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 […]
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 […]
By slotting alternative assets into portfolio offerings, Saskatchewan’s Public Employees Pension Plan is incorporating an element of the defined benefit pension plan model, according to Gary Hutch, chief investment officer and executive vice-president of investments at Plannera Pensions & Benefits, which administers the plan. “We believe that including all of these alternatives provides more of […]
CPP Investments’ chief executive officer has described the organization as a supertanker, referring to scale — a portfolio approaching $800 billion — and the inability to pivot quickly due to its investments across illiquid assets. “We need to be cognizant of that,” said Derek Walker, the organization’s managing director and head of applied research and […]
Over the last 80 years, the TTC Pension Plan has grown from a contribution of $250,000 and a small team within the Toronto Transit Commission to a Maple Middle pension fund with close to $10 billion and a team of 42 people serving 28,000 members. “We’ve built a model where we’ve tried to learn from […]
Democratic nations are facing a host of monumental challenges, including a shifting world order, the rapid spread of misinformation, an aging population and a rapidly warming world. Time is of the essence for Canada to mitigate the impacts of these mega trends, said Andrew Coyne, political journalist with the Globe and Mail, in the keynote […]
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 […]
As institutional investors navigate complex markets and demanding governance requirements, Grace Uniacke, director of alternatives solutions at Russell Investments, suggests they move their portfolios from disconnected compartments towards integrated, connected systems. “This can be done in incremental tweaks, but more so as a structural upgrade to how we design, construct and manage institutional portfolios,” she said during […]
While voluntary carbon markets are a bit like the Wild West, carbon removals actually pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and sequester it, according to Aaron White, executive director and head of sustainable investing at CIBC Global Asset Management. “This is where we anticipate the biggest growth to take place within this industry,” he said during […]