Expert panel: What does 2024 hold in store for the pension industry?
With the arrival of the new year, there are three topics that will be important for pension plan sponsors, members and other industry stakeholders in…
Latest news in Gavin Benjamin
Expert panel: How interest rates impact DB pension plans
Interest rate levels are critically important to the financial health of defined benefit pension plans. Many DB plans are in their best financial positions in…
- By: Gavin Benjamin
- December 7, 2023 December 6, 2023
- 09:00
Expert panel: How DB pension plan sponsors can use surplus
In 2022, the typical defined benefit pension plan achieved an investment return of roughly negative 12 per cent. However, due to dramatic increases in bond…
- By: Gavin Benjamin
- May 16, 2023 May 16, 2023
- 09:00
Expert panel: DB pension plan sponsors facing challenges, opportunities in 2023
Similar to 2022, the coming year will present both challenges and opportunities for defined benefit pension plan sponsors, with the rewards going to plan sponsors…
- By: Gavin Benjamin
- January 5, 2023 January 4, 2023
- 09:00
Expert panel: Does Canada need a pension champion?
In the Expert Commission on Pensions’ 2008 review of Ontario’s pension system, it recommended an agency or unit of the provincial government serve as a…
- By: Gavin Benjamin
- December 20, 2022 January 18, 2023
- 09:00
Expert panel: Are private sector employers heading toward a pension renaissance?
Pension coverage in the public sector is high, with the vast majority of public sector employees covered by a defined benefit pension plan. However, the…
- By: Gavin Benjamin
- May 10, 2022 May 11, 2022
- 09:05
Expert panel: DB, DC pension predictions for 2022
As a new year dawns, our attention turns to what’s ahead, the following are a few of my predictions for trends in the world of…
- By: Gavin Benjamin
- January 4, 2022 January 4, 2022
- 09:00
Expert panel: How could inflation impact DB pension plans?
After being off of Canadians’ radar screens for years, the re-emergence of inflation in recent months is receiving significant attention for many, including pension plan…
- By: Gavin Benjamin
- October 26, 2021 October 25, 2021
- 09:00
Could pandemic-related mortality rates impact DB pension plans?
Over the past several months, much attention has been paid to the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on financial markets and, subsequently, defined benefit pension plans’ financial conditions…
- By: Gavin Benjamin
- June 8, 2021 June 23, 2021
- 09:00
What do pension benefits guarantee fund changes mean for plan sponsors?
Alongside recent reforms to funding rules for Ontario-registered defined benefit pension plans, the Ontario government also made changes to the pension benefits guarantee fund, including improvements…
- March 26, 2019 September 13, 2019
- 08:30
A primer on the incoming CPP/QPP enhancements
In 2016, the Government of Canada reached an agreement with the provinces that provides for significant enhancements to the Canada Pension Plan, with an announcement of…
- November 27, 2018 September 13, 2019
- 08:00
Are tontines a solution to Canada’s decumulation challenges?
With the aging of Canada’s population, the move to defined contribution pension plans in the private sector and increases in life expectancy, the issue of…
- May 21, 2018 September 13, 2019
- 11:38
Four pension and retirement trends to watch in 2018
As 2017 draws to a close, we turn our attention to the new year. As usual, there’s a lot happening in the Canadian pension environment. Below are…
- December 29, 2017 January 31, 2021
- 07:30
The pros and cons of offering pension portability at retirement
Legislation requires a defined benefit pension plan to provide members leaving active service with the option of transferring out the lump-sum commuted value of their…
- August 29, 2017 September 13, 2019
- 09:00
The 5 key components of a DB pension funding regime
The interest in pension funding rules is as great as ever, with changes taking effect in Quebec in 2016 and a review of funding rules…
- February 24, 2017 September 13, 2019
- 09:00
A refresher on the purposes of pension plan funding
We may be witnessing the most significant changes to the funding rules of Canadian defined benefit pension plans in more than 25 years. First, since…
- October 20, 2016 September 13, 2019
- 09:30
How to manage the long-term obligations of a DB pension promise
Defined benefit pension risk is as much in the spotlight today as ever and remains a significant issue for plan sponsors, even when the sponsor’s…
- August 8, 2016 September 13, 2019
- 09:32
Desire versus ability: the psychology of pension risk management
When it comes to reducing pension risk, there’s an interesting dynamic between desire and ability. During periods when the desire to de-risk is high, the…
- April 14, 2016 September 13, 2022
- 09:28
Pension risk management in challenging times
In recent years, pension plan sponsors were optimistic about upcoming de-risking activity. In a Towers Watson (now Willis Towers Watson) survey conducted in the summer…
- February 9, 2016 September 13, 2019
- 09:30
Does your pension data need a refresh?
A pension management task that doesn’t receive much attention is the need to collect and maintain detailed data relating to individual pension plan members. While…
- July 24, 2015 September 13, 2019
- 11:27
New guidelines for buy-in annuities
Many employers that sponsor DB pension plans are considering reducing the risk in their plans. An approach to reduce risk that is gaining popularity is…
- February 24, 2015 September 13, 2019
- 11:30
Avoid complacency in pension risk management
The financial health of Canadian DB pension plans improved dramatically in 2013. While employers have begun reaping the rewards from this improvement, they should not…
- September 15, 2014 September 13, 2019
- 11:44
Enabling pension plan rightsizing
Most regulators do not view a buyout group annuity purchase from an ongoing pension plan as a complete settlement of the obligations covered by the…
- May 22, 2014 September 13, 2019
- 12:40
The benefits of merging Ontario pension plans
As part of the ongoing reforms to the Ontario Pension Benefits Act, major changes were made to Ontario’s pension asset transfer rules, effective Jan. 1,…
- February 13, 2014 September 13, 2019
- 10:28
New accounting disclosure requirements focus on risk assessment
Many Canadian companies will soon start preparing disclosures for their fiscal year-end corporate financial statements. For most organizations that account for their pension and other…
- November 8, 2013 September 13, 2019
- 10:08