Latest news in Capital accumulation plans

Have your say: Will plan sponsors embrace variable benefits from DC plans?

Have your say: Will plan sponsors embrace variable benefits from DC plans?

Earlier this month, the Pension Investment Association of Canada came out in support of Ontario’s proposed regulations for variable benefits from defined contribution pension plans.…

Pension communication errors can lead to surprise costs for plan sponsors

Pension communication errors can lead to surprise costs for plan sponsors

Pension plan sponsors can save money by ensuring their plan texts and other communications materials are free of mistakes, says Mitch Frazer, a partner and the chair…

Keeping it simple: Ikea’s DPSP reinforces founder’s values

Keeping it simple: IKEA’s DPSP reinforces founder’s values

Despite his death earlier this year, Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad’s influence lives on at the international furniture behemoth. The notoriously frugal Kamprad reportedly flew economy class,…

The shifting landscape for variable benefits from DC plans

The shifting landscape for variable benefits from DC plans

There has been a lot of talk about variable benefits from defined contribution pension plans recently. Ontario has changes in the works to allow them, while…

28% of Canadian gen-Xers have no retirement savings, survey finds

28% of Canadian gen-Xers have no retirement savings, survey finds

More than a quarter of generation Xers in Canada haven’t saved anything for retirement, a new survey from Franklin Templeton Investments Corp. has found. While…

  • By: Staff
  • May 10, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 10:39
Prescription drug cap, pensions at heart of Labrador strike

Prescription drug cap, pensions at heart of Labrador strike

A prescription drug cap is among the issues in a strike by United Steelworkers union members in western Labrador. The union members work for the Iron…

Hub International acquires Quebec benefits brokerage

Hub International acquires Quebec benefits brokerage

Hub International Ltd. has acquired yet another benefits brokerage: Quebec-based Les Avantages Sociaux Delta Inc. Based in the Montreal area, Delta provides support and actuarial…

  • By: Staff
  • May 7, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 10:05
Ontario Teachers’ appoints senior managing director of infrastructure, natural resources

Ontario Teachers’ appoints senior managing director of infrastructure, natural resources

The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan has appointed Dale Burgess as senior managing director of infrastructure and natural resources. Burgess has been serving as interim head…

  • By: Staff
  • May 2, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 09:38
Canada’s DC industry thriving despite constant need to tinker

Canada’s DC industry thriving despite constant need to tinker

While Canada’s defined contribution pension industry faces many challenges, the continuous improvement of offerings from service providers is one of the things that’s working, according to Western…

  • By: Ryan Murphy
  • April 18, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 10:30
Editorial: An interesting tax mechanism to boost DC outcomes

Editorial: An interesting tax mechanism to boost DC outcomes

At Benefits Canada’s Defined Contribution Plan Summit in Montreal in February, member engagement and communication were a clear focus of many of the presentations. Case…

2018 DC Plan Summit: Action steps to better outcomes

2018 DC Plan Summit: Action steps to better outcomes

From governance to engagement, plan sponsors are looking for solutions to improve their defined contribution pension plans. What tools are available to plan sponsors to…

Leveraging emotions to boost member outcomes

Leveraging emotions to boost member outcomes

With emotions often preventing people from acting in their own interest, nudges that lever behavioural finance theory to account for them can generate better retirement…

DC Plan Summit: A look at the attitudes of DC members around the world

DC Plan Summit: A look at the attitudes of DC members around the world

With defined contribution pension plans at various stages of evolution around the world, how are plan members faring in different countries? At Benefits Canada’s Defined…

DC Plan Summit: Company harnesses inertia to get majority of workers to 75% income replacement

DC Plan Summit: Company harnesses inertia to get majority of workers to 75% income replacement

When Searles Valley Minerals Inc. upgraded its pension plan offerings, the situation appeared complicated. The average age of the 761 plan participants at the Kansas-based…

DC Plan Summit: The role of financial attention in navigating the growing reach of digital data

DC Plan Summit: The role of financial attention in navigating the growing reach of digital data

Finding ways to leverage the engagement of plan members in order to optimize their experiences, decision-making and outcomes was a recurring theme at Benefits Canada’s…

Mandatory e-learning among British company’s DC revamp

Mandatory e-learning among British company’s DC revamp

While improving a defined contribution pension plan may appear to be simple, ensuring employees fully understand the changes is a crucial part of the exercise,…

DC Plan Summit: Leveraging glide paths to foster resilient asset allocation

DC Plan Summit: Leveraging glide paths to foster resilient asset allocation

While managers of target-date funds have benefited from strong tailwinds in recent years, how can they manage the current environment of uncertainty? Ruthann Pritchard, an…

DC Plan Summit: Direct managers key to helping Coca-Cola manage DB/DC transition

DC Plan Summit: Direct managers key to helping Coca-Cola manage DB/DC transition

Transitioning to a defined contribution plan from a defined benefit arrangement is hard enough during the best of times. But when the organization is a…

DC Plan Summit: The long journey to better retirement outcomes

DC Plan Summit: The long journey to better retirement outcomes

While saving for retirement is an incredibly long journey, visualizing the entire process is a great way to get to better outcomes, according to Neil…

DC Plan Summit: Actionable next steps for plan sponsors

DC Plan Summit: Actionable next steps for plan sponsors

Participants at Benefits Canada’s Defined Contribution Plan Summit spent two days listening to a large roster of speakers offer up solutions on everything from communication tips…

DC Plan Summit: Balancing a human and digital approach to plan member experiences

DC Plan Summit: Balancing a human and digital approach to plan member experiences

Moderators: Nadia Darwish, vice-president of development, marketing and investment strategy; and Karrina Dusablon, vice-president of business development, client relationship and member experience, at Desjardins Insurance…

DC Plan Summit: Delivering better outcomes by getting to know plan members better

DC Plan Summit: Delivering better outcomes by getting to know plan members better

Moderators: Christine van Staden, regional vice-president, group customer; and George Ng, senior account executive, group customer, at Great-West Life Assurance Co. Canada is an increasingly…

DC Plan Summit: Why financial education isn’t enough to change employee behaviour

DC Plan Summit: Why financial education isn’t enough to change employee behaviour

Moderators: Erica Hall, assistant vice-president for client relations, group retirement solutions; and Sharon Seifried, national vice-president for corporate accounts, group retirement solutions, at Manulife Financial…

DC Plan Summit: Is plan sponsor inertia a thing?

DC Plan Summit: Is plan sponsor inertia a thing?

Moderators: Mazen Shakeel, vice-president of market development, group retirement services; and Jean-François Pelletier, regional vice-president for group retirement services, Quebec, at Sun Life Financial The…

Tips for meeting CAPSA’s pension governance guidelines

Tips for meeting CAPSA’s pension governance guidelines

For any pension plan administrator looking for guidance around governance responsibilities, look no further than the Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities’ guideline No. 4. The…