Canada’s pension plans are well positioned to succeed in a high inflation environment though stagflation remains a significant threat, according to a new report from Fitch Ratings. “The maturing nature of participant bases increases pension funds’ reliance on investment returns, as contributions and income from active members may be outpaced by benefits paid to a […]
OVERVIEW AGENDA SPEAKERS LOCATION POST EVENT COVERAGE Defined Contribution Investment Forum Sept. 23, 2022 | Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Toronto All times listed below are in ET. September 23, 2022 7:30 – 9:00 AM: Breakfast (Ritz-Carlton Ballroom, Salon 3) 9:00 AM: Opening remarks (Ritz-Carlton Ballroom, Salons 1 & 2) 9:00 – 10:00 AM: Why we’re hard-wired to make bad […]
Abrupt changes in climate policies from governments around the world could lead to fire sales of climate sensitive assets held by institutional investors, according to a the results of a pilot scenario analysis project from the Bank of Canada and the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions. “Climate transition risks are challenging to assess […]
More than 19 months into the coronavirus pandemic, employers are focusing on enhanced mental-health offerings and streamlined communications for their benefits and pension plans. During a virtual roundtable on Oct. 14, the 2021 Workplace Benefits Awards finalists discussed the changes brought about by the pandemic and how they’ve adapted their benefits and pensions offerings, while looking […]
Home Benefits Investment ROB VANDERHOOFT CEO and Chief Investment Officer, Greystone Managed Investments Inc. Rob Vanderhooft joined Greystone Managed Investments Inc. in 1991, the firm’s third year of operation. In 1998, he was promoted to chief investment officer, and in 2006, Rob was appointed CEO. Outside of Greystone, he currently sits on the boards of […]
Since target-date funds were introduced to the Canadian market in the early 2000s, they’ve become the dominant investment choice for defined contribution pension plan members. The funds, which are balanced with dynamic asset mixes that adjust as members approach retirement, are offered in a series — typically, one fund for each five-year target retirement band — with each fund […]
Canadian investors and advisors were skeptical about cryptocurrency in the second quarter of 2021, according to a new quarterly survey by Horizons ETF Management Inc. Canadian investors and investment advisors are more bearish about cryptocurrency than any other measured asset class. As part of the survey, Canadian investors and investment advisors were asked to rate […]
The Canada Life Assurance Co. is acquiring ClaimSecure Inc., a health-care management firm that provides health and dental claim management services. The acquisition increases the number of plan members served by Canada Life by 1.25 million individuals, including plan members and their dependants, with annual claims payments of more than $1.2 billion, according to a […]
Rising incomes and technological change in the emerging economies present considerable investment opportunities for investors with longer-term horizons. Investments in emerging markets weren’t spared the impacts of the global coronavirus pandemic. But the ongoing crisis has had uneven effects, with economies and sectors reporting widely-varying results while revealing important lessons for investors in 2021 and […]
Canada’s defined benefit pension plans’ funded positions continue to improve in 2021, ending the first quarter at their highest levels in more than 20 years, according to Mercer Canada’s pension health index. It found solvency ratios increased from 114 per cent at the end of 2020 to 124 per cent at the end of March 2021, with the median solvency ratio […]