March to May is our big season to meet with clients and perform our annual comprehensive DC plan review (most of our clients also do investment reviews more frequently). Among other things, we sit down with the plan recordkeeper and determine the communication and education strategy to address the various issues raised in our review […]
Sun Life Financial plans to offer a free mobile application for group benefits and group retirement and savings plan members. Submitting benefit claims and saving for the future will be easier with a single mobile app that will redefine the Canadian plan member experience. “Sun Life Financial was the first Canadian provider to introduce e-claims […]
These days, capital accumulation plan (CAP) sponsors have a big job. Many plan members look to them for advice on their retirement plans. But sponsors don’t want to be accountable for providing it. So how do they deliver on the need for advice, given the risks associated with offering it? Education and information will always […]
Social media and technology is creating new opportunities to communicate with plan members, according to Kate Nazar, assistant vice-president, client relationships, group retirement services, with Sun Life. Nazar told delegates at the Benefits & Pension Summit today that mobile technology can play an important role in increasing plan enrollment. Approximately 60% of Canadians have cell […]
Do cultural biases have an impact on the decisions your employees make about their retirement savings and benefits? “Of course,” says Chad Lewis, founder of Intercultural Focus, from Boston, Mass. Culture is something plan sponsors need to keep in mind not just when developing their plans, but when communicating their plans as well. Lewis, the […]
If you’re already losing sleep over potential legal challenges from the members of your DC pension plan, here’s another item to add to the sobering list of reasons to be concerned—fee disclosure. Plan sponsors are required to provide members with a description of the fees they pay. That’s been the case since 2005 when the […]
Procrastination, confusion and a harried lifestyle are all causes of plan member inertia. DC pension plan providers continue to look for ways to break through inertia and help members reach long-term financial security. We’re not asking them to go to financial boot camp. We’re asking them to fill out a form, join a plan, contribute, […]
With DC plans, getting the message out is rarely the problem. With email, printed communications and the exploding realm of social media, it’s easy to broadcast messages to members. But getting members to listen, take action and understand the “what” and “why” of the communication can often be a challenge. One reason is that when […]
A new report from State Street Corp has found that current financial services tools and investing technology only provides investors with a glimpse in the rearview mirror. What they need is something that that will help them with the future. The study, entitled The Evolving Role of Technology in Financial Services, looks at the impact […]
Every year, the pension industry conducts research that measures how engaged participants are in their retirement plans. Despite tremendous efforts by plan sponsors to educate their employees, participation and contribution rates remain unchanged. What are we missing? How do we get employees to take the medicine that’s actually good for them? The missing element may […]