While it’s impossible to predict exactly how pension case law will evolve in future, one can offer an educated guess at some legislative developments and other issues that may confront pension plan sponsors and administrators in the coming year. Risk management Plan sponsors can expect a continued focus on risk management as a key part […]
Data management and transference is a key area of risk for pension plan sponsors as the vulnerability of engaging with third parties creates opportunities for cybercriminals, says Jillian Kennedy, a partner at Mercer. According to an online brief published last year by Ernst & Young, third-party service providers hired by public pension plan sponsors tend to […]
With the arrival of the new year, there are three topics that will be important for pension plan sponsors, members and other industry stakeholders in 2024. The economy and financial markets At the end of 2023, the Canadian economy and the financial markets were still feeling the after-effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Read: Expert panel: […]
A story on how the federal government is considering ending Canada’s ’30 per cent rule’ was the most-read investment story on BenefitsCanada.com this year. Here are the 10 most popular investment news stories of 2023: 1. Feds consider end of ‘30% rule’ for pensions, propose EI adoption benefit: fall economic statement 2. Uptick in U.S. commercial office real estate […]
Before Janet Jule joined the Saskatchewan Healthcare Employees’ Pension Plan as its chief investment officer in 2015, the pension plan sponsor started adding a wider variety of assets to its portfolio, emphasizing diversification and lowering its dependence on equities. Indeed, like many other plan sponsors, the SHEPP’s investment strategy is increasingly incorporating more alternative asset […]
The Pension Investment Association of Canada is calling on the B.C. Financial Services Authority to reconsider implementing new standards for climate-related risks analysis guidelines, noting it would be extremely challenging for most pension plans to meet a potential new climate and transition risk review system. In an open letter, the PIAC recommended a principles-based approach to […]
U.S.-based defined benefit pension plan sponsors are increasingly looking to assess their liability-driven investment strategies as they reach fully funded statuses, according to a new study by Coalition Greenwich and commissioned by Franklin Templeton. The study found nearly three-quarters (73 per cent) of pension plan sponsors reported funding ratios of 100 per cent or higher, […]
Interest rate levels are critically important to the financial health of defined benefit pension plans. Many DB plans are in their best financial positions in decades, largely due to the dramatic rise in interest rates over the past few years, but decreases in interest rates could pose a major risk for many plans. Changes in […]
The Association of Canadian Pension Management is urging the federal government to reverse its position on the cessation of real return bonds and open a stakeholder consultation on the matter. In an open letter, the ACPM said the real return bonds are an important tool in building a balanced portfolio that manages inflation risk. In […]
The estimated cost to transfer retiree pension risk to an insurer in a competitive bidding process increased from 101.1 per cent of a plan’s accounting liabilities in September to 101.9 per cent of those liabilities in October, according to Milliman Inc.’s latest pension buyout index. The index uses the FTSE above median AA curve and annuity […]