The financial well-being of working Canadians has fallen sharply and is at its lowest point since January 2021, according to LifeWorks Inc.’s latest financial well-being index. It found the number of Canadians reporting a worsening financial situation increased five per cent compared to the previous period and those reporting an increase in financial concerns climbed […]
After a tough couple of years, Canadians continue to face several challenges against an increasingly turbulent economic landscape. While most coronavirus restrictions were lifted in late spring 2022, the seventh wave of the pandemic arrived in July alongside rising inflation, which is compounding prices from the gas pump to the grocery store. Though the 2022 […]
While defined contribution pension plan sponsors are focusing on providing members with information, education and guidance to ensure they’re ready for retirement, advice is becoming more holistic and covering a financial wellness continuum, said Jennifer Katzsch, regional vice-president for Western Canada, group retirement savings at Desjardins Insurance, during a session at Benefits Canada‘s 2022 DC […]
With the 2015 merger of Kraft Foods and H.J. Heinz Co., Kraft Heinz Canada was left with a “mixed bag” of savings and retirement programs. It’s goal for a new streamlined program was a mandatory base plan and a voluntary component with 100 per cent employee participation. “It was important for us to come together […]
Providing tools to help defined contribution pension plan members make solid financial decisions rather than making the decisions for them was the impetus for Canadian Forest Products Inc.’s multi-year financial wellness program, according to Lisa Weber, the company’s pension and benefits advisor, during a session at Benefits Canada‘s 2022 DC Plan Summit. Since Canfor closed […]
A quarter of single seniors live below the poverty line in Canada and the problem is getting worse, with employer-sponsored pension plans not accessible to 40 per cent of low-income employees. It’s especially severe among personal support workers, 80 per cent of whom don’t have a workplace pension. The situation is beyond unconscionable, says Tyler […]
The ‘Great Resignation’ is ushering in a period of great transformation for employers, the workforce and the workplace of the future, said Charmaine Alexander, senior advisor of disability management at Desjardins Insurance, during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2022 Benefits and Pension Summit on June 1. With labour shortages continuing to plague the workforce, Alexander believes […]
While many employees say they’re open to using employer-provided financial wellness assistance, some are hesitant, citing lack of trust and a need for employers to be transparent, according to a new study by the U.S.-based Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association. The DCIIA’s Retirement Research Center, which conducted focus groups that explored low- and moderate-income workers’ […]
Three-quarters (73 per cent) of U.S. employees said their employer needs to offer more resources to help them manage their personal finances, according to a new survey by personal finance platform Ramsey Solutions. The survey, which polled more than 3,000 full-time workers, found only 23 per cent had access to employer-provided financial wellness benefits. Among […]
Three-quarters (75 per cent) of defined contribution plan sponsors cite reviewing fees as the most important step they took to improve their fiduciary position in 2021, according to a new survey by U.S. investment consulting firm Callan. This was followed by examining the plan’s investment policy statement (63 per cent) and investment structure (61 per cent) […]