Here's the Average Canadian TFSA and RRSP at Age 35

Here’s the Average Canadian TFSA and RRSP at Age 35

Owning the right long-term investments can be excellent for your retirement goals, and here’s what you need to do to make the most of it.

Adam Othman

Adam is a value investor who is always on the hunt for fantastic undervalued companies that he can share with Motley Fool readers. He follows Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger's investment advice and has completed the Canadian Securities Course. When he's not investing, Adam can usually be found traveling or skiing.

Published June 21, 7:45 pm EDT

Not a lot of people start thinking about their retirement plans until they turn 35, and they start wondering about the bigger financial questions. Have you been saving enough? Should you focus more on your Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) or Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA)? Are your investments actually setting you up for a comfortable retirement?

Based on figures from the 2023 tax filings, Statistics Canada found that Canadians in the 35-44 age group contributed a median of $3,300 to TFSAs and $36,00 to RRSPs. Those using both retirement accounts were reported to have contributed a combined median of $10,840.

While there is more room for contributions, the figures indicate a growing trend of Canadians becoming more intentional about tax-free growth and balancing tax savings through these tools. Besides maximizing the contributions to these accounts, you must ensure that you invest in the right assets to get the best out of the strategy.

Piggy bank and Canadian coins — Source: Getty Images

A top investment for your TFSA and RRSP

You can use the RRSP and TFSA to hold cash. However, I think it is a wasted opportunity to use the accounts solely to hold cash. The returns you can get from high-quality TSX stocks can significantly outweigh the returns from interest on the cash in these accounts. Key interest rates are not high enough to keep pace with inflation. Using the accounts to store cash means you will effectively lose money in the long run in terms of buying power.

That’s why investors need to be smart with what they invest in using these accounts. Investing in high-quality dividend stocks can be an excellent way to go. The stock of a company with a solid underlying business that can generate cash despite harsh economic conditions can deliver far more in returns through reliable distributions and long-term capital gains. A stock like TC Energy (TSX: TRP) might be worth a closer look to this end.

TC Energy

TC Energy is a Calgary-headquartered Canadian energy infrastructure company with a market cap of $100.87 billion. It essentially provides services to energy producers in the region, using its extensive energy infrastructure network to transport crude oil and natural gas across North America.

TC Energy goes beyond being an energy infrastructure company through its diversified portfolio of power-generation assets. Its facilities total a 4.7-gigawatt production capacity. TC Energy sells most of the power it produces through long-term power-purchase agreements, insulating the company from fluctuations in spot electricity prices. With 98% of its earnings coming from long-term take-or-pay contracts or rate-regulated assets, it has predictable and stable cash flows that support its ability to fund its payouts.

Foolish takeaway

Backed by a resilient business model, TC Energy has been increasing its payouts to investors for the last 26 years. As of this writing, TRP stock trades for $96.83 per share and pays $0.8775 per quarter to its investors for each share they own. Boasting a 3.62% dividend yield, the stock looks well-positioned to continue increasing payouts.

The demand for its energy infrastructure network is expected to increase, and the company plans to spend around $6 billion each year till 2030 to expand its pipeline network and strengthen its asset base. I think this energy stock can be a good investment at current levels.