Funding volatility is the top concern for pension plan sponsors, according to SEI’s most recent Quick Poll.
Speaking at the annual Mercer Pension Outlook and Fearless Forecast on Tuesday, Malcolm Hamilton commented that the 1990s represented “the last happy time for pension plans in Canada,” because real interest rates stayed above 4% for the decade.
With the economy in a state of perpetual uncertainty, employers are becoming increasingly worried about their employees’ ability to save for retirement, according to a survey by Aon Hewitt. As such, many employers are adding innovative features to their plans in order to help employees better prepare for retirement.
Until 2007, the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) was a conventional 60/40 equities/bonds DB plan, says John Crocker, president and CEO, and winner of Benefits Canada’s Pension & Investment Lifetime Achievement award.
Terri Troy has more than 20 years of experi-ence in the financial services and pension industries, but it’s for her role as CEO/CIO of the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) Pension Plan that she’s being recognized with this award.
Increased longevity poses a real risk to DB plans. Mortality improvement continues to trend upward, and this is particularly pronounced at older retirement ages.
In September, more than 100 senior DC plan decision-makers, recordkeepers, academics and money managers gathered at Benefits Canada’s 2011 DC Investment Forum in Toronto to discuss the future of DC investing and how to help plan sponsors address these challenges and opportunities.
Alternative investments, DC plans, and work/life balance are among Towers Watson’s list of top trends and issues for pension and benefits plan sponsors in 2011.
There’s a growing consensus among DB plan sponsors in selecting discount rates, reports a study by SEI.
Saskatchewan is known as Canada’s breadbasket, for its ability to consistently produce quality grain. But given that many in the industry have begun paying attention to what’s behind the Saskatchewan Pension Plan’s (SPP) 25 years of steady and reliable growth, the province may also one day be known as the root of Canada’s pension reform.