The Joint Forum of Financial Market Regulators is establishing a committee to help implement its total cost reporting plan. The plan aims to increase investor and policy-holders’ awareness of the ongoing costs of owning investment funds and individual segregated fund contracts. The committee, which is comprised of joint forum members and industry representatives, will provide […]
With Canadians’ financial priorities shifting alongside a turbulent economic climate, including inflation levels not seen in decades and a never-ending rise in the cost of living, it isn’t surprising capital accumulation plan members’ commitment to retirement savings is taking a hit. Benefits Canada’s 2023 CAP Member Survey found just 41 per cent of respondents rated […]
A new study looking at the implications of scale in defined benefit pension plans found size is key for several trends over time, including investment mandates, asset allocation and cost in returns. The research, ‘Scale Economies, Bargaining Power and Investment Performance: Evidence from Pension Plans‘ was recently awarded first prize in the International Centre for […]
Even though it sounds obvious, maximizing retirement income and making it last for life isn’t what drives most retirees when it comes to making decisions — which is contributing to the challenges around decumulation, said Fred Vettese, an author and pension expert, during Benefits Canada‘s 2023 Defined Contribution Plan Summit. “The hurdles we have to […]
Three-quarters (76 per cent) of U.S. defined contribution pension plan sponsors say their plan offers automatic enrolment, according to a new survey by investment consulting firm Callan. The survey, which polled roughly 100 DC plan sponsors, found the vast majority used auto-enrolment for new hires, while far fewer offered this feature for current employees. Half […]
Capital accumulation plan member outcomes saw a modest decline in the second quarter of 2022, as rising interest rates and the corresponding rise in annuity rates helped offset the falling investment markets, according to Eckler Ltd.’s latest CAP income tracker. It found a typical male member retiring at the end of June 2022 achieved a […]
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 […]
U.S. employers offering 403(b) retirement plans will benefit from access to collective investment trusts, according to a report by the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association. It noted the latest version of the Securing a Strong Retirement Act passed the House in March and, if it passes through the Senate with language that allows institutional 403(b) […]
As the move away from traditional defined benefit plans continues and intensifies, Canada’s multi-employer pension plans are providing employers with another retirement savings option for their employees. And despite facing a number of challenges, from industries in decline to legislative obstacles, MEPPs continue to attract plan sponsors from across the country. Read: Canadian MEPPs facing challenges […]
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) […]