What role does an employer play in the health of its workforce? How can pension plan sponsors help members to make better investment decisions? Why might emerging markets lead the way for future growth opportunities? Benefits Canada’s 2012 Benefits & Pension Summit, held earlier this week at the Marriott Eaton Centre in Toronto, addressed these questions and more, from various perspectives.
After an engaging presentation by keynote speaker Peter Sheahan on the psychology of decision-making, attendees broke out into three streams: Group Benefits, DC and DB. Following are some of the top highlights from the Summit.
Defined contribution
Plan sponsors are failing their plan members when it comes to making them financially literate. Participants in the DC stream heard that this is happening because sponsors are focused on the wrong goal. It shouldn’t be to turn members into CFAs. The goal should be getting them to make appropriate investment decisions. Read more…
Defined benefit
Emerging markets, after a brief hiccup during the financial crisis, have grown at rates that developed economies can only dream of. But that growth contains some surprises. It doesn’t necessarily translate into strong equity prices. But it does underpin higher yields on bonds. Read more…
Stay tuned for the full report, scheduled to appear in the June 2012—and 35th anniversary—issue of Benefits Canada.
To download copies of presentation slides, visit benefitscanada.com/bpspresentations.