Retirement Resources for Canadians:

• National Seniors Council of Canada: Takes into account the views of experts, seniors, retirement organizations and other interested parties and then provides advice to the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, the Minister of Health, and the Secretary of State.
  
• Health Canada: Health Canada is the Canadian Federal Government's department responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health, while respecting individual choices and circumstances.
  
• The Retirement Café: Interesting Retirement Articles Such as 7 Secrets to a Happy Retirement, Top-10 Dumbest Retirement Moves, and "Winning a Lottery: The Retirement Plan with the Most Bugs to Be Worked Out."
  
• Seniors Canada: Information in the areas of Finances & Pensions, Health & Wellness, Retirement, Seniors Networks, Travel & Leisure, and Work & Volunteering.
  
• The Joy of Not Working Website: Features The World's Second Best Retirement Book. Real life success stories about people not working, 25 reasons to retire early, and retirement quotes, letters, jokes, and poems from an author whose books have sold over 550,000 copies worldwide.
  
• Canada Pension Plan: Official Government of Canada Website where you can check out how big of a pension you can expect to get when you retire.

• CARP: Organization whose mission is to enhance the quality of life for all Canadians as they age. Advocates social change that will bring financial security, equitable and timely access to health care for seniors and retirees.
• Friendship Resources for Retirees:

• Retirement Job Search Advice for Retirees

Retirement Planning Not the Forte of Canadians

1. According to a recently released Statistics Canada study, almost half of Canadian households spend more than their pretax income in a given year. That's up from 39 per cent in the early 1980s. From 1982 to 2001, the study found, per capita debt doubled, because of sharp increases in both mortgages and consumer debt.

2. 67 percent of Canadians say money is their most frequent worry.

3. Only 40 percent of Canadians know how many millions are in a billion.

4. Still worse, only 25 percent of Canadians know the difference between the National debt and National deficit.

5. According to Desjardins Financial security's latest retirement study, many Canadians are not prepared for the challenges retirement can bring. They are failing to consider a variety of factors and risks that can have an impact on the yield and longevity of their savings, such as inflation, rising life expectancies and healthcare costs. Nearly 60% of those surveyed are not concerned about having a large enough nest egg to sustain their standard of living in retirement. More than 80% have not eliminated their consumer debt in retirement and even more are not concerned about paying off their mortgages (88%). And more than half are not worried that inflation will erode their savings.