Workplace financial advice has evolved significantly over the past 15 years, moving from in-plan investment advice to more broad financial planning, said Marc-Antoine Morin, assistant vice-president of group retirement at Manulife, during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2026 Defined Contribution Plan Summit. He traced the evolution to the rise of three factors: target-date funds, which […]
While more than half (52 per cent) of workplace savings plan members count on the plan as their main source of retirement income, both men (16 per cent) and women (12 per cent) overstated their account balances, according to Sun Life’s latest survey of 1,900 plan members. Sharing the survey results at Benefits Canada’s 2026 […]
Canadian small- and medium-sized employers lose an average of 31 working days annually due to stress, according to a new survey by One Picture on behalf of Xero Ltd. The survey, which polled 300 Canadian employers with less than 200 employees, found they spend an average of nine hours a week feeling stressed, concerned or […]
Retirement advice and personalization are becoming foundational expectations for employees, not optional enhancements, said Rachel Weker, retirement strategist at T. Rowe Price Group Inc., during a recent webinar by the organization. “We anticipate this is going to happen for three main reasons. One is that retirement plan participants are facing increasingly complicated financial backdrops . […]
Two-thirds (67 per cent) of Canadian employees say help with forecasting retirement income is the No. 1 way that employers can provide financial support to workers, according to a new survey by Manulife Financial Corp. The survey, which polled more than 1,600 employees, found more than half (57 per cent) of Canadian employees said their […]
While earlier generations of Canadian retirees fared well despite limited financial literacy thanks to simpler pension systems, today’s employees face a more complicated journey through a self-directed financial landscape, according to a new report by the C.D. Howe Institute. It found Canadian employees, especially those in the private sector, are partially left to their own […]
According to MFS Investment Management’s Sean Kenney, his three sisters would all fall within the same target-date age cohort, but their lifestyles and retirement goals are completely different. His oldest sister, married with three kids, makes a middle-class income, doesn’t have a lavish lifestyle and loves being at home. Kenney’s twin sister, single with no […]
Benefits Canada celebrated the Defined Contribution Plan Summit’s 25th anniversary by looking at how the world has changed over the last quarter century, the subsequent impact on the pension sector and what’s next for DC pensions. On Feb. 26-28 in Montreal, the 2025 DC Plan Summit highlighted the lessons of the last several decades, putting […]
Three-quarters (76 per cent) of U.K. employers offer alternative cash benefits to high earners in lieu of pension contributions, according to a new survey by WTW. From April 6, 2024, the U.K. government abolished the lifetime allowance from pension tax legislation, limiting the total amount of tax-free cash an individual can receive to a maximum […]
The Canadian Institute of Actuaries is supporting employers with a new resource that focuses on the importance of early and proactive retirement planning. The resource covers several topics, such as how to build emergency funds while balancing short-term obligations with long-term goals, as well as developing sustainable retirement income strategies using personal savings, employer-sponsored retirement […]