Conference coverage: 2018 Defined Contribution Investment Forum

In Toronto on Sept. 20, the 2018 Defined Contribution Investment Forum offered attendees insights into the most important issues facing DC plans, from new perspectives on investment opportunities and risk and performance considerations to the latest in behavioural finance and member engagement.

Here are some of the highlights of the sessions:

Why people are hard-wired to make bad financial decisions
The average Canadian isn’t rational about money, according to a personal finance expert speaking at the 2018 Defined Contribution Investment Forum in Toronto in September.
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Boosting the glide path to optimize target-date funds
The traditional move away from equities to fixed income over a target-date fund’s glide path is too simplistic to produce optimal outcomes for members, according to Neil Walton.
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When does active investment trump passive?
The basic advantages of passive investing are clear: it typically leads to lower fees, it reduces the chance of serious underperformance and investments are normally quite liquid, said Kurt Umbarger at the 2018 Defined Contribution Investment Forum in September.
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Current view of distinct accumulation, decumulation phases too narrow
From a research perspective, very little is actually known about the post-retirement phase for defined contribution plan members, according to one expert.
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The benefits of using accumulation tools during the decumulation phase
Even though many plan sponsors are moving away from defined benefit plans, many organizations still have a paternalistic culture and want to help guide their employees towards a successful retirement, Nick Nefouse told delegates at the 2018 Defined Contribution Investment Forum in Toronto in September.
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Investment strategies for navigating the current market landscape
As the investment landscape gets more complicated, defined contribution pension plan members’ investment options need to keep up, said Chhad Aul at the 2018 Defined Contribution Investment Forum in Toronto in September.
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Constructing the glide path to tackle the any market environment
Ensuring a glide path’s asset allocation is correct is really important since it’s going to be managing the bulk of positions for so many defined contribution plan members, according to Ruthann Pritchard, speaking at the 2018 Defined Contribution Investment Forum in Toronto in September.
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How Ontario’s pension regulation changes will impact DC plans
Ontario’s pension regulatory landscape has seen a number of recent changes, with many of these affecting defined contribution plan sponsors, according to one expert.
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