At Benefits Canada’s Defined Contribution Plan Summit in Montreal in February, member engagement and communication were a clear focus of many of the presentations. Case studies presented at the conference provided a number of solutions. Larry Schmidt, director of human resources at U.S.-based Searles Valley Minerals Inc., noted his company used automatic enrolment and escalation […]
From governance to engagement, plan sponsors are looking for solutions to improve their defined contribution pension plans. What tools are available to plan sponsors to boost their plan outcomes and how can they put them into action With case studies from plan sponsors that have already found some of the answers and presentations by experts […]
With defined contribution pension plans at various stages of evolution around the world, how are plan members faring in different countries? At Benefits Canada’s Defined Contribution Plan Summit in February, Shawn Cohen, director of relationship management at MFS Investment Management Canada Ltd., and Peter Delaney, director of investment solutions at MFS Investment Management, shared the […]
When Searles Valley Minerals Inc. upgraded its pension plan offerings, the situation appeared complicated. The average age of the 761 plan participants at the Kansas-based mining company was 47, and turnover was low. With many employees anchored in their careers, lifestyles and habits, change wasn’t necessarily a priority. “Inertia can be a powerful force,” said […]
While managers of target-date funds have benefited from strong tailwinds in recent years, how can they manage the current environment of uncertainty? Ruthann Pritchard, an institutional portfolio manager at Fidelity Investments, cited the favourable conditions of 2017 and the healthy markets of the last nine years as examples of trends that often end abruptly before […]
Moderators: Nadia Darwish, vice-president of development, marketing and investment strategy; and Karrina Dusablon, vice-president of business development, client relationship and member experience, at Desjardins Insurance Topic: Balancing a human and digital approach to plan member experiences Augmented reality, big data, robo-advisors and artificial intelligence are playing growing roles in the digital era. By 2020, Canadians […]
Moderators: Christine van Staden, regional vice-president, group customer; and George Ng, senior account executive, group customer, at Great-West Life Assurance Co. Canada is an increasingly diverse country. Canadians live across six time zones, comprise four workplace generations (traditionalists, baby boomers, generation Xers and millennials) and include more than 200 ethnic origins. The number of speakers […]
For any pension plan administrator looking for guidance around governance responsibilities, look no further than the Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities’ guideline No. 4. The guideline, which was originally published in 2004, offers a principles-based approach, recognizing there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to governance and leaving implementation up to the plan administrator. The guideline and its accompanying […]
Common Wealth is teaming up with James Evans and Associates Ltd. to support the former’s retirement plans with member-focused, self-service plan administration and record-keeping technology. JEA’s technology allows employers with capital accumulation plans to access certain customization tools, including plan design, branding, communication and education for members. It also incorporates features like default investment choices and auto-escalation. Read: Nest Wealth launches group […]
The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions has published guidance on its interpretation and expectations for the default investment option selected by the administrator of a defined contribution pension plan. The guidance sets out how a plan administrator should select a suitable default investment option, as well as how it should document, communicate and review […]