Colin Ripsman

Assessing the risk of stranded carbon assets

In early June, G7 leaders committed their countries to reducing carbon emissions by 2050 and eliminating them by 2100. Even before the G7 announcement in Germany, there had been concerns expressed over how carbon reductions might impact investors in energy and energy-related companies. If governments legislate reductions in global carbon emissions, the fear is that oil, gas and coal consumption would decline, resulting in capitalized fossil fuel reserves that will never be extracted. These potential surpluses are referred to as stranded carbon assets.

  • July 23, 2015 September 13, 2019
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Avoiding DC class actions

Earlier this summer, Fidelity Investments settled two lawsuits brought by employees over the company’s own 401(k) plan. The suits alleged the firm offered employees its own higher-cost mutual funds when cheaper fund options were available and charged recordkeeper fees that were too high for a plan of its size. Fidelity contends the suits were “without merit” but settled for $12 million, which will be shared among more than 50,000 employees.

  • December 18, 2014 August 26, 2021
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Pension plans turn to alternative strategies

Bond market challenges are sending pension plans large and small in search of alternative strategies

  • October 29, 2013 September 13, 2019
  • 07:00

Hit the mark with target date funds

A well-structured DC plan helps members to build savings during their working (accumulation) years and generate sufficient income for their retirement (de-accumulation) years. For plan sponsors, the challenge lies in structuring investment offerings that support members well through both the accumulation and de-accumulation phases.

  • November 24, 2011 September 13, 2019
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The Retirement Investment Continuum

The next generation of DC investment products. Despite the success of lifecycle funds and related products globally, there are two improvements that would greatly enhance their effectiveness for DC pension plan members. 1) Increased customization – With traditional lifecycle funds, members with a common target retirement date will be directed to the same asset mix […]

  • April 1, 2009 September 13, 2019
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Acquiring Minds

There’s been a significant increase in merger and acquisition activity in Canada over the past few years. What is the impact on pension and benefits plans? Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in Canada was the strongest ever in 2006. Data compiled by Financial Post Crosbie: Mergers & Acquisitions in Canada shows that there were 1,968 […]

  • January 1, 2008 September 13, 2019
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Internal Checks

The Joint Forum’s Guidelines for Capital Accumulation Plans have created the need for a reassessment of internal governance practices. Some housekeeping is in order. In light of the recently released Joint Forum Financial Market Regulators Guidelines for Capital Accumulation Plans, many defined contribution(DC)plan sponsors are reassessing the effectiveness of their internal governance practices. There are […]

  • April 1, 2005 September 13, 2019
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