In the post-financial crisis world, perhaps plan sponsors can forgive DC plan members for wanting to hide their savings under the mattress. Slow GDP growth, volatile equity markets and eurozone fears could be considered good reasons to keep money out of the markets.
A sophisticated and well-executed group retirement savings plan can take many shapes and sizes depending on the type of company.
For many plan sponsors, there is no time like the present to assess how they are directing their efforts—especially when it comes to fees and performance. These aspects of plan management have always been on the minds of plan sponsors. However, the Great Recession, which took a severe toll on DB and DC assets, has […]
As the first set of baby boomers starting to retire in 2011, retirement questions about their pension, their working status, what to do next, etc., will become front and centre for sponsors of DB plans. “We’re certainly seeing the impact of the baby boom generation at OMERS,” says Ian Kinross, director, pension communications and education […]
Statistics are a funny thing. They can be twisted and turned and manipulated to support or refute nearly any question. But they serve an important purpose and often shed light on important topics that may otherwise not get the attention they deserve. Case in point is the last Benefits Canada Survey of Capital Accumulation Plan […]
A funny thing happened this year to the landscape of chief financial officers(CFOs) and senior human resources(HR)executives. It seems their outlook on the pension situation, while not stellar, is improving. According to a survey from the Conference Board of Canada and Watson Wyatt Worldwide, the percentage of people who feel the crisis will be […]
Issues of cost and risk are pushing plan sponsors to close off their DB plans. But that doesn’t mean managing them ends there. During this past year, the pension world has seen such heavy hitters as IBM, Verizon Communications, Sprint Nextel and even Nortel Networks decide to shut down or freeze their defined benefit(DB)plans in […]
Ken Georgetti takes issue with the thoughts and assumptions expressed by Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty in our February Viewpoint. Comment on the fact that Finance Minister Jim Flaherty thinks there is an inevitable movement from DB to DC. KG: We think the minister should be much more proactive and not resign himself to this […]
At a breakfast meeting at Toronto’s National Club, Ronald O’Hanley, president and chief executive officer of Mellon Asset Management said there is definitely a new retirement landscape and it should incorporate demographics into returns. There is a theory, he stated, that once baby boomers retire and divest their investments, equities will decline just based on […]
One of the attributes we can all relate to when we think of our moms is the way they do multiple tasks. They are able to organize their kids, delegate chores and get the most out of each family member. That’s not unlike the MoMs(manager of managers)pension and endowment funds employ to handle their investment […]