With the Muslim population steadily growing in Canada, employers that offer defined contribution pension plans can avoid unintentionally creating a pension gap by providing these members with access to retirement savings solutions that align with their faith. Under Shariah law, Muslims can’t hold investments that would bring social or environmental harm, such as shares in […]
The U.K. government is introducing legislation that aims to increase defined contribution pension plan savings by more than £1,000 a year in retirement for the average plan member. The legislation will commit nine of the U.K.’s largest DC plan providers to an objective of allocating five per cent of assets in their default funds to […]
An article on Saskatchewan’s Public Employees Benefits Agency transition to a not-for-profit corporation was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Saskatchewan’s pension and benefits administrator transitioning to not-for-profit model 2. University Pension Plan’s assets declined 9.1% in 2022, led by public equities 3. Survey […]
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board is bracing for headwinds in the event of a recession, but says a wide range of investments makes it well-positioned for uncertain economic conditions. The CPPIB reported Wednesday it earned a net return of 1.3 per cent in its latest fiscal year as inflation and rising interest rates weighed on both […]
An article on how British Columbia’s incoming pay transparency legislation could impact employers was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. How B.C.’s pay transparency legislation could impact employers 2. Report finds new diabetes, migraine treatments could impact private drug plans in 2023 3. CPPIB […]
The Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan is reporting an annual return of negative 8.6 per cent for 2022, citing declines in equities and fixed income markets. The HOOPP finished the year with net assets of $103.7 billion and, despite the economic challenges, maintained a funded status of 117 per cent. Its fixed income portfolio generated […]
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 […]
Defined benefit pension plan sponsors using overlay strategies will gain more flexibility amid rising inflation now that the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions has released guidance allowing them to disregard the overlay when measuring going-concern liabilities, says James Koo, a partner in Aon’s wealth solutions division. In May 2022, the OSFI raised the maximum […]
Global pension assets fell 16.7 per cent to US$47.9 trillion in 2022, driven largely by a correction in fixed income and equities markets, according to a new report by WTW’s Thinking Ahead Institute. While the report found Canada’s pension asset values dropped by about 18 per cent in 2022, as of last August, it held roughly six […]
Amid the unprecedented events of the last three years, the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology pension plan has remained on course with its investment strategies, according to Asif Haque, the plan’s chief investment officer. “We held our focus on the key goal of the CAAT’s investment program. . . . The plan’s diversified asset […]