Use one module per day, one per week, or all in a single planning session.
Designed for short reading, one action prompt, and one next decision per module.
Finish with provider questions, contribution notes, withdrawal vocabulary, and a yearly review checklist.
Who this course is for
This curriculum is for families who want to understand enough to ask better provider questions. It is educational only and does not choose investments, providers, tax treatment, or student-aid strategy for a specific household.
Curriculum
RESP basics and account roles
Understand what an RESP is, who controls it, and which words matter before opening one.
Learn
- What an RESP can be used for after high school.
- The difference between subscriber, beneficiary, and promoter.
- How individual, family, and group RESP structures differ at a high level.
Practice
Write down the subscriber, beneficiary, and possible provider for your own situation. Flag any family-plan or grandparent questions before choosing a provider.
Grants, bonds, and contribution planning
Separate personal contributions from government benefits and build a first contribution plan.
Learn
- How basic CESG, additional CESG, and the Canada Learning Bond fit into an RESP.
- Why grant room and contribution limits are different.
- Why ages 16 and 17 need special attention for late starters.
Practice
Estimate the grant impact of one planned contribution, then list which benefits your provider must support for your child or province.
Provider choice and account setup
Compare providers by benefit support, fees, investment control, and service workflow.
Learn
- What to ask before signing provider forms.
- How banks, brokerages, managed services, and group plans can differ.
- Why provincial incentive support can matter for British Columbia and Quebec families.
Practice
Shortlist two providers and compare grant support, transfer fees, ongoing costs, investment options, and withdrawal processing.
Investing inside an RESP
Make a basic investment-policy decision without confusing the RESP account with the investments inside it.
Learn
- Why the RESP is the account wrapper, not the investment itself.
- How fees, risk, child age, and time horizon affect provider decisions.
- When managed, self-directed, GIC, ETF, or mutual-fund approaches may need different questions.
Practice
Write a one-sentence investment rule for the RESP: who chooses investments, how much risk is acceptable, and when the risk should be revisited.
Withdrawals, taxes, and school proof
Understand the difference between contribution withdrawals, EAPs, and leftover-money options before school starts.
Learn
- How contribution withdrawals and Educational Assistance Payments differ.
- Why proof of enrolment, timing, and first-term limits can affect cash flow.
- What can happen when the beneficiary does not use all RESP money for school.
Practice
Draft a first-withdrawal checklist for the student: school proof, expected expenses, amount needed, EAP amount, contribution amount, and payment destination.
Student aid, records, and annual review
Use the RESP alongside student aid decisions and keep enough records to answer tax, provider, and aid questions later.
Learn
- Why student-aid reporting can depend on province, program wording, and withdrawal type.
- Which documents families should keep after contributions, grants, transfers, and withdrawals.
- How to review the RESP each year without starting over.
Practice
Create a yearly RESP review note: beneficiary age, contribution total, grants received, provider fees, investment mix, source check, and next action.
Final assignment
Create a one-page RESP plan with the beneficiary name, subscriber name, provider shortlist, benefits to request, planned contribution amount, investment approach, withdrawal assumptions, and the next date to review official sources.
Start with the provider checklist