Louise Tailleur, a retired CPA who is now a TikTok cooking influencer, in her Ottawa home.Ashley Fraser/The Globe and Mail
Good morning. Welcome to another instalment of our “Second Act” series, where we explore how Canadians are reinventing life after retirement. Let’s dive in.
The TikTok retirement plan
Louise Tailleur, 59, never set out to become an influencer. Based in Orleans, Ont., the retired chartered professional accountant admits the career twist surprised even her, but reinvention isn’t new to her.
While she calls her influencer-era her second act, she’s actually worn many hats over the years: Public-sector worker, stay-at-home mom to three children, and, later, high school business and accounting teacher. In her 40s, she went back to school for a bachelor of education, determined to work a job that would let her retire early. She was able to retire in her early 50s, but still spends a large chunk of her time substitute teaching.
Making videos on TikTok, though, came as a curveball. Tailleur first heard about the app from her Grade eight students years ago.
“I was teaching them how to create an ad for a marketing lesson and they said to me, ‘Madam, you could never go on TikTok because you’re too old,’” she recalled.
When the pandemic hit, she craved a creative outlet. So, she picked up her phone and started experimenting. To her surprise, her videos – featuring nifty kitchen gadgets, unique foods and recipes (my favourite is her apple pie recipe) – took off. Today, she has more than 160,000 followers across all platforms, including TikTok (@kitchentiktoking) and YouTube, and a growing list of brand partnerships, including collaborations with TikTok Canada itself.
Tailleur credits her financial foresight in her 20s with giving her the freedom to take creative risks later. After saving diligently, she bought her first townhouse at age 24 for about $65,000 and sold it four years later for more than $100,000. She also invested consistently in her RRSP and other accounts.
“That was a lesson in real estate that I kind of learned on my own,” she said. “Back then, there was no way of learning this.”
Her CPA background, she adds, has been surprisingly useful in her influencer career, especially when it comes to negotiating contracts and advocating for herself in brand deals.
Most of all, though, she says content creation has brought joy and purpose. “It keeps me young, it keeps me happy, it keeps me connected,” she said. “This whole app has changed my life.”
Her advice for other retirees is simple: Follow your curiosity. “Find something that gives you a lot of passion,” she said. “Keep yourself open to learning new things because I think that’s what’s going to keep you happy in retirement.”
The Calculator
Cholesterol risk for men is higher, but it’s still important for women to be aware. For older adults, especially women over 60, slightly elevated cholesterol can increase the risk of heart problems in the decade ahead. But lifestyle changes can significantly reduce that risk, even if you start later in life.
Why it matters: A 64-year-old woman with slightly elevated cholesterol and blood pressure has about a 10 per cent chance of developing serious cardiovascular disease within 10 years. By exercising regularly and following a Mediterranean diet, she can cut that risk nearly in half.
The Retirement Receipt
Michael Smith stands at his memorial bench at Sutton Glen Park in Kelowna, B.C.Aaron Hemens/The Globe and Mail
The situation: Michael Smith retired at 55 in 1996 after a career as a vice-president at London Life. The company was being sold and he retired early, though it meant a 25-per-cent reduction in his pension. “It was entirely unexpected and not something I wanted,” he said.
The numbers: Smith had always saved and invested, and rolled $72,000 from his settlement into his RRSP, which was “one of the best things I ever did,” he said, since his pension isn’t indexed to inflation. He still manages his own portfolio and has weathered downturns from the 2008 crash to the pandemic drop.
Life in retirement: For 30 years, Smith and his wife have travelled extensively by motorhome across North America and on cruises around the world. They now spend winters in Arizona, where he plays tennis, golf and bikes year-round. He also volunteers with groups such as the Canadian Mental Health Association and Big Brothers Big Sisters.
His advice: “Try to find a reason to get out of bed and get going every morning,” he said, whether that’s hobbies or being physically active. He also recommends to those who travel outside of Canada to get medical insurance, “or you could wind up spending a lot of your hard-earned money on health care costs.”
Best of the Rest
📉 Rent is eating paycheques alive. Roughly half of young renters (18–24) and a third of renters overall are spending more than half their income just to keep a roof over their heads, according to a new Rentals.ca report. Financial planners warn that with so little left over, many tenants may struggle to ever save enough for retirement.
🍷 Canada’s alcohol guidelines are sobering. Since 2023, the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction has advised that no amount of alcohol is risk-free, linking even small amounts to cancer, heart disease and poor sleep. Low risk is now defined as just one to two drinks per week, with risks climbing steeply after that. But doctors say it’s not all-or-nothing. Even cutting back from seven drinks to three or four can improve energy, mood and long-term health.
💰 Inheriting isn’t always a gift. Helen, 64, got nearly $500,000 from her mother, a windfall far larger than she expected, but it came tangled with family tension. She’s now co-owner with her sister of two run-down cabins, navigating sibling rivalry, estate complications and questions about whether the money was meant to reconcile them.
🏠 A recent tax court ruling could make the Home Buyers’ Plan more forgiving. A couple withdrew RRSP funds in both 2021 and 2022, and while the CRA said that broke the one-year rule, a judge sided with the couple, noting the law allows withdrawals across years. The case suggests HBP rules may give home buyers more flexibility than most buyers realize.
Try This
✈️ With airlines and travel on my mind this week for no particular reason, here’s a tip: Try booking accommodation a few towns over from the tourist hotspot to save money. For example, if you want to visit Picton, Ont., to enjoy popular Prince Edward County, but the cheapest hotel is $400 a night, look at nearby towns like Consecon or Bloomfield and travel over.