The combination of several innovations in defined contribution pension plan design can dramatically improve retirement readiness across income levels, according to a new report by Mercer. Its annual retirement readiness barometer analyzed the impact of two key innovations — variable payment life annuities and exposure to alternative investments like private markets — alongside plan flexibility […]
Retirement income outcomes for capital accumulation plan members dipped in the first quarter of 2026, amid market volatility and ongoing geopolitical tensions, according to a new report by Eckler Ltd. The consultancy’s latest CAP income tracker found a typical male CAP member retiring at the end of March 2026 achieved a gross income replacement ratio […]
The Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities’ 2026–2029 strategic plan is focusing on regulatory harmonization, pension supervision and stakeholder engagement. The strategic plan comes as pension plan sponsors and members continue to navigate economic and geopolitical uncertainty, including inflation, higher interest rates and market volatility, alongside ongoing concerns around retirement readiness. Read:2026 DC Plan Summit: […]
In its sophomore year under its new branding, the Employee Savings Survey (previously known as the CAP Member Survey) reflects the changing landscape of workplace savings programs as plan members face competing financial priorities and employers step up to expand their offerings. Going even further, some of this year’s results were broken down into different […]
Financial stress is an ever-present concern for many employees — among women, it’s even more pronounced. A survey by the Financial Resilience Institute found almost two-thirds (72 per cent) of women said money worries cause them emotional stress, eight percentage points higher than men, while 71 per cent of Canadian women are stressed about not […]
Employers can remove friction from benefits and pension plan design by encouraging ease of use, communications and reducing decision fatigue, according to a panel discussion at Benefits Canada’s inaugural Women’s Health & Wealth Summit. According to the 2025 Employee Savings Survey, women were less likely than men to describe their financial health as excellent or […]
A third of U.S. plan sponsors say they’re very or extremely confident in their participants’ ability to retire at their target age, up from just 18 per cent one year ago, according to a new survey by MFS Investment Management. The survey, which polled more than 150 U.S. defined contribution pension plan sponsors, found their […]
Canadians’ outlook on retirement has dropped over the last decade, with 82 per cent having a positive attitude 10 years ago compared to 71 per cent last year, said Peter Bowen, vice-president of tax and retirement at Fidelity Investments Canada, during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2026 Defined Contribution Plan Summit. Sharing the results of […]
On balance, Canadians believe they’re meeting their ambitions, including investment- and financial-related goals, said Michael Keaveney, client portfolio manager in total investment solutions at CIBC Asset Management, during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2026 Defined Contribution Plan Summit. Sharing the results of CIBC’s recent ambitions index, he noted two-thirds said they believe they’ve been meeting their […]
The equity risk in target-date funds has been increasing substantially over the last decade, creating a ‘silent risk shift,’ according to Jafer Naqvi, managing director and head of client portfolio management at TD Asset Management Inc., speaking during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2026 Defined Contribution Plan Summit. At the same time, the underlying stock indices […]