Nearly three-quarters (71 per cent) of women say financial struggles due to inflation are impacting their mental health and finances are becoming more of a barrier to accessing mental-health support, according to a new survey by GreenShield and Mental Health Research Canada. The survey, which polled more than 12,000 Canadians, found women were 30 per […]
While the University of British Columbia’s staff pension plan already boasts a sizable investment in alternative credit, it still has room for more. “Overall, we have a favourable outlook for alternative credit and intend to continue growing our exposure in 2023,” says Josh Kruse, associate director at UBC Investment Management. “Rising policy interest rates and […]
More than half of global institutional investors are worried about the ongoing effects geopolitical risk (55 per cent) and rising inflation (53 per cent) will have on their portfolios, according to a new survey by Schroders. The survey, which polled 770 global institutional investors representing US$34.7 trillion in assets, found that, in order to combat geopolitical risk, respondents […]
Nine in 10 (89 per cent) U.S. defined benefit pension plan sponsors say they’re expecting to completely divest their plan liabilities in roughly four years, according to a new survey by MetLife Inc. The survey, which polled 250 DB plan sponsors, found nearly all (94 per cent) said the financial impacts of volatility and related risks […]
As Canadians struggle to save amid the rising cost of living, employers play a crucial role in facilitating savings options for their employees, says Doug Crowe, vice-president of RBC Group Advantage, the Royal Bank of Canada’s group retirement division. “The first important step employers can make is deciding to sponsor a group savings plan for employees, which […]
Only 17 per cent of U.S. employees aged 50-plus and 23 per cent of retirees are very confident they’ll be able to maintain a comfortable lifestyle throughout retirement, according to a new survey by the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies in collaboration with the Transamerica Institute. The survey, which polled more than 10,000 U.S. employees, […]
The average cost of employer-sponsored health benefits in Canada is expected to decline to five per cent in 2024, down from 7.5 per cent in 2023, according to a report by Aon. The report, which is based on insights from more than 100 global Aon offices that broker, administer or advise on employer-sponsored medical plans, found […]
Canadian employers are projecting, on average, 3.3 per cent for merit increase budgets and 3.7 per cent for total increase budgets in 2024, compared to 3.6 per cent and 4.1 per cent, respectively, in 2023, according to a new survey by Mercer Canada. “In the face of economic uncertainty and reduced labour market pressure, employer […]
Nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) of Canadian benefits plan members say they appreciate their health benefits more today than they did before the coronavirus pandemic, according to the 2023 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey. It found while this result is generally consistent across all cross tabulations, the biggest variation occurred regionally, with a high of 85 […]
While the Nova Scotia Pension Services Corp. isn’t currently invested in frontier markets, the institutional investor is set to take its first steps towards investing in the sector. “Step one is getting [the board] more comfortable with frontier markets,” says Steve Mahoney, the organization’s chief investment officer, which includes the N.S. Teachers’ Pension Plan, the […]