The current market environment has the potential for long-term effects on the defined benefit pension investment industry, according to a new report by Cerulli Associates. Broadly, investment consultants said they’ve been preparing their DB pension plan sponsor clients for a potential downturn for up to two years, noted the report. And, as plans have begun […]
A new paper is evaluating how global retirement systems are faring in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and what reforms will be required to facilitate the retirements of future generations. The paper, ‘Building better retirement systems in the wake of the global pandemic,’ by Olivia Mitchell, a professor and executive director of the pension research council […]
In normal circumstances, pension plan members don’t respond well to being inundated with information about their plans. Typically, a deluge of content can turn off plan members, says Jillian Kennedy, leader of defined contribution and financial wellness at Mercer Canada. But today’s circumstances are far from ordinary. “Right now, you can’t over communicate.” In 2008, the financial […]
In the midst of an unusual or unsettling situation, such as the coronavirus pandemic, pension plan sponsors should remember that both defined benefit and capital accumulation plan arrangements are intended to be managed for the long term. The negative impact of the coronavirus on global economies and on businesses is a concern, particularly with respect to […]
In 2016, when Aon’s Calum Mackenzie departed the U.K. for Canada, he left behind a pension industry still reeling from the introduction, a year earlier, of an annual charge cap on defined contribution plan investment funds. But when Mackenzie, now the consultancy’s Canadian head of investment, recently caught up with a former colleague on the […]
For the fourth consecutive year, reviewing fees is the most important step defined contribution plan sponsors are taking to improve their fiduciary positions, with fees identified as the main priority for 2020, according to a new survey by U.S.-based investment consulting firm Callan. “With the amount of fee-related project work we see, it’s not surprising […]
This month’s Head to head considers the merits of both defined benefit and defined contribution plans as the country’s pension landscape becomes an increasingly diverse patchwork. Jerry Dias, president of Unifor National: Let’s cut to the chase. Absent a voice for workers through a union and collective bargaining, there really wouldn’t be much debate around defined […]
Governments in Asia are stepping up their pension reforms to boost retirement savings adequacy, potentially generating business opportunities for asset managers operating in the region. Retirement income security is a top concern for Asian governments, noted a press release from Cerulli Associates. In response to aging and other pension challenges in the region, governments are amending […]
Defined contribution plan sponsors are facing challenges that will shape the nature of their legal obligations to employees. Member communication is a key challenge, said Jon Marin, an associate in pension and benefits at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, during Benefits Canada’s 2019 Defined Contribution Investment Forum in Toronto on Sept. 27. “In the vast […]
Diversified pooled fund managers posted a median 1.5 per cent return before fees for the third quarter of 2019, according to Morneau Shepell Ltd.’s latest pension universe. The 1.5 per cent return represented a 0.3 per cent underperformance of its benchmark portfolio, which uses a 55 per cent equities and 45 per cent fixed income split. The […]