Fewer Canadians plan to contribute to registered retirement savings plans this year compared to last year (46 per cent versus 50 per cent), though the average contribution has increased to $5,088 from $3,984, reveals a BMO study. Canadians’ reasons for contributing are no surprise, but reasons for not contributing raise more questions than they answer. […]
The plunge in interest rates to new lows in recent years has made DB plan sponsors rethink whether their pension plans continue to be sustainable. Private sector employers for the most part didn’t really have to think about it as they have already abandoned their DB plans in droves. Recent statistics suggest that roughly 60% of DB pension plans in the private sector have closed their doors forever to new hires.
Get creative with DC communications by focusing on member behaviour.
DC plan assets are continuing to grow as more Canadian companies are shifting away from DB plans. Shawn Cohen, a director of relationship management for MFS Investment Management, and Kristen Colvin, a director with MFS Institutional Advisors, spoke to BenefitsCanada.com about the evolution of DC plans in Canada and the United States.
What DC plan member education can learn from behavioural economics
Many Canadian investors need additional guidance to maximize the benefits in their capital accumulation plans, according to a survey.
Eckler has introduced Guided Outcomes, a DC plan management solution that was launched in the United Kingdom by consulting and actuarial firm Hymans Robertson, to Canada.
Among American DC plans automatically enrolling employees, the majority also automatically increase their contribution rate annually, setting up a growing number of employees for healthier retirement savings, according to a report.
Replacement income levels generated by capital accumulation plans declined to 63% in the first quarter of 2014, according to Eckler’s Capital Accumulation Plan Income Tracker.
The vast majority of capital accumulation plan members don’t have a financial plan, yet many still say they are prepared for retirement.