With cohorts in the workforce behaving differently as they prepare for retirement, it’s important for plan sponsors to consider these differences along gender and generational lines. At Benefits Canada’s 2019 Defined Contribution Investment Forum in Toronto on Sept. 27, Jean Young, senior research associate at the Vanguard Center for Investor Research, shared a survey that […]
As a solution to employee inertia, many plan sponsors with defined contribution arrangements are looking at setting automatic features as their plan’s default option. When the Royal Bank of Canada redesigned its DC plan in 2012, it introduced auto-enrolment for all new plan members following a six-month waiting period. Before the change, employees had a […]
Defined contribution plan sponsors have to stay aware of plan design developments to improve their benefits offerings for their specific workforces, according to a new report by Callan. As workplace demographics shift, it’s important for plan sponsors to make sure their DC plan features are keeping up with those changes to ensure the benefits they’re providing are most effective […]
A disconnect exists between defined contribution plan sponsors’ intentions and actions when it comes to helping employees with financial wellness, according to a new survey by J.P. Morgan Asset Management. Among more than 800 U.S. DC plan sponsors, 74 per cent said they have a very or somewhat high commitment to employees’ fiscal health, although […]
While the process has been slow to date, it’s clear the migration to defined contribution pension plans will continue in Canada. Defined benefit assets comprised about 47 per cent of total financial wealth in 2007, compared to assets in DC plans and other group retirement savings accounts, which made up about 38 per cent, said Colin Ripsman, president […]
Simplifying DC plan enrolment should begin by eliminating the “tyranny of choice,” making it easier for plan members to just get started, according to Tom Reid, senior vice-president of group retirement services at Sun Life Financial. “We’re not saying choice is bad, but at certain moments choice is really not the most welcome thing and […]
Since just about half of private sector workplaces in the U.S. offer some type of retirement plan, many employees in dual income houses could be failing to account for enough savings for both themselves and their spouses, according to new research by Boston College’s Center for Retirement Research. As a result, the employee with a workplace retirement […]
If there’s one thing Canada’s pension industry can agree on, it’s the work that needs to be done around defined contribution pension plans. In February, on the second morning of Benefits Canada’s DC Plan Summit in Banff, Alta., a roomful of plan sponsors, record-keepers, investment managers and consultants compiled a wish list for DC plans. […]
While defined contribution plan design features such as auto-enrolment and auto-escalation aim to combat plan members’ poor behavioural tendencies, they could be leading to certain unintended consequences, according to a new report by BlackRock Inc. For example, if a plan is using both auto-enrolment and auto-escalation tools, there’s a chance that more members could opt out of additional savings, unless the […]
Tension between pension adequacy and sustainability is growing across the world, according to the annual Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index. The Netherlands and Denmark have the best global pension systems, with scores of 80.3 and 80.2, respectively, and both achieving A grades. They scored highly on adequacy and sustainability, while other European countries, such as Austria, […]