Even as regulators move to expand decumulation options for Canadians in defined contribution pension plans, the degree to which employers will actually adopt the solutions available, including variable benefits, remains an open question. Various factors fuel the conundrum, but exposure to liability and litigation risk loom as perhaps the most daunting obstacles. Proponents of safe […]
The job of a pension consultant has evolved considerably over Bita Jenab’s 30-year career in the field. The mid-1990s saw a greater focus on governance and the arrival of the investment consultant, while the 2000s featured a mass move to defined contribution plans and significant changes to pension legislation. Through all of that, plan sponsors […]
Cashiers will often ask Canadian consumers if they’d like to donate to a charity as they pay for items at retail stores. But what about applying the concept to retirement savings? A pilot project in Mexico is taking voluntary contributions at the checkout counter to a whole new level by nudging people who are buying […]
While there are nuances, I consider a target-benefit plan to be one that determines benefits to members on a defined benefit basis while setting out employer contributions on a defined contribution basis. To allow for that mix, target-benefit plans permit benefit reductions when contributions fall short. My goal is to share what I consider an […]
Hub International Ltd. is acquiring Ontario-based Benefit Broker Services Inc. Benefit Broker Services, which is located in Wallaceburg, Ont., is a provider of services related to employee benefits and pension plans. The terms of the acquisition weren’t disclosed. Scott Ewing, the firm’s president, and Stacey Ewing, its co-founder and owner, will join Hub Ontario, reporting […]
The Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities’ latest consultation is seeking feedback on amendments to its guideline No. 8 for defined contribution pension plans, focusing on considerations around decumulation, such as communicating variable benefits, assumptions used in retirement projections and fee disclosure. When it comes to withdrawals from a variable benefits plan, according to the amended guideline, plan administrators […]
There was a lot of news to share from the pension, investment, benefits and human resources industries this month. Here are the 10 most popular online stories of the month: 1. Employer-paid benefits to be subject to new B.C. health tax 2. Ontario government to become second payer under OHIP+ changes 3. Great-West Life’s Jeff […]
Very few American pension funds are incorporating environmental, social and governance issues, according to a new survey by NEPC Investment Consultants. Just 12 per cent of participants said they’re incorporating ESG factors into their investment manager selection process, while 59 per cent said they aren’t and 29 per cent said they aren’t but they’re interested in doing so. The majority […]
The real solution for missing pension plan members is the establishment of a regime that allows plan sponsors to turn over unclaimed balances to a public agency, according to the Pension Investment Association of Canada. “The inability of a plan sponsor to discharge its fiduciary duty for un-locatable members is a function of a public policy […]
After several months of negotiations between Nova Scotia’s East Coast Credit Union and Unifor, 44 employees have voted in favour of strike action over the proposed closure of their defined benefit plan. The credit union is proposing to close the pension to new entrants and then wind it up over 10 years, according to president and chief executive officer Ken […]