When two U.S. banks failed this month, among the investors who lost millions were U.S. public sector pension funds responsible for ensuring the retirements of teachers, firefighters and other government workers. Since the pension funds are diversified investors whose holdings in Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank were small portions of their portfolios, experts aren’t […]
A British Columbia court has dismissed an appeal of a Supreme Court of B.C. decision that upheld the B.C. Credit Union Employers’ Pension Plan’s choice to increase its normal retirement date to age 65 from age 62. In its decision, the court found the appeal — brought by a group of plan members — alleged […]
After reaching a near 40-year high over the past year, headline inflation started to cool in the final months of 2022 following a series of aggressive interest rate hikes by the Bank of Canada. According to Statistics Canada, the consumer price index was up 6.3 per cent year over year in December, down from a […]
Despite many institutional investors pressing pause on their real estate activities in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, those that keep calm and carry on with a focus on diversification and innovation are poised to emerge as winners. “Real estate values, like other investment vehicles, can vary at different times based on shifting demand […]
To bolster Alaska’s public sector, a bipartisan effort is underway to relaunch the state’s pensions as defined benefit plans. “I’m carrying this bill on behalf of thousands of state employees who have worked for more than a decade to refine it,” said Cathy Giessel, leader of the state senate’s Republican majority during her introduction of […]
Ontario-based pension plan sponsors can help reduce the number of missing plan members by examining their communications strategies and maintaining best practices in record keeping and data management, says Caroline Blouin, executive vice-president of pensions at the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario. “As an employer, there is an opportunity to provide some education and […]
The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan is reporting a total fund net return of four per cent for 2022, driven by strong returns from private equity and inflation-sensitive asset classes. The pension fund exceeded its benchmark of 2.3 per cent, according to a press release announcing its annual results. Its inflation-sensitive asset portfolio — including commodities […]
The aggregate funded percentage of U.S. multi-employer pension plans dropped to 79 per cent in 2022, from 91 per cent in 2021, according to a new report by consulting firm Milliman Inc. It found the decrease was largely the result of significant investment losses during 2022, despite the first wave of special financial assistance funding […]
An article on a private member’s bill prohibiting the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board from making certain investments was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Private member’s bill prohibiting certain CPPIB investments survives first reading 2. Expert panel: Air Canada decision illustrates danger […]
The College of Family Physicians of Canada pension plan is joining the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology pension plan’s DBplus. “As a result of merging our plan with CAAT, we will be able to provide all of our employees with a defined benefit pension for life with a number of features including inflation protection […]