However much the general population of investors feels the pain of stock market declines, retirees feel it more. One reason is that retirees worry they may not have time to wait for a recovery from a stock market crash, while another is that there are required to make minimum withdrawals from their registered retirement income funds. No one wants to sell a hard-hit stock or fund in order to satisfy the rules about RRIF withdrawals. One way around this problem is to keep enough cash in your RRIF to cover at least a couple of years’ worth of RRIF withdrawals. Use this cash instead of selling stocks or funds you know will recover if left alone. Another option is an in-kind RRIF withdrawal, where you transfer a stock or fund from your RRIF into a non-registered account. Here’s some information on in-kind RRIF withdrawals from the people at CIBC Investor’s Edge. Consider it a rough guideline for DIY investors managing their own RRIF accounts. CIBC IE says the process can be started by getting in touch with its client contact centre, and that there is no cost for an in-kind or cash RRIF withdrawal. Other brokers may charge a fee of $25 or $50 - be sure to enquire. The usual practice is to not charge for transactions made to meet the annual withdrawal rules. At CIBC, the transfer would be made to a non-registered account. From there, you could choose to have the securities moved to a tax-free savings account. In-kind and cash withdrawals from RRIFs are similar in that they both must be reported as income on your taxes. Also, both types of withdrawals are subject to withholding tax if they are above your annual minimum amount. Withholding tax is calculated on the excess amount of your withdrawal – the amount beyond the minimum, in other words. CIBC Investors Edge says that if you do have to pay withholding tax, be sure to have the cash to cover it in your RRIF. CIBC says that for RRIF withdrawals up to $5,000, the withholding tax rate is 19 per cent of the amount in excess of the annual minimum in Quebec and 10 per cent elsewhere in Canada. At $5,001 to $15,000, the tax rate is 24 per cent of the excess in Quebec and 20 per cent elsewhere. At $15,001, the rate is 29 per cent in Quebec and 30 per cent in other parts of the country. If your in-kind transfer of shares or funds ends up in a non-registered account, the fair market value of the investments at the time of transfer is your new adjusted cost base.