Morneau Shepell Ltd. is appointing Glen Oikawa as a client relationship partner, retirement solutions partner and Calgary office leader. In the new role, he’ll focus on delivering innovation, thought leadership and dedicated service to several of the organization’s largest plan sponsor clients across Western Canada. With more than 20 years of experience in financial well-being, […]
Factor investing is a style of management that aims to harvest the common traits of a group or basket of securities that helps inform their risk and return potential. “When we talk about factors, we’re really talking about common characteristics that securities, such as stocks or bonds, share,” says Mo Haghbin, chief operating officer of […]
Rolls Royce Canada Ltd.’s reward and pension manager talks benefits plan costs, Excel spreadsheets and playing soccer with his daughter. Q. What top challenges do you face in your role? A. Before the coronavirus crisis, a challenge I’d been dealing with was promoting awareness of the hidden value in group benefits plans, their escalating cost and who’s […]
On May 21, Benefits Canada hosted a webinar to explore the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on chronic disease in the workplace, as well as how virtual solutions can support employee health through this unprecedented time. All employers are currently facing the same concerns, said Marie-Josée Le Blanc, a partner at Mercer, during the webinar. Pointing to the 2019 […]
Mawer Asset Management Ltd. is appointing Crista Caughlin as lead manager of Canadian bond, global bond and Canadian money market strategies. Caughlin, who joined Mawer in May, will take over in July from the firm’s chief investment officer Paul Moroz, who’s been acting as interim co-manager of fixed income strategies. He’ll continue to act as […]
It’s hard to believe that just recently, people weren’t cutting their own hair or binge-watching Tiger King. At the beginning of the year, defined benefit funding levels were at record highs and many pension plan sponsors were considering reducing their pension risk. Fast forward a few months and the novel coronavirus has turned the world […]
Defined contribution pension plan sponsors may face workforce planning challenges coming out of the coronavirus pandemic as older plan members whose account balances were hard hit by this year’s market volatility delay their retirements. “We saw a lot of presenteeism coming out of the [global financial crisis] — are we going to see that again?” asks […]
While many Canadians can’t wait to start drawing down Canada Pension Plan benefits when they turn 65, it’s important to consider whether that’s the right move Bonnie-Jeanne MacDonald, director of financial security research at Ryerson University’s National Institute on Ageing Delaying CPP is the safest, most inexpensive approach to receiving more secure retirement income. Yet […]
In 2009, when Vincent Morin walked through the doors of Air Canada as the vice-president of asset allocation and strategy for its investment division, he faced a tough situation. The company’s eight defined benefit pension plans, which buy units of a single master trust fund, were facing a $2.6 billion deficit. In the following years, […]
Plan sponsors and insurers are increasingly wading into the waters of pharmacogenetic testing by offering the service to employees making long-term disability claims. In 2017, Sun Life partnered with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health for a pilot project that offered pharmacogenetic testing to plan members on disability leave due to a mental-health condition. […]