While earlier generations of Canadian retirees fared well despite limited financial literacy thanks to simpler pension systems, today’s employees face a more complicated journey through a self-directed financial landscape, according to a new report by the C.D. Howe Institute. It found Canadian employees, especially those in the private sector, are partially left to their own […]
It’s difficult to avoid feeling overwhelmed by the hype around artificial intelligence and its many applications in our day-to-day lives. I was a kid during the early days of the internet, so I wasn’t in the middle of that buzz. But I gradually started using it — in high school, university and beyond — and […]
Improving participation and engagement in pension savings is a constant challenge for the retirement industry, but experts point to more insistent and consistent tactics around member behaviour. Derek Messacar, associate professor of applied economics, Memorial University Programs that offer tax deductions on savings in designated accounts have, for a long time now, been contested as […]
In stock ownership, Scotiabank employees have the combined heft of a large institutional investor: more than 30,000 active members in the bank’s employee share ownership plan own 20 million shares between them — or about 1.5 per cent of the institution’s total outstanding shares. “It’s a flagship benefit we have here,” says Simon Cabral, the […]
In its fall economic statement, the Ontario government said it plans to introduce legislation that would effectively end preferred pharmacy networks in the province. The legislation, based on the province’s findings from two consultations, would enable an ‘any willing provider’ framework — in which any pharmacy willing to match a PPN’s financial terms could join […]
A continued rally in equity markets in the third quarter of 2025 strengthened retirement income outcomes for capital accumulation plan members, according to a new report by Eckler Ltd. Optimism around trade negotiations, a U.S. Federal Reserve rate cut and steady enthusiasm for artificial intelligence supported markets through the period. As a result, the consultancy’s […]
On Sept. 30, more than 80 defined contribution pension plan sponsors, consultants, asset managers and other industry stakeholders met at the Omni King Edward Hotel in Toronto for the 2025 DC Investment Forum to glean insights into the tools and strategies that plan sponsors can use to guide members into the future and support their […]
According to MFS Investment Management’s Sean Kenney, his three sisters would all fall within the same target-date age cohort, but their lifestyles and retirement goals are completely different. His oldest sister, married with three kids, makes a middle-class income, doesn’t have a lavish lifestyle and loves being at home. Kenney’s twin sister, single with no […]
With target-date funds now a dominant investment vehicle in Canada’s defined contribution pension landscape, the glide path is the primary determinant of plan members’ outcomes in retirement, according to Farzan Qureshi (pictured left), director of institutional business development, client relationships for Sun Life Global Investments Inc., during Benefits Canada’s 2025 Defined Contribution Investment Forum. Glide […]
While integrating private assets into target-date funds can give plan members income-generating and diversification benefits at an attractive risk profile relative to traditional asset classes, these assets aren’t without complications, said Brett Goldstein, senior vice-president and head of asset allocation portfolio management at Franklin Templeton Investment Solutions. Speaking during Benefits Canada’s 2025 Defined Contribution Investment […]