The FP Canada Standards Council and Institut québécois de planification financière (IQPF) have jointly released the 2019 Projection Assumption Guidelines for professional financial planners across Canada.

The guidelines were developed and are updated annually by a committee of individuals who are all licensed financial planners (through either CFP® certification or the F.Pl. license in Québec) and actuaries or CFA charterholders.

The Guidelines, which came into effect April 30, help financial planners make long-term financial projections (10 or more years) that are free from potential biases or predispositions, say the organizations.

The Projection Assumption Guidelines for 2019 are as follows:  

Inflation rate:

2.1%

Return rates

 

Short-term:

3.0%

Fixed-income:

3.9%

Canadian equities:

6.1%

Foreign developed market equities:

6.4%

Emerging market equities:

7.2%

YMPE or MPE growth rate:

3.1%

Borrowing rate:

5.0%

 

“Financial planners make projections every day to help their clients plan for things such as retirement income, insurance needs and funding post-secondary education,” explains Susan Howe, Chair of the FP Canada Standards Council’s Standards Panel. “The Projection Assumption Guidelines are an invaluable resource that helps planners provide unbiased professional advice.”

The Projection Assumptions Guidelines are accompanied by an Addendum containing the data sources on which the Guidelines are based, as well as the specific calculations for inflation and rate-of-return guidelines.