Mercer provided its top 10 Resolutions for defined contribution (DC) plan sponsors on April 6 at its webinar The 2009 rebound was good news for DC plans, but don’t take your eye off the ball. Over 2009, the global, U.S. and Canadian equity markets performed well. Those who remained invested in 2009 recovered a significant […]
Health benefits costs are always a concern for employers. But integrating a wellness program into the workplace can help reduce drug plan spending and keep employees healthy and engaged. Wellness is a must as a recruitment/retention strategy, said Janet Young, vice-president with Buffett & Company, speaking at the first Canadian Pension & Benefits Institute Annual […]
Roughly 18 months after the financial crisis, the economic fog is beginning to lift, but custodians still struggle with declining pension assets. In this year’s Custody Report, State Street Canada—once again securing the No. 1 spot—reported $354.6 billion in Canadian pension assets under custody, a drop of 5.3% from last year. Right behind is RBC […]
By the middle of 2010, estimates for the global GDP growth will be double of what it was a year ago, according to Kevin Logan, an independent global economist, speaking at Dow Jones’ 2010 Global Economic Outlook conference on Jan. 20, 2010. “A year ago, the International Monetary Fund was predicting 2% global growth, but […]
With H1N1 upon us, pandemic preparedness in the workplace will be of key interest to employers and employees and the duties and legal rights if a flu outbreak occurs in the workplace. The easiest solution to an outbreak is to provide an alternative work arrangement, such as telecommuting. Employers can also cover paid sick time […]
It’s been another tumultuous year for the capital accumulation plan (CAP) industry: pending harmonized sales tax, government reform on pensions and, lest we forget, market volatility. But through it all, the CAP industry has held up, and for that, it deserves a hats off. “It’s been a great year for the CAP industry because we’ve […]
As plan sponsors with defined benefit (DB) pension plans still struggle with funding issues, some may be considering a switch to a defined contribution (DC) plan. But DC isn’t the only route for plan sponsors frustrated by the trials of DB. Stephanie Kalinowski and Rachel Arbour, lawyers with Hicks Morley, recently presented alternative arrangements for […]
There’s no denying that many defined benefit (DB) plans have been getting bad press (think General Motors) as of late. On a positive note, however, DB plans have adapted to better meet plan sponsors’ and plan members’ needs. Could the private sector learn any lessons from the public sector model? Allan Shapira, a senior actuary […]
Responsible investment (RI) is increasingly gaining traction in the U.S. and Canada due, in part, to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI). At the joint F&C Investments and Jantzi-Sustainalytics seminar on Nov. 16 in Toronto, presenters shared their experiences of implementing the six principles—which were developed by an international group of institutional investors […]
In one sense, Melodie Li has a “second life.” The part-time HR generalist with Next Level Games Inc., an independent third-party video game developer in Vancouver, works from home. And even as a part-time employee, she still receives benefits. In fact, any employee working more than 20 hours a week is eligible for benefits. “The […]