While more than two-thirds (69 per cent) of U.S. small- and medium-sized employers say the main reason they offer a retirement savings plan is to help employees save for the future, nearly half say they do so to help retain (47 per cent) and attract (40 per cent) top talent, according to a new survey by Capital […]
The Saskatchewan Pension Plan is expanding its variable benefit option to all retiring plan members across Canada. The option, which was previously only available to Saskatchewan-based plan members, allows for continued investment choice and income flexibility, according to a press release, which noted members who opt for the variable benefit can consolidate funds by transferring […]
An article on how flexible dress codes can support diversity, equity and inclusion was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. How flexible dress codes can support DEI amid post-pandemic return to office 2. With Ford, GM employees set to join CAAT’s DBplus pension, what’s […]
The British Columbia Investment Management Corp. is acquiring U.S.-based fiber communications solutions provider Consolidated Communications Holdings Inc. in a joint transaction with private investment firm Searchlight Capital Partners. The acquisition will be worth about US$3.1 billion. The purchase agreement price suggested a 70 per cent premium to Consolidated Communications’ public share price at April 12, […]
Nine in 10 (89 per cent) U.S. defined benefit pension plan sponsors say they’re expecting to completely divest their plan liabilities in roughly four years, according to a new survey by MetLife Inc. The survey, which polled 250 DB plan sponsors, found nearly all (94 per cent) said the financial impacts of volatility and related risks […]
A third (32 per cent) of Canadian employees say cost/affordability is the top barrier to getting mental-health support, according to the latest mental-health index by Telus Health. The survey, which polled 3,000 respondents, found lack of available care/long wait times (16 per cent) and not knowing where to get care or what type of care […]
Canada’s life and health insurers paid out a record $114 billion in health and retirement benefits last year, up $11 billion since before the coronavirus pandemic and up 60 per cent from a decade ago, according to the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association’s annual fact book. “During a year when many households faced higher […]
The estimated cost to transfer retiree pension risk to an insurer in a competitive bidding process increased from 100.2 per cent of a plan’s accounting liabilities to 100.5 per cent of those liabilities in August, according to Milliman Inc.’s latest pension buyout index. The index uses the FTSE above median AA curve and annuity purchase composite […]
While nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) of health benefits plan sponsors agree their work environment supports musculoskeletal health, two-thirds (65 per cent) of plan members say their work environment contributes to aches and pains, according to the 2023 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey. It found when plan sponsors were provided with details about the impact of […]
Public defined benefit pension plans can play a critical role in delivering adequate retirement income for U.S. retirees, while providing a key buffer against economic hardship for women, the Black, Indigenous and people of colour communities and workers without a college degree, according to a new report by the National Institute on Retirement Security and […]