Bolstered by research showing the majority of institutional investors are considering environmental, social and governance issues in their investments strategies, Russell Investments has created a new way to score companies on the particular factors that could have a material influence on finances and returns. “Our new material metric allows ESG investors to differentiate between companies […]
Some of the world’s largest institutional investors are throwing their weight around on behalf of mother earth. A group called Climate Action 100+, which is comprised of 225 institutional investors with more than US$26 trillion in assets under management, has launched a program to engage with the world’s largest corporate greenhouse gas emitters, encouraging the companies to step up […]
A new report is recommending the immediate increase of the trigger age for drawing down registered retirement savings, suggesting it should continue to rise with longevity. The report, published by the C.D. Howe Institute, is targeting changes to age-sensitive programs, noting the expected budget crunch for Canadian governments as the workforce ages. It says the rules that dictate when Canadians can start receiving […]
A report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives is touting restrictions on shareholder payments as a way of boosting the sustainability of defined benefit pension plans. The report, which looked at 39 companies on the S&P/TSX 60 index with defined benefit plans, found that in many cases, shareholder payouts exceed pension deficits. “For the case of the 39 […]
Over the past 10 years, assets in pension plans registered in Alberta have reached $54 billion, an increase of 149 per cent, according to a new report published by the province’s pension regulator. The superintendent of pensions’ 2016 report, published last week, looked at the 753 pension plans under its supervision. The total includes 182 defined benefit plans, 451 […]
Ontario’s fall economic statement confirmed a number of previously announced frameworks for the province’s pension, health-care and employment programs, including a look at addressing decumulation. The statement, delivered by Ontario’s Finance Minister Charles Sousa on Tuesday, noted the government is exploring new approaches to help retirees draw down their savings in an efficient, cost-effective manner so their savings […]
Too much avocado toast isn’t the reason younger Canadians have a hard time getting a start on their retirement savings. Canadian millennials are “literally working and studying more to have less” than their parents and grandparents, according to Paul Kershaw, associate professor in the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia, […]
A new report on income security in Ontario is recommending that the provincial government expand the provision of essential health benefits to all low-income people and modernize income and asset rules to ensure people can save for the future, according to a new report by the income security reform working groups. A substantial component of Ontario’s […]
The Canadian government will discontinue the Canada savings bond and Canada premium bonds program on Nov. 1, 2017. While existing bonds will continue as usual until they mature or the purchaser redeems them, the option of buying them through a payroll savings program will now be off the table. The program reached peak popularity in the 1980s, but […]
Canada’s retirement system has maintained its B rating on the Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index, as its overall score rose slightly from 66.4 in 2016 to 66.8 in 2017. However, Canada’s sustainability score dropped due to the recent move to maintain old-age eligibility at age 65. “Canada’s recent change to maintain the eligibility for old-age security at age 65, […]