While educational content is a key component of financial wellness programs, they must also be measurable and embrace technology to help defined contribution plan members move easily from ambition to action, according a new report by the SPARK Institute and Cerulli Associates. The report, which combined feedback from 26 U.S. record keepers representing $5.9 trillion in […]
With the industry focused on retirement readiness and more defined contribution plan members on glide paths, it’s increasingly important for plan sponsors to choose default investment funds suited to the present and future. Fortunately, these funds have been shifting away from their conservative roots. Money market funds, for instance, were once a common default in […]
In determining which savings options to offer employees, a key component is understanding the workforce and its goals, as well as communicating the offering in a way they can understand, according to a panel on engaging workers in defined contribution pensions at Benefits Canada’s 2019 DC Plan Summit in Banff, Alta. in February. Thak Bhola, […]
Employers could play a role in encouraging low-income Canadians to save more for retirement by offering group tax-free savings accounts, according to a report by the Institute for Research on Public Policy. The report found that, since their introduction in 2009, TFSAs have become nearly as popular as registered retirement savings plans, and could even go […]
A new paper from Ryerson University’s National Institute of Ageing is calling for the creation of workplace tax-free pension plans to better support Canadians’ financial security in retirement. Under the current workplace registered pension plan model, noted the research, lower to middle income Canadians are essentially discouraged from saving for retirement due to the potential financial […]
Workers over the age of 55 could make up more than a quarter of Canada’s labour force by 2036, according to new labour force predictions from Statistics Canada. Despite this trend, the agency predicted the country’s workforce participation rate will continue to decrease from its peak of 68 per cent in 2008 to 63 per […]
Artificial intelligence and blockchain are buzzwords in virtually every industry, but there are specific ways these technologies can make improvements in the pension world, according to Serge Boccassini, manager for defined contribution product solutions at Northern Trust. “How can it be used to help people save more for retirement [and] save better for retirement? And […]
In its 2019 budget on Tuesday, the federal government announced a number of proposals regarding pension protections, off the back of recent high-profile corporate bankruptcies that have thrown the sustainability of some Canadians’ defined benefit plans into doubt during the past few years. Indeed, the federal government received 4,400 submissions in response to its request for comment on the […]
While the pension industry is interested in environmental, social and governance factors, that isn’t translating into action when it comes to incorporating ESG funds into defined contribution plans’ investment options, according to a new report by Cerulli Associates. The report found, ESG-oriented investment options aren’t becoming too popular in the U.S. for three key reasons: fee […]
In 2017, New Jersey’s Police and Firemen’s Retirement System took a closer look at its investment in Nike Inc. following an advertising campaign featuring former National Football League player Colin Kaepernick, who had ignited controversy in 2016 by taking a knee during a pre-game national anthem in protest of the police treatment and killings of […]