The weather is shifting, with the wet November wind blowing away the crisp October sunshine. While this time of year is characterized by the change of temperature and spectacular outdoor colours, the one constant at Benefits Canada and the Canadian Investment Review is that it’s our busiest time of year for events. In October, we […]
As a financial institution that provides banking and wealth management services to customers, Meridian Credit Union ensures it also offers employees a comprehensive suite of services to support their financial wellness. This includes a defined contribution pension in which staff contribute a mandatory three per cent of annual earnings, with the employer contributing between three […]
Earlier this year, Mexico’s senate approved the creation of a new pension fund to help provide more retirement security for low-income citizens. The reform aims to ensure pensioners receive 100 per cent of their last monthly salary up to roughly 16,777 Mexican pesos (US$975), which is the average monthly wage for workers affiliated with the […]
The Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities’ new plan sponsor guidelines surrounding investment fee transparency are a good first step, but require further development to make them more effective, says one expert. “[CAP sponsors are] still trying to understand what this [guidance] means,” says Joseph Bevilacqua, associate partner in Aon’s wealth solutions practice. “Fees can be […]
The volatile global conditions of the last four years have culminated in a looming economic downturn, impacting defined contribution pension plan sponsors and members alike. On Oct. 3 at the Omni King Edward Hotel in Toronto, the 2024 DC Investment Forum highlighted the various tools and strategies that can help plan sponsors navigate turbulent economic waters […]
Young Canadian employees are facing a series of headwinds stemming from rising housing costs and decades of inaction by the federal government to support retirement savings, said Paul Kershaw, founder of not-for-profit organization Generation Squeeze and a policy professor at the University of British Columbia, during the keynote session at Benefits Canada’s 2024 Defined Contribution […]
With defined contribution pension plan assets expected to double in the near term and members now using target-date funds at “unprecedented” rates, plan sponsors need to determine which TDFs are the best for their employee population, said Wyatt Lee, portfolio manager and head of target-date strategies for T. Rowe Price Inc., during Benefits Canada’s 2024 […]
The majority of Canadian defined contribution plan members are invested in the appropriate target-date fund vintage and those who are may be better prepared for retirement, according to research by Fidelity Investments. The research, which examined data from Canadian record keepers to understand investors’ savings behaviours in a DC context, found about 70 per cent of […]
Canadian defined contribution plan members’ knowledge of target-date funds is lacking and it may point to a larger issue: the stakes set for member investment knowledge may be too high, hindering engagement efforts, according to a survey by MFS Investment Management. The survey of around 1,000 Canadian DC plan members, including 700 active members and 300 […]
Pension plan members’ primary concerns about their golden years are whether they’ve saved enough money to live their dream retirement, whether those funds will last and whether they’ll be able to leave a legacy for their family. But numerous surveys of Canadians indicate many don’t feel financially literate enough to address those concerns, according to […]