Nearly three-quarters (71 per cent) of Canadian employees feel their mental health has interfered with their ability to work in the past year, according to a new survey commissioned by Manulife Financial Corp. and conducted by Edelman DXI. The survey, which polled more than 1,500 Canadians, found four-fifths of employees said they’re worried about their […]
The College of Arts and Technology pension plan’s assets dropped 2.3 per cent while its funded ratio on a going-concern basis remained at 124 per cent in 2022, according to its annual report. “With CAAT, members don’t have to worry about every market dip and blip,” wrote Derek Dobson (pictured), the multi-employer pension plan’s chief […]
Recent amendments to the Quebec Pension Plan to encourage people to work past age 65 offer more flexibility on contributions and retirement age, says Bonnie-Jeanne MacDonald, director of financial security research for the National Institute on Ageing at Toronto Metropolitan University. “If people are accumulating a pension, working longer could potentially increase their pension,” says MacDonald, who […]
The rules governing registered retirement income funds and similar retirement vehicles are stuck in the past and need revamping or removal, according to a new report by the C.D. Howe Institute. With the current rules, the purchasing power of minimum RRIF withdrawals could fall to half their initial value by the time a retiree reaches […]
The International Monetary Fund is altering its expectations for global economic growth and inflation in 2023. During a recent press conference, the United Nation’s financial agency said it expects the world’s economy to grow by 2.9 per cent and the overall inflation rate to reach seven per cent this year. In January, it predicted the annual […]
While more than two-thirds (69 per cent) of employers say the macroeconomic environment is negatively impacting recruitment, three-quarters (74 per cent) say it hasn’t reduced the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in the hiring process, according to a new report by LinkedIn. The report analyzed data from millions of LinkedIn members, as well as survey responses from more […]
The Alberta Investment Management Corp. is reporting an annual return of negative 3.4 per cent for 2022, citing declines in public equities and fixed income. The investment organization exceeded its benchmark by 1.8 per cent, with total client assets under management at $158 billion, according to a press release announcing its annual results. Read: AIMCo […]
Defined benefit pension plan sponsors in the U.S. are facing increasing costs when de-risking through annuity buyouts, according to a new report by consulting firm Milliman Inc. It found the estimated cost to transfer risk to an insurer increased in February to 99.7 per cent of a plan’s total liabilities, up from 99.3 per cent […]
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 […]
As the coronavirus pandemic enters its fourth year, it’s perhaps unsurprising that the health crisis has taken its toll on employee mental health. Scotiabank saw a notable rise in claims for mental-health drugs in 2022, says Ayman Alvi, the bank’s vice-president of global pension and benefits, noting the increased use of these medications aligns with […]