I think you are missing the point. This article speaks to the large number of middle income earners whose main source of income in retirement will come from their RRSP/RRIF.  It does not concern the wealthy. It concerns those who may by withdrawing their retirement savings for other purposes (housing in particular) and winding up in poverty in their senior years as a result. Alexandra Macqueen is a highly reputable writer and teacher on retirement and pensions (co-authored a book with Moshe Milevsky). Yes, there are articles in the G&M that seem like promos for the investment industry, but this is not one of them.