The value of the total assets under management for the world’s 100 largest asset owners declined nine per cent to US$23.4 trillion as of Dec. 31, 2022, according to a new report by WTW’s Thinking Ahead Institute. Among these asset owners, pension funds retained 53 per cent of AUM, down from 60 per cent five […]
Desjardins Insurance is marking Financial Literacy Month with a series of budgeting workshops for employees and an interactive game to help improve financial literacy. The workshops cover topics such as using a budget to manage cash flow, how to plan for future goals and how to save on grocery bills amid rising inflation and food prices. […]
When Desjardins Insurance launched a study to redefine employee health and well-being, an unexpected finding came through loud and clear: Canadian employers and insurers should be paying much closer attention to millennial plan members. Millennials are a cohort of people born between 1980 and 1996. Since 2016, the generation has comprised the largest segment of […]
The estimated cost to transfer retiree pension risk to an insurer in a competitive bidding process increased from 101.1 per cent of a plan’s accounting liabilities in September to 101.9 per cent of those liabilities in October, according to Milliman Inc.’s latest pension buyout index. The index uses the FTSE above median AA curve and annuity […]
As Canadians face the dual effects of the rapidly rising cost of living and interest rates, the resulting financial stress has major implications for plan sponsors, said Valérie Fernandez, senior advisor of workplace health best practices and strategic support for group insurance at Beneva, during Benefits Canada‘s 2023 Healthy Outcomes Conference in October. Indeed, employers […]
A majority (77 per cent) of U.S.-based institutional investors expect interest rates and inflation to remain elevated in 2024, causing problems for risk assessments over the next year, according to a new survey by CoreData. The survey, which polled 100 U.S. institutional investors, found the number of investors concerned about the role of inflation over […]
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board returned 0.1 per cent during the second quarter of fiscal 2024, according to its latest quarterly report. By Sept. 30, 2023, the investment organization’s net assets were $576 billion, compared to $575 billion at the end of the previous quarter. The $1 billion increase in net assets consisted of $488 million in net income and $700 million in […]
Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic three years ago, the global economy has faced a bumpy ride, led by the lingering public health crisis, rising geopolitical tensions and high inflation. The 2023 Defined Contribution Investment Forum, which was held on Sept. 29 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Toronto, shared thought leadership on the various […]
Defined contribution pension plan members are currently in a different place, especially the younger generations, who are likely feeling as though their financial priorities don’t line up with workplace pensions the way they did for previous generations. “What I’m getting at here is the idea that retirement saving isn’t the undeniable consensus top priority it […]
While fixed income has long had the reputation of being the conservative and stable supporting partner in the traditional balanced portfolio, unbundling fixed income into its sub-components presents opportunities for enhanced risk-adjusted returns, said Aaron Young, vice-president and client portfolio manager at CIBC Asset Management. When investors buy the FTSE universe bond index or even […]