A new U.S. law that aims to strengthen retirement support for workers holds valuable lessons for Canada’s retirement system, says one pension consultant. The Secure 2.0 Act of 2022, which was signed into law in December, contains several provisions to enhance the U.S. retirement system and boost retirement savings, including a requirement for plan sponsors to […]
With the coronavirus pandemic and rising inflation causing economic uncertainty, capital accumulation plan sponsors are looking for new ways to help their members feel secure and get the most out of their savings plans. Benefits Canada asked CAP sponsors and other industry experts what’s on their wish lists to make these plans more effective and engaging […]
Two-fifths (40 per cent) of all U.S. private sector employees don’t have an employer-sponsored retirement plan and non-white workers have the least access to these plans, according to a report by T. Rowe Price Group Inc. It found that, while 58 per cent of white employees had access to workplace retirement plans, this percentage decreased […]
The Canadian Institute of Actuaries is supporting several of the Alberta government’s proposed legislative and policy updates for private sector pension laws, including the move towards a going-concern plus regime for defined benefit plans and the introduction of automatic features in defined contribution plans. In its response to the consultation draft, the CIA cited the benefits […]
Alongside the steady decline of defined benefit pension coverage in Canada, defined contribution plans have seen a massive growth — “a secular shift of responsibility onto the individual when it comes to retirement security in Canada,” according to Preet Banerjee, a personal finance expert, during Benefits Canada’s 2022 DC Investment Forum in late September. He called […]
While defined contribution pension plans currently outnumber defined benefit pension plans, this wasn’t always the case, recalls Bita Jenab, a principal at RetirementWorks Services Inc. DC plans began to gain popularity in the mid-1980s, due to a combination of legislative and economic changes, she adds. “This period marks the introduction of pension accounting rules under […]
The Pension Investment Association of Canada is providing feedback on the Alberta government’s consultation draft of potential legislative and policy updates for private sector pension laws. While the PIAC doesn’t have specific views on how to calculate the provision for adverse deviation, it’s encouraged Alberta is considering a harmonized approach, wrote Sean Hewitt, chair of […]
After a tough couple of years, Canadians continue to face several challenges against an increasingly turbulent economic landscape. While most coronavirus restrictions were lifted in late spring 2022, the seventh wave of the pandemic arrived in July alongside rising inflation, which is compounding prices from the gas pump to the grocery store. Though the 2022 […]
Canada’s pension plans are weathering the coronavirus pandemic, with many plans currently in their best financial shape in several years. The early days of the pandemic painted a bleak picture for institutional investors. Between Feb. 19 and March 23, 2020, the S&P/TSX composite index dropped by 37 per cent — the latter date marking the index’s lowest point […]
More than a third (38 per cent) of U.S. employees increased their 401(k) contributions by an average of three per cent in 2021, according to a new survey by Fidelity Investments Inc. By the end of 2021, 83 per cent of workers with a 401(k) received a contribution from their employer, with the average employer […]
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