When it comes to engaging employees on matters of financial and personal wellness, it’s increasingly clear one size no longer fits all. In a roundtable in Toronto on Oct. 17, the 2019 Workplace Benefits Awards finalists focused their discussion on how to make sure their various programs and communication efforts were resonating with the multiple generations and […]
The merger of Torstar Corp.’s defined benefit pension plans into the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology pension plan’s DBPlus has crossed the first hurdle with the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario. The FRSA has issued notices of an intended decision for the merger. By issuing these notices, it’s indicating an intention to consent to the plan mergers […]
According to Goodyear Canada Inc., pension communications don’t have to be boring — and it’s not afraid to use puns to make its employees pay attention. The company’s strategy, encompassing targeted messaging and creatively designed materials, netted it the award for pension communications at Benefits Canada‘s 2019 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 17. Goodyear Canada […]
Benefits Canada recognized winners across seven categories at the 2019 Workplace Benefits Awards on Thursday. At a luncheon and awards ceremony at the Arcadian Loft in Toronto, more than 100 leaders in the benefits, pension and investment industries gathered to see awards presented to Canadian employers that are proactively and passionately making a difference in their employees’ financial, […]
While defined contribution pension plans evolve and defined benefit plans decline, the McGill University pension plan is a true blend of both types — at least for some employees. When Sebastien Betermier, an associate professor of finance at the university’s Desautels Faculty of Management, joined the plan after 2009, a DC arrangement was available for […]
Imagine a scenario where an employee can’t afford to opt into their company’s defined contribution pension plan because of debt. Regardless of whether it’s a mortgage, student loan or credit card debt, the employee has more urgent short-term priorities, so saving for retirement is being pushed to the back-burner. How can employers ensure they’re talking […]
The Ontario Medical Association is partnering with Common Wealth to offer its physician members and their spouses access to a retirement plan. The Advantages Retirement Plan, which will be rolled out later this year, is the result of more than two years of research on physician retirement readiness and input from OMA members. A survey conduced […]
As membership in traditional defined benefit pension plans continues to decline, it’s becoming more common to see “contingent” plans — including target-benefit, shared-risk, multi-employer and jointly sponsored — which require members to take on at least some of the risk that benefits may or may not meet expectations. At the same time, the term “sustainability” is […]
While 80 per cent of employees said they want some type of financial education in the workplace, just 58 per cent of employers said they offer it and 25 per cent said they plan to offer it in the next two years, according to a new survey by Eckler Ltd. More than half (54 per […]
The 2008 financial crisis is an event that defined benefit plan sponsors won’t soon forget. Roller-coaster markets exposed gaps in their investment strategies, while de-risking appeared on pension committee agendas as they assessed the damage and focused on the road to fully funded statuses. Back in 2008, few tools were available to de-risk pension plans. […]