The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan’s chief operating officer of enterprise operations is moving to a new role at the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund. Rosemarie McClean will become chief executive officer of the pension fund, effective Jan. 1, 2020. Since joining the Ontario Teachers’ in 1986, McClean has gradually taken on more responsibility, including shaping the plan’s […]
Federal and provincial policy-makers should pay close attention to effective tax rates when considering changes to the tax-and-transfer system, according to a new report by the C.D. Howe Institute. Geared-to-income fiscal benefits programs provide valuable financial assistance to families with children, noted the report, but these benefits often come with high marginal effective tax and participation […]
Workplace programs to promote healthy food choices could improve employees’ eating habits, according to a study by researchers at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. A two-year study at the hospital examined the purchasing habits of almost 5,700 employees before and after researchers put in place a “traffic light labeling and choice architecture program.” […]
MSCI Inc. is updating certain key indexes, with changes taking effect when the market closes on Tuesday. Stemming from MSCI’s most recent quarterly index review, the changes include increasing both Saudi Arabian stocks and China A-shares within the emerging markets index. The updates will mark the second and final step in the inclusion of the MSCI Saudi Arabia index, […]
Looking at South Korea today, it’s hard to believe the country was one of the world’s poorest just a few decades ago. But since the 1960s, its economy has been growing quickly. “In fact, from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s, it had one of the highest growth rates in the world, and at times in […]
As private market assets become larger and more important allocations in pension plan portfolios, the methods for effectively benchmarking performance will become more relevant to the institutional investment community, according to a recent report by Callan. While several methods exist to measure manager and asset performance, it can be difficult for investors to get their hands on robust data, as […]
Fewer than half (48 per cent) of employees said they believe their employers are invested in improving the employee experience, according to a new survey by U.S.-based cloud computing company ServiceNow Inc. The survey also found 61 per cent of respondents rated their employers poorly based on a negative experience with personal leave. And only […]
The OPSEU Pension Trust is appointing Peter Lindley as its president and chief executive officer, effective Sept. 16, 2019. “Peter Lindley brings deep experience in investing to this role and the board is pleased to have someone of his expertise and calibre join OPTrust,” said Michael Grimaldi, chair of the OPTrust board of trustees, in a press […]
The majority of Canadian organizations are continuing to invest in salary increases, with just six per cent reporting a salary freeze for executives and 4.8 per cent reporting a salary freeze for non-executives in 2019, according to a new survey by Mercer Canada. This year, merit budgets increased to 2.6 per cent, on average, and […]
More Canadians are using tax-free savings accounts than registered retirement savings accounts, at 57 per cent compared to 52 per cent, according to a new survey by the Royal Bank of Canada. It found TFSAs are now the preferred option among Canadians aged 55 or over, a group that has primarily focused on RRSPs in […]