Default automatic CFM Logic
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By default, Snap enables the automatic cash flow management (CFM) functionality at the retirement age. No automatic contributions or withdrawals (except for the required RRIF/LIF income) are made before the CFM Start Age. Before this age, you can manually enter the planned contributions to various retirement savings accounts, and any surplus cash is assumed to be spent.
In this article, we detail the logic that Snap follows in the years after the CFM Start Age has been enabled. Therefore, in the example used below, we have enabled the CFM Start Age in year one so that automatic contributions and withdrawals apply for all years of the projections.
A quick summary of the default CFM logic
Please see the detailed summary below for further clarification of the steps.
- Accumulation years: Snap will contribute any surplus cash to the accounts in the following order: RRSP, TFSA, Non-Registered.
- Decumulation years: Snap will withdraw from the accounts to reach the spending target in the following order: Non-Registered, TFSA, RRSP.

A detailed summary of the default CFM logic
Accumulation years: If the after-tax cash (ATC) is greater than the after-tax spending (ATS), we have a Surplus.
Snap will start contributing the surplus to assets in the following way:
- If RRSP contribution room is available, Snap will contribute to the RRSP until the maximum contribution room is reached (equally if multiple RRSP accounts are present).
- If TFSA contribution room is available, Snap will contribute to the TFSA until the maximum contribution room is reached (equally if multiple TFSA accounts are present).
- Then, Snap will contribute the remaining cash equally to the Non-Registered accounts.
- If Non-Registered accounts are not present, Snap will contribute the remaining cash to the Cash Account.
- The contributions will continue, every single year, until there is no more cash surplus left.
Decumulation years: If the after-tax cash (ATC) is less than the after-tax spending (ATS), we have a Shortfall.
- Snap will withdraw from RRIF/LIF accounts when the RRIF/LIF minimum withdrawals are required.
- If the RRIF hasn't started yet or if there is no taxable income, Snap will withdraw from RRSP/RRIF up to the personal amount (*).
- Then, Snap will withdraw from the Non-Registered accounts.
- Then, Snap will withdraw from the TFSA accounts.
- Then, Snap will withdraw from the RRSP or RRIF/LIF over the RRIF/LIF minimums.
- The withdrawals will continue until all assets are depleted to zero and then the Shortfall will start to accumulate in the Cash Account.
NOTES: If there are multiple registered accounts of the same type, Snap will withdraw from them based on a percentage of the size of the account. For non-registered assets and TFSAs, the accounts will be withdrawn from in the order that they are displayed under the Capital Assets table. (You will see the withdrawals occur from left to right on the Planning page.)
You can override the default contribution and withdrawal mechanism in three ways:
- Disable automatic cash flow management (CFM) to turn off all automatic contributions and withdrawals.
- Change the underlying logic used for the order of contributions and withdrawals using Advanced Settings and the CFM order column.
- Enter manual overrides to edit the contribution/withdrawal amounts under the Contribution column for each asset.