A new report looking at four U.S. states that moved new employees from defined benefit to defined contribution or cash balance pension plans found the changes resulted in higher taxpayer costs and no meaningful improvements to the plans’ funding and liabilities. The report, by the National Institute on Retirement Security, looked at Alaska, Kentucky, Michigan and West Virginia — […]
On the same day Keith Dixon began working at the University of Victoria, the campus gained another new addition: its combination pension plan. Introduced in July 1968, the plan is fairly unique in the world of Canadian pensions. It operates on a defined contribution basis, with the university and plan members each contributing. But when […]
The complexities of income tax at retirement can come as a shock to pensioners, but most plan sponsors are providing limited assistance in helping their retiring employees deal with these issues. “In our experience, much of the communication and education provided by employers/sponsors or their plan record keeper focuses on basic retirement and investment knowledge, […]
The president and chief executive officer of the C.D. Howe Institute is once again urging the federal government to raise the contribution limits for savers in defined contribution pension plans and registered retirement savings plans. In a letter to Minister of Finance Bill Morneau, Bill Robson referred to a paper he wrote last year in […]
For pension plans, consolidation can come with benefits. Around the world, funds are announcing they’re moving forward with plans to merge. In Canada, faculty associations at the University of Toronto, the University of Guelph and Queen’s University, along with chapters of the United Steelworkers union representing employees from all three schools, voted in June to create a jointly […]
Morneau Shepell Ltd. has appointed Mazen Shakeel as vice-president and practice leader for asset and risk management, effective July 2019. In the new role, he’ll assist plan sponsors with investment, outsourced chief investment officer, risk management and transfer-related needs. Read: Morneau Shepell to acquire some of Mercer’s U.S. health, DB plan administration business As an actuary with […]
A disconnect exists between defined contribution plan sponsors’ intentions and actions when it comes to helping employees with financial wellness, according to a new survey by J.P. Morgan Asset Management. Among more than 800 U.S. DC plan sponsors, 74 per cent said they have a very or somewhat high commitment to employees’ fiscal health, although […]
Mercer and Wealthsimple Inc. are teaming up to create a digital saving and investing platform for Canadian employees. Mercer Invest Wise, which is a voluntary savings tool, is intended to be included in a total rewards package. Accessible online and as a mobile app, it allows employees to manage various savings and investment accounts, such as their […]
When it comes to investing member contributions, the Co-operators Group Ltd.’s defined contribution pension doesn’t look like many other Canadian plans. For one, it doesn’t use a platform approach to investing. Instead, much of its more than $1 billion in assets under management are part of a pre-constructed balanced fund with different target-risk levels with […]
Whether operating in Canada or the United States, defined contribution plan sponsors are facing the same challenges around demographics, plan design and their employees’ retirement readiness. On the demographics front, more baby boomers are retiring and taking their pension balances with them. As DC plans lose members, plan sponsors may see a rise in costs […]