With asset deterioration due to drops in equity markets and a decrease in long-term government bond yields causing an increase in solvency liabilities, pension funds are in a tough position. A Canadian defined benefit solvency funding calculation assumes some plan members will elect to take a commuted-value lump sum, while other members will elect to […]
With asset deterioration due to drops in equity markets and a decrease in long-term government bond yields causing an increase in solvency liabilities, pension funds are in a tough position. A Canadian defined benefit solvency funding calculation assumes some plan members will elect to take a commuted-value lump sum, while other members will elect to […]
With Canada ranking only ninth out of 37 countries on the Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index, more can be done to move it up the list, said Keith Ambachtsheer, director emeritus at the International Centre for Pension Management, speaking at the Canadian Investment Review’s Plan Sponsor Exchange conference in February. Canada has an aging demographic […]
Taking a look at private drug plans in 2020, a number of trends are converging: spending on specialty drugs is continuing its upward trajectory, advancements in a number of lifechanging therapies are in the pipeline and policy developments are coming at both the federal and provincial levels. In the face of this potential storm, plan […]
The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association has been conducting weekly calls with its members since mid-January to discuss issues around the ongoing coronavirus crisis, including how insurers can develop messaging and policies to communicate to plan sponsors. “We’ve basically been facilitating weekly calls to say, ‘OK, we have a very fluid situation.’ It changes […]
Around International Women’s Day, many Canadian employers are once again talking about the importance of equality in the workplace. However, a new survey by Mercer, which polled senior leaders, human resources executives and employees around the globe, found there are many areas where companies could be doing more to make work more equitable for all. It found slightly more […]
The solvency levels of Canadian defined benefit pension plans are down off the back of roiling equity and bond markets in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Aon’s latest median solvency ratio survey found DB plans were down 6.7 per cent on average, from 102.5 per cent in early January to 95.8 per cent at […]
Global institutional investors believe asset managers need to up their technology game if they’re going to win the client-satisfaction war, according to a new report by Greenwich Associates. The report, which featured data from interviews with more than 150 senior decision-makers at large institutional investors in North America and Europe, found more than half believe their asset […]
Freedom 55? It’s looking more like Freedom 70 for some Canadians, but there are strategies that working baby boomers, generation Xers and millennials can employ now to lower their retirement age, according to a new annual report by Mercer. The report found millennials often opt to invest conservatively in low-risk, short-term investments such as money market […]
West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. isn’t annuitizing multiple defined benefit plans to get out of the pension business. In fact, the British Columbia-based integrated wood products company is committed to DB. “We believe we get tremendous value out of our DB plans around recruitment and definitely around retention of our employees,” says Elaine Jensen, the […]