Contributions to British Columbia-based defined benefit and defined contribution pension plans increased by 10 per cent in 2022, while contributions to target-benefit plans increased by 9.4 per cent, according to the B.C. Financial Services Authority’s annual pensions report. The report, which analyzed data from more than 600 pension plans, found overall plan membership increased by […]
Environmental, social and governance considerations have gained traction in recent years with nearly 75 per cent of global asset managers saying they have an ESG policy and an equal percentage incorporating ESG considerations across their investment platforms, according to a new survey by investment consulting firm Callan. The inaugural study, which polled more than 1,200 […]
Vestcor Inc. reduced the carbon exposure to several of its portfolios throughout 2022, according to its annual responsible investing report. The New Brunswick-based investment organization reported its Canadian, global and emerging markets portfolios all saw declines in carbon exposure by nine per cent, 13 per cent and nine per cent, respectively. The portfolios also retained […]
Canadian defined benefit pension plans generated a median return of negative 1.99 per cent in the third quarter of 2023, according to the BNY Mellon Canadian asset strategy view universe. The universe, which is based on $290.2 billion worth of investment assets in Canadian DB plans, found the one-year median return was 8.01 per cent […]
Since defined contribution plan members will experience a wide variety of market conditions over the course of their working lives and into retirement, it’s important for the strategic asset allocation of target-date funds to be diversified and able to stand the test of time, according to Jon Knowles, institutional portfolio manager for global asset allocation at […]
In volatile market environments, adding real assets to defined contribution pension plan portfolios has the ability to provide diversification benefits and give members a “much smoother ride” to retirement, according to Andrew Knox, managing director of the Franklin global real asset fund at Franklin Templeton Investments. Speaking during Benefits Canada’s 2023 DC Investment Forum in […]
Plotting out a glide path is the most important part of designing a target-date fund — not only does it take members on a roughly 40-year investing journey, but it also has the most significant impact on their retirement outcomes. Glide paths must also address the key risks facing defined contribution plan members, said Satwick […]
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board says it will meet its goal of holding $130 billion in green and transition assets by 2030, according to a new report by the investment organization. The CPPIB’s current green asset mix was $79 billion as at March 31, 2023, up 17.9 per cent year-over-year from $66 million. “We […]
Climate and cybersecurity are the leading risk factors concerning Canadian pension plan administrators, according to a pension lawyer. Susan G. Seller, a pension and benefits lawyer at Bennett Jones LLP, adds third-party arrangements and commercial real estate risks round out the most pressing categories for federally regulated pension plans. “We’re living in a time where […]
The underlying conservatism of public real estate investment markets can provide an inflation-proof cushion for institutional investors in uncertain times, said Corrado Russo, managing partner and head of global securities at Hazelview Investments, during the Canadian Investment Review’s 2023 Risk Management Conference. Indeed, with debt levels of only 32 per cent, public markets are more conservatively […]