The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario has issued new guidance on transferring commuted values and purchasing annuities when a pension plan’s transfer ratio has declined since the most recently filed valuation report by 10 per cent and is now below 0.9. If the defined benefit plan’s transfer ratio is less than 1.0 the plan […]
Among the myriad fiscal responses to the coronavirus pandemic, perhaps none has received more attention in the U.S. than the federal programs for small businesses. There’s good reason. Small businesses serve as a critical source of economic growth and job creation, accounting for nearly half of national employment and 43.5 per cent of the nation’s […]
The value of total global assets under management grew by 15 per cent in 2019, with institutional investors’ assets reaching $52 trillion, according to a report from the Boston Consulting Group. The growth was primarily driven by market performance, contributing to about three-quarters of the expansion in 2019. Looking to specific asset classes, alternative products […]
Addressing employees’ well-being will be a critical component of returning to the workplace as isolation and closure measures start to loosen. “Our greatest assets [are our] people,” said Wendy Poirier, global well-being leader at Willis Towers Watson, during a webinar last week. “How do we keep them healthy and well, but [also] how do we make them resilient so […]
With volatility rattling public markets, fundraising for private equity deals took a tumble during the first quarter of 2020, according to a new report by the Callan Institute, which found fund closing dropped 39 per cent since the last quarter of 2019, while commitments were down 37 per cent. Many institutional investors suddenly find themselves over-allocated to […]
The funded status of the Segal Group Inc.’s model multi-employer pension plan fell from 95 per cent to 86 per cent during the first quarter of 2020, according to a new report by the firm. The model’s portfolio is comprised of 55 per cent equities and 45 per cent bonds. Overall, its investments saw dismal […]
Plan sponsors have seen significant decreases in their extended health and dental claims over the past three months, according to new data by Eckler Ltd. While the consultancy’s analysis of its large self-insured clients found plan sponsors saw an up to five per cent increase in extended health claims between February and March 2020, these […]
Sustainable indexes largely outperformed during the first quarter of 2020 amid market turmoil caused by the coronavirus pandemic, according to BlackRock Inc.’s latest sustainability report. “While this short time period is not determinative, it aligns with the resilience we have seen in sustainable strategies during prior downturns,” said the report. The big question for institutional […]
Shopify Inc. is moving the majority of its employees to permanent work-from-home arrangements and closing its offices until 2021. “Until recently, work happened in the office,” tweeted Tobi Lutke, chief executive officer of Shopify on Thursday. “We’ve always had some people remote, but they used the internet as a bridge to the office. This will […]
Canadians workers are proving resilient in the face of the hardships caused by the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report by the Environics Institute for Survey Research in partnership with the Future Skills Centre and Ryerson University’s Diversity Institute. Nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) of Canadians said they feel confident in their abilities after the pandemic was […]