Ontario-based pension plan sponsors can help reduce the number of missing plan members by examining their communications strategies and maintaining best practices in record keeping and data management, says Caroline Blouin, executive vice-president of pensions at the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario. “As an employer, there is an opportunity to provide some education and […]
RSA U.K. Pension Trustees, a subsidiary of Intact Financial Corp., is de-risking roughly £6.5 billion in U.K. defined benefit pension liabilities with an annuity buy-in. The deal, which will be completed with Pension Insurance Corp., will transfer all remaining economic and demographic risks associated with the Royal Insurance Group Pension Scheme and the Sal Pension Scheme, […]
Amid the lingering coronavirus pandemic, vaccination policies and paid sick leave were top of mind among Benefits Canada’s readers in 2022. However, stories about new employee benefits and compensation planning, as well as pension and retirement matters, also caught readers’ eyes. Here are Benefits Canada’s 10 most popular stories of the year: 1. Feds consider definition of ‘fully […]
With the coronavirus pandemic and rising inflation causing economic uncertainty, capital accumulation plan sponsors are looking for new ways to help their members feel secure and get the most out of their savings plans. Benefits Canada asked CAP sponsors and other industry experts what’s on their wish lists to make these plans more effective and engaging […]
Defined contribution pension plan members nearing retirement may need their employers’ help to achieve financial security during an era of low interest rates and increased inflation, according to a new report by the U.S.-based Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association. It found target-date funds are the dominant investment strategy in most DC plans, used by 80 […]
A recent Ontario Divisional Court ruling serves as a caution that employers’ prior conduct may prohibit them from amending pension plans even when the collective agreement clearly allows them to do so. “The takeaway from the decision is that employers’ discretion to amend plans will always be subject to labour law principles in cases that […]
The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario has released its final pension deregistration guidance, which identifies the documents, information and timeframes that are required under exemptions from the Pension Benefits Act to avoid a plan’s deregistration under the Income Tax Act. Maintaining ITA registration will permit the pension plan and its members to continue to […]
The OPSEU Pension Trust is supporting employees’ and plan members’ financial literacy with its defined benefit pension education program and extensive member communications. “We run a program called People for Pensions, an education program focused on articulating the value of defined benefit pensions and not just the benefit they provide to people who have them, […]
In conversations with pre-retirees, retirees and industry professionals, there’s a growing recognition that retiring is often the easy part — it’s figuring out what they’re going to do with the rest of their lives that’s difficult. As a new retirement emerges, the retirement industry must shift from traditional retirement planning, which focuses exclusively on how […]
The Association of Canadian Pension Management is cautioning the Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities on its revisions to guidelines for capital accumulation plans. The draft guidelines could “change the balance of the existing guidelines in a manner that will give many employers pause about starting or continuing CAP plans that are not defined contribution […]