In 2022, the typical defined benefit pension plan achieved an investment return of roughly negative 12 per cent. However, due to dramatic increases in bond yields and a subsequent decrease in pension liabilities, many pension plans ended 2022 with the same — or better — solvency funded level that they had at the beginning of […]
There’s never a drought of challenges for employers and 2023 is proving no different. Today, they’re facing inflation, labour shortages, competition for hiring, high turnover and employee burnout, to name just a few. That’s why it’s no surprise the ball is firmly in employees’ courts. Alongside the interminable rise in the cost of living and […]
At the 2023 Defined Contribution Plan Summit, which was hosted in Montebello, Que. on Feb. 21-23, delegates learned from employer case studies and expert thought leadership about innovative pension plan design, financial wellness programs, decumulation solutions and investment opportunities to support their DC plan members. Indeed, alongside high inflation and interest rates, members are facing […]
Financial stress is impacting Canadians’ mental and physical health, as well as decisions related to their pension plans, said Matt Davison, Western University’s dean of science and principal researcher, during a session at Benefits Canada‘s 2023 DC Plan Summit. In an analysis of the National Payroll Institute’s annual survey, Western’s financial wellness lab found respondents’ financial perspectives […]
While McGill University has factored decumulation into its pension plan for decades, the plan sponsor is continually fine tuning these strategies for members, said John D’Agata, the university’s director of pension and benefits, during a session at Benefits Canada‘s 2023 DC Plan Summit. McGill’s pension plan has more than $1.5 billion in assets and more than 9,500 […]
While there’s a lot of noise and confusion around environmental, social and governance factors, it comes down to delivering value for investors in terms of better risk-adjusted returns, said Aaron White, CIBC Asset Management Inc.’s vice-president of sustainable investments, during a session at Benefits Canada‘s 2023 DC Plan Summit. Part of the confusion around the topic, he […]
Factors such as population demographics, productivity and geopolitics impact economic growth and, by extension, the retirement outcomes of defined contribution pension plan members over longer-term time horizons, said Jon Knowles, senior investment analyst at Fidelity Canada Institutional, during a session at Benefits Canada‘s 2023 DC Plan Summit. Ageing populations have traditionally been viewed as a dis-inflationary force due […]
The union representing 350 WestJet employees at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport has ratified a 2.5-year collective agreement that includes pension and benefits gains. The agreement enshrines the airline’s savings plan specifically for this group of workers. The plan permits contributions to either a cash savings plan, a group registered retirement savings plan or a group […]
While a third (34 per cent) of U.S. defined contribution pension plan sponsors say they’re studying decumulation solutions and another 15 per cent are in the process of evaluating or implementing one more than a quarter (27 per cent) say decumulation isn’t a topic of interest or need, according to a new survey by consultancies […]
Just 53 per cent of Black employees and 45 per cent of Latino employees are participating in a U.S. workplace retirement plan, compared to 66 per cent of white employees and 62 per cent of Asian employees, according to a new survey by Voya Financial Inc. The survey, which analyzed data from U.S. workplace retirement plans […]