this very easy for me ... P.S. Next August I will start receiving OAS — maybe I will need your services again!!" P.C.
"Doug, I'm a number-crunching kind of guy. I have my budgets and retirement plans all laid out with different options. This is an excellent report — I love the way you lay it out and explain it." A.P.
"With the calculations provided by Doug at DR Pensions Consulting, I was able to make my decision to start collecting my CPP early and while still working — something I had not previously thought about. Then, as a follow-up a year later, I found that the adjustments had not been made to my pension due to the ongoing income from work. After a call to the CPP office with this information from DR Pensions Consulting, that was quickly corrected." M.M.
"Thanks for your response. This little tidbit about the assumptions of the [Service Canada] CPP calculator never occurred to me and is very valuable indeed (even if my CPP won't be!)." R.P.
"Just to let you know that your CPP calculations were right on the dot! I called them on Feb. 5th and today I received a letter reflecting your CPP benefit calculation amount plus $223.82 retroactive from Feb 2011 to Feb 2013. Thanks!" A.S.
"Thank you so much for your calculations. You have lifted a huge weight off my shoulders because now I can have confidence in the decisions I need to make. I will be sure to tell others about your service." B.J.
"They agree with you — they have adjusted my pension to $700.16 — exactly as you said it should be. And, I'm getting $133.81 back pay! Thanks so much for your help — and persistence." G.B.
"Wow! I've been looking for this detailed information for some time. There are hundreds of hand-wavy explanations on the web, but this is the first one I could code up in a spreadsheet. Thanks!" M.J. (This comment refers to the article How to Calculate Your CPP Retirement Pension.)
"I am so pleased with the quality of your work that I will not hesitate to recommend your services to my circle of friends. You are highly professional, trustworthy and knowledgeable. You are also generous with the information you provide. I liked your detailed report and clear recommendations, as well as your offer of continuous support. Much appreciated." M.R.
"By the way, the reason I was so impressed with your knowledge of the CPP system is that I phoned there when I turned 65 to ask about the further reduction in my Survivor's Benefit. (I had expected a reduction when I started collecting my own pension at 63, but I didn't know there would be a further reduction at 65.) I made it very clear that I was not complaining — that I just wanted to understand. The woman to whom I spoke answered that the formula they used was very complex and she couldn't begin to explain it to me. She actually said these exact words: "It's so complex that most of us who work here don't understand it, so we certainly can't explain it to others." I was quite horrified, but I didn't question her any further, and I just let the matter drop. Then, years later, you appeared on the forum with what to me is a clear, explanation of how it works. So thank you so much; I feel like I finally understand what happened." K.D. (This comment refers to a post in the Retirement section of the Canadian Money Forum.)