Strong growth for stocks on Wall Street this year have helped juice gains for savers with retirement accounts. The average 401(k) plan balance stood at US$127,100 at the end of the second quarter, an increase of 13 per cent from the same period last year, according to data from Fidelity Investments drawn from 24 million […]
Capital accumulation plan members continued to see an uptick in their plan outcome for the second quarter of 2024, as gross income replacement ratios remained at multi-year highs, according to a new report by Eckler Ltd. The consultancy’s latest CAP income tracker found a typical male member retiring at the end of June 2024 achieved […]
Working grandparents who are providing financial support to children and/or grandchildren are risking their own plans for retirement, says Craig Bannon, director of financial planning centre of expertise at the Royal Bank of Canada. “[They might need to] delay their retirement to extend their earning years or continue to work on a part-time basis in […]
One actuary says social and technological factors are changing the concept of retirement, while another notes the fundamentals remain the same. Michel St-Germain, retired actuary, fellow and past president of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries Yogi Berra once said: “The future ain’t what it used to be.” Millennials will be retiring in 25 years, but not […]
The consolidation of firms within the pension and benefits industries could pose a threat because there’s less choice available in terms of service providers, says Susan G. Seller, a pension and benefits lawyer at Bennett Jones LLP. “I think the evolution of the services they offer . . . poses a particular challenge for employers […]
The Association of Canadian Pension Management is urging the Ontario government to ensure its proposed amendment to the Succession Law Reform Act doesn’t introduce unintended confusion or ambiguities that would make it challenging for pension plan sponsors, administrators and trustees to carry out their duties. In an open letter, the ACPM said the language of the […]
Businesses that are planning to establish themselves in Quebec by way of expansion or acquisition should be aware of some unique aspects of the province’s pension and benefits laws. Employers are required to make a voluntary retirement savings plan available to their employees. In addition, provincial legislation prohibits ‘orphan’ or ‘grandfathering’ clauses that distinguish pension […]
The union representing employees of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario has ratified a three-year collective agreement that includes multiple benefits gains, ending a two-week strike. The agreement includes increases in coverage for mental-health services for up to 90 per cent of the total cost of the prescribed plan of treatment, to a combined annual […]
Seven in 10 U.S. workers between the ages of 40 and 80 with at least $100,000 in investable assets say they’d be “very” or “somewhat” likely to select an in-plan annuity option if it were available within their employer-sponsored retirement savings plan, according to a new report by LIMRA. It also found younger plan participants […]
Half (51 per cent) of women in the U.S. aged 65 who are entering their peak retirement years have less than $100,000 saved, with the percentage rising (67 per cent) among single women, according to a new survey by Artemis Strategy Group on behalf of non-profit the Alliance for Lifetime Income. The survey, which polled more than 2,500 consumers between […]