Defined benefit plan sponsors across the country are looking for ways to reduce risk using tools such as plan design or investment strategy. At Benefits Canada’s DB Investment Forum on Dec. 11, 2015, five consultants discussed trends in changes to plan design and how they relate to investment decisions. Jason Campbell from Eckler, Ken Choi […]
Will there be more employees working abroad on assignment next year? It seems so. More than half (56%) of multinational companies expect to increase their use of short-term assignments in 2015/16, reports a Mercer study. Over the next year or two, companies expect to increase their use of the following: permanent transfers (54%), developmental and […]
For capital accumulation plan (CAP) members, it’s tough trying to save money for retirement. How much should I save? How much is actually enough for a decent retirement income? Will I run out of money in retirement? These are questions plan members ask themselves and try desperately, with the help of plan sponsors, to answer. […]
Worried about saving? You’re not alone.
Though survey results vary, they generally indicate that employers offering retiree benefits are the minority in Canada. For instance, only 16.3% of participating organizations in the 2015 Mercer Plan Design Database offer some kind of retiree benefits. Additionally, the 2015 Sanofi Healthcare Survey of mostly larger employers shows only 35% still offer benefits to new retirees. In another survey, 17% of respondents in the Toronto Region Board of Trade offered extended health coverage, and 13% offered dental benefits to retirees. By 2014/15, these numbers decreased to 16.5% and 11.9%, respectively.
Notwithstanding a possible Liberal majority in next week’s federal election, and the idea that it would “negate” the need for an Ontario Retirement Pension Plan (ORPP), according to Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, awareness of the plan remains scattered, at best. This and other findings were discussed as part of a larger Benefits Canada survey presented […]
Today, alternative investments aren’t as “alternative” as they once were.
The Government of Ontario did something right when it decided to exempt certain DC plans from the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan (ORPP). Benefits Canada surveyed Ontario DC plan sponsors before the province revealed the ORPP’s design details, and 68% of them opposed the plan. Some respondents went as far as to say they’d adjust or eliminate their plans if DC plans weren’t considered comparable.
Two fifths of employees who are satisfied with their organizations and 51% of those satisfied with their career opportunities are looking to leave, a survey finds.
The health of Canadian pension plans declined sharply in the third quarter due to market volatility and declining bond yields, reports from Aon and Mercer say.