Blake Wolfe

Association of Ontario Midwives Benefits Trust supporting employees with financial literacy, DC plan options

Financial literacy initiatives and a wide range of capital accumulation plan options are key components in supporting the financial health of midwives, said Nicole Mellin, executive director of the Association of Ontario Midwives Benefits Trust (pictured left), during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2024 Defined Contribution Plan Summit in February. The association provides its roughly […]

  • May 10, 2024 May 6, 2024
  • 07:56

Are Canadians retirement ready?

Manulife Financial Corp.’s latest financial stress survey found two-thirds (64 per cent) of employees aged 55 and younger and 50 per cent of workers aged 55 and older are seeking more financial advice from their employer, said Marc-Antoine Morin, the organization’s assistant vice-president of product development for group retirement solutions, during a session at Benefits […]

  • May 10, 2024 May 6, 2024
  • 07:55

What are the options for implementing real assets in DC plans?

While real assets are largely absent among the investment options offered by Canadian defined contribution pension plans, they can offer significant long-term benefits to plan members, said Andrew Knox, managing director of Franklin Templeton Investments’ global real assets fund, during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2024 DC Plan Summit in February. “[Defined contribution] investors in […]

  • May 10, 2024 May 6, 2024
  • 07:54

A look at the SPP’s evolving investment, decumulation options

From its roots as a retirement plan for Saskatchewan farmers, the Saskatchewan Pension Plan has grown over the past four decades to accommodate Canadians from all provinces and walks of life. “It’s really meant to be a social policy need to fill in gaps,” said Shannan Corey, the plan’s executive director, during a session at Benefits […]

  • May 10, 2024 August 22, 2024
  • 07:53

What can Canadian DC plans learn from U.S. pension legislation?

Features such as automatic enrolment in 401(k) savings plans are helping U.S. employees become retirement ready, said Mark Iwry, a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a former senior advisor to the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury for national retirement and health policy, during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2024 Defined Contribution Plan […]

  • May 10, 2024 May 6, 2024
  • 07:52

AI presents opportunities, disruptions for DC pension plan investments

The evolution of artificial intelligence is creating new challenges and investment opportunities for defined contribution pension plan members, said Kathrin Forrest, equity investment director at Capital Group, during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2024 DC Plan Summit in February. While the technology itself isn’t new, AI has rapidly developed in recent years, exemplified by generative […]

  • May 10, 2024 May 6, 2024
  • 07:51

How can DC plan sponsors solve the decumulation problem?

During a panel discussion at Benefits Canada’s 2024 Defined Contribution Plan Summit in February, three defined contribution plan sponsors shared their respective decumulation journeys and their thoughts on where the DC plan sector is in terms of effectively supporting this particular phase of plan members’ lives. At ATCO Ltd., roughly 5,500 employees are enrolled across […]

  • May 10, 2024 August 22, 2024
  • 07:50

How DC plan sponsors can take the guesswork out of retirement planning

Technology plays an increasingly important role as defined contribution pension plan sponsors seek to deploy decumulation support and retirement advice at scale, said Jean-Michel Lavoie, vice-president of strategy and market development for group retirement services at Sun Life Financial Inc. (pictured right), during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2024 DC Plan Summit in February. The […]

  • May 10, 2024 May 6, 2024
  • 07:49

Editorial: Turning challenge into opportunity

As I write this column, I’m reflecting on the spectrum of weather I’ve witnessed this past winter. From my office window in southwestern Ontario, I looked out onto snowy rooftops for maybe a week over the last several months. That’s contrasted with a recent trip to Nova Scotia, where a series of winter storms brought […]

  • April 12, 2024 August 19, 2024
  • 09:00

Head to Head: Is it time to change the terminology around ESG?

An academic says environmental, social and governance terminology should evolve alongside understanding of the concept, while a consultant favours a focus on substance over form. Amir Akbari, assistant professor of finance, McMaster University As our understanding of sustainable development evolves, so, too, should our characterization of responsible investment. For instance, consider the United Nation’s Kunming-Montreal Global […]

  • April 12, 2024 April 11, 2024
  • 08:59