Despite significant improvements recently to pension plan solvency levels, the start of 2018 has been a challenging one for institutional investors. Shifting monetary policies have put pressure on bond portfolios, while rising yields have started to affect the equity markets. On the equity side, the S&P/TSX composite index has gone from a high of almost […]
Who wouldn’t want a coach to help with achieving health goals? According to the 2017 Sanofi Canada health-care survey, health coaching is a popular idea: 61 per cent of plan members expressed interest in coaching around personal health goals. But is health coaching a worthy investment for employers to include as a benefit for their […]
About a third (30 per cent) of Canadian workers view financial wellness programs as a major factor in selecting a new employer, but only 40 per cent trust the organization they work for when it comes to information or advice, according to a new survey by Mercer. The survey, which polled 1,500 Canadian employees, found that […]
Health-care costs are projected to increase a whopping 130 per cent over the next eight years after a period of relatively flat growth, according to a study published by Mercer in 2017. One of the key drivers is rising drug costs, with expensive specialty medications and gene therapies making up the majority of new products in development. So […]
As of July 1, 2018, new provisions under Ontario’s Pension Benefits Act will allow the sponsors of defined benefit pension plans to obtain a discharge from their obligations to former and retired plan members for whom they’ve purchased an annuity. Under the changes, plan sponsors will need to fulfil certain requirements before they can obtain a […]
More than half of Canadian business executives expect a substantial portion of the jobs at their companies won’t exist in five years, according to a new survey by Mercer. Among the findings of Mercer’s survey of the top workforce trends is a prediction by 54 per cent of Canadian executives that at least one in […]
The recent volatility in the equity markets has had only a mild impact on the heath of Canadian pension plans so far this year, according to new numbers from Mercer. On Monday, the firm released its quarterly update on the funded status of Canadian defined benefit plans. The median solvency ratio of Mercer clients was […]
Eckler Ltd. has appointed Naomi Denning as a principal in its national investment practice. Based in the company’s Vancouver office, Denning will be working primarily with employers in British Columbia and the rest of western Canada. Her specific areas of expertise include governance, investment policy and risk management, asset allocation, manager selection and monitoring. Prior to joining Eckler, […]
Sun Life Financial has appointed Heather Wolfe as managing director of liability-driven investment strategies in its defined benefit solutions team. For the previous seven years, Wolfe was a managing director of client relationships in the defined benefit solutions team. Her previous roles in the industry include assistant vice-president of retirement and savings plans at TD Bank Financial Group, […]
While many Canadian organizations continue to search for solutions to rising health-care costs, most are falling short. That’s why they must investigate any opportunity to find substantial savings and then take action. One health-related cost that hasn’t gained much attention is absenteeism. As issue often linked to mental-health issues, it’s costing Canadian organizations billions of dollars in payroll costs, […]