While many Canadians panicked and stocked up on toilet paper when a global pandemic was declared in March, most capital accumulation plan members stayed calm enough not to make fund changes, according to a webinar hosted by the Association of Canadian Pension Management on Thursday. “[We] found, overall, plan members appear to be staying the […]
My last column, in April, talked about how Canadian target-date fund suites behaved differently during the first quarter of this year, where markets were reacting to the coronavirus crisis. The disparity of year-to-date returns continued in the following months. For some capital accumulation plan sponsors, the behaviour of their plans’ TDFs over recent volatile market […]
The coronavirus pandemic is highlighting many trends in group retirement and investment programs, pushing the industry to be flexible and quick with some of the newer offerings. As plan sponsors review their group retirement plans in the coming months, they may want to consider some, or all, of these four trends. 1. Financial wellness becoming a must. […]
Retirement income can be sliced into three broad categories: what an individual receives from their employer, what they receive from the government and everything else. While plan sponsors are naturally most concerned with what they provide for plan members, including all forms of income in the conversation is integral to properly planning for retirement, says […]
Since retirees and active plan members are fundamentally different, should their investment options reflect that distinction? That’s the question confronting defined contribution plan sponsors as they explore the relatively new world of in-plan decumulation. As of January, when the Ontario government passed a series of new regulations under the Pension Benefits Act, the majority of […]
Canadians received a record $103 billion in benefits from life and health insurers last year, up 60 per cent from a decade earlier, according to the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association’s annual fact book. The benefits include $53.3 billion in pension annuity payments, $38.1 billion in health benefits for prescription drugs and supplementary health […]
Defined contribution plan members are contending with volatile equity markets, ultra-low interest rates and the threat of inflation as the country’s economy begins its tentative recovery. In the first half of 2020, equities took an almost round trip, dropping significantly in the first quarter and recovering to the point that most markets are in neutral or positive […]
An employer’s matching contribution is the most influential factor motivating plan members to begin saving for retirement, according to a new report by Cerulli Associates. The report, which polled U.S. employees saving into a 401(k), found 46 per cent of respondents said they starting saving for retirement because their organization offered a matching contribution, while […]
Benefits Canada is proud to announce the finalists of the 2020 Workplace Benefits Awards. While this year’s entry and judging process occurred during the coronavirus pandemic, almost 100 leading employers embraced the opportunity to share their organization’s innovative initiatives and strategies. In fact, Benefits Canada even introduced a new category — Coronavirus and benefits — which received the most entries, so we divided […]
The U.S. Department of Labor is taking jabs at the inclusion of environmental, social and governance products in capital accumulation plans — and it could be to members’ detriment. In late June, the Department of Labor proposed new rules around ESG products in retirement accounts. “The proposal is designed, in part, to make clear that . […]