The last 10 to 15 working years before retirement is a powerful and precarious time for defined contribution plan members, with roughly half of the retirement savings they’ll accumulate in their lifetime built up in that window of time as they reach their peak earning years, according to Glenn Dial, vice-president of retirement thought leadership […]
After a “Goldlilocks period” of low inflation and economic stability in the 2010s, the coming decades are expected to be marked by a higher cost of living and broader economic turbulence. Defined contribution plan members’ portfolios need to be “structured for this new reality,” said Nicole Lomax, vice-president, director and lead of institutional asset allocation […]
KPMG in Canada is aiming to boost plan member engagement with its retirement savings programs with a host of changes, including a refreshed defined contribution plan investment lineup, a new first home savings account, financial education programming, digital tools and switching record keepers. The changes, launched in early October, stemmed from a review of the […]
Roughly six in 10 (60 per cent) U.S.-based defined contribution pension plan sponsors say they want to retain assets in the plan, often by limiting rollover solicitations from record keepers and offering targeted education to members, according to a new survey by the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association. The survey, which polled more than 150 […]
Some former Hudson’s Bay Co. employees have filed a class-action lawsuit seeking a share of the defunct retailer’s pension surplus. The court filing was made on behalf of workers who were enrolled in a pension plan offered by Simpsons, a rival department store HBC bought in the 1970s. The takeover made HBC the administrator of […]
Canadian public sector employees continue to outpace private sector workers in defined benefit pension plan membership, according to a new report by the Fraser Institute. It found 86.7 per cent of Canadian public sector workers were covered by a registered pension plan compared to only 21.8 per cent in the private sector, citing data from […]
When Bell Canada was communicating defined contribution plan changes to members in 2024, it turned to artificial intelligence to help personalize its message to all of its 25,000 plan members. The redesign, which aimed to respond to members’ different financial priorities, enhanced the company’s savings options with a first home savings account, a tax-free savings […]
In a year marked by an ongoing trade war and threats of tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump and against a backdrop of rising costs, Canadian employers are reconsidering their total rewards and talent management strategies. “A lot more attention is being paid to total rewards, such as how we’re paying people,” says compensation and […]
Seven in 10 (71 per cent) employers say they’re concerned about meeting candidates’ salary expectations in 2026 and nearly half (46 per cent) say adding new employee benefits and perks will be the most effective strategy for recruiting skilled candidates in the coming year, according to a new report by Robert Half Canada. The report […]
Amid rising rates of food insecurity, employers have a role to play in easing immediate challenges and supporting long-term resilience among employees. “With rising food prices impacting everyone, we’ve developed or enhanced a range of programs that support both our employees and the communities where we work and live,” says Chris Pepper, vice-president of corporate […]