While Canada’s financial industry has been successful in helping people accumulate savings during their working lives, the decumulation phase is a lot more complicated. One challenge, in particular, facing capital accumulation plan sponsors and members is an ageing population, said Fraser Stark (pictured, right), president of the longevity retirement platform at Purpose Investments Inc., during […]
While target-date funds are highly prevalent in defined contribution pension plans’ investment portfolios, gaining space as the default of choice, areas of improvement exist in terms of educating plan members about the option. During Benefits Canada‘s 2021 DC Plan Summit, Jessica Sclafani (pictured), director and DC strategist in the investment solutions group at MFS Investment Management, […]
Among all the legal issues facing DC plan sponsors and administrators, questions around contribution errors is top of mind. “The industry has been speaking with [the Department of] Finance Canada on the tax side to see what can be done to help support us in fixing these errors,” said Susan Nickerson (pictured, left), a partner […]
The Association of Canadian Pension Management is once again calling on the Ontario government to modernize the Employment Standards Act and the Pension Benefits Act to allow for automatic enrolment and escalation features in capital accumulation plans. In a letter sent to the ministry of labour on Nov. 30, 2021, the ACPM noted the changes […]
If I’ve learned one thing about the Canadian pension industry over the past six years, it’s that change comes at a snail’s pace. When I joined Benefits Canada in 2015, my Canadian pension knowledge was a blank slate, so I spent several weeks speaking to pension experts. The key message that came across was this: […]
The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario is encouraging defined contribution pension plan sponsors and administrators to evaluate the use of automatic features within the context of their plans. New guidance posted to the FSRA’s website affirms that the Pension Benefits Act and its regulations don’t prohibit the use of automatic features in defined contribution pension […]
One year into a five-year plan to reduce its investments in greenhouse gas-emitting companies by 50 per cent, the Bâtirente is on pace to reach its target. Last year, the defined contribution pension fund announced a number of environmental commitments it intended to reach by 2025, including a pledge to reduce its exposure to climate-related […]
While renovation shows on television tend to take a sledgehammer to every surface in a house for dramatic effect, there’s another way. Defined contribution pension plans don’t need to be completely gutted to stay current. Something akin to painting an accent wall, like tweaking contribution rates, can be just as impactful and way more cost-effective. […]
The selection of a target-date fund glide path is more crucial than ever as the migration from DB to DC pension plans continues. Since its formation in the mid-1990s as an optional alternative to the company’s longstanding defined benefit offerings, the DC plan has amassed more than $1.5 billion in total assets as members gradually […]
Collective defined contribution pension plans could begin to replace DC plans, just as DC plans have replaced the majority of defined benefit plans in recent decades, according to a new paper from the U.S.-based Brookings Institution. CDC plans, also known as hybrid retirement plans, combine elements of DB and DC plans. They pool contributions from […]