March 2012

Alternative investments

It’s the crisis that won’t go away—roller coaster markets, lingering debt problems and frustratingly low economic growth have dogged the global economy since the 2008…

This is Part 3 in our coverage of Canadian Investment Review’s 2011 Investment Innovation Conference, held at the Fairmont Southampton in Bermuda. Read Part 1:…

Infrastructure is one long-term asset class that is well-suited to meeting the long-term liabilities of pension funds. However, it has traditionally been available to the…

David Rogers, partner and founder of Caledon Capital Management, says pension plans of all sizes are looking for ways to reduce the risk from continued…

Other

Cara Carson, Western University’s 2012 conference co-ordinator, describes the team effort that goes into creating a successful employee education program.

At Western University in London, Ont., the students aren’t the only ones getting an education. For the past 10 years, the university has made learning…

Health benefits

On the group benefits side, those organizations with fewer plan members still face a few roadblocks when it comes to offering the flexibility that many…

In 2009, in partnership with Sun Life Financial Canada, the US$14.4-billion manufacturer of automotive safety systems began offering online health risk assessments (HRAs) and biometric…

Uncategorized

We know it’s important to invest now for the future. So why is it so hard to save for retirement?

Governance/legislation

A passion for using Excel files to model financial trends led Toronto-based Malcolm Hamilton to the uncomfortable realization, in the mid-1990s, that DB plans were…

In August 2006, President George W. Bush signed the Pension Protection Act (PPA) into law. For Douglas Fisher, senior vice-president of benefit policy development and…

In the wake of the recent financial crisis, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act was signed into law in July 2010.

Capital accumulation plans

Amassing adequate retirement savings is a challenge for individuals trying to plan for retirement.

Although the risks and challenges are often the same, no matter the size of the plan, the solutions are ultimately different, says Steve Eadie, a…

For many mid-size plan sponsors, finding ways to keep employees engaged in retirement saving during the years when retirement is not top of mind is…

Health/wellness

The Regional Municipality of York introduced its strategic wellness program, in partnership with Sun Life Financial’s Health and Wellness team, in response to information garnered…

Tough economic headwinds, rising rates of chronic illness and spiralling healthcare costs make maintaining a healthy workforce more critical to business success now than ever…

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health estimates that mental health conditions are responsible for approximately 30% of all disability claims and 70% of the…