Higher investment fees in capital accumulation plans can potentially set an individual’s retirement date back by four years, according to Mercer’s latest retirement readiness barometer. The analysis found a person paying the median retail fee (1.9 per cent) would be retirement ready at age 70. On the other hand, someone paying the median fee available […]
The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions and the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario are putting forward six recommendations for strengthening the Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authority’s capital accumulation plan guidelines. In a webinar hosted in November 2021, the regulators shared the outcomes of its technical advisory committee and solicited feedback from the […]
Defined benefit pension plans offer substantial cost advantages over 401(k)-style defined contribution plans, according to a new report by the National Institute on Retirement Security. The U.S. report found a typical DB pension — with advantages based on longevity risk pooling, asset allocation, low fees and professional management — has a 49 per cent cost advantage […]
Nearly half (44 per cent) of pension plan sponsors in the U.S. said they intend to review and/or renegotiate their plan’s management fees over the next one to two years, whether it’s custody fees (27 per cent) or investment management fees (17 per cent), according to a survey by consulting firm Callan. The survey, which […]
Since target-date funds were introduced to the Canadian market in the early 2000s, they’ve become the dominant investment choice for defined contribution pension plan members. The funds, which are balanced with dynamic asset mixes that adjust as members approach retirement, are offered in a series — typically, one fund for each five-year target retirement band — with each fund […]
The majority (64 per cent) of consulting and advisory firms said their plan sponsor clients are looking to improve financial wellness programs, according to a new defined contribution plan consulting survey by PIMCO. The same percentage (64 per cent) of respondents said plan sponsors want to improve participant retirement education and evaluate investment fees. The […]
Investment fees led the agenda at the Joint Forum of Financial Market Regulators’ annual meeting last week. This year, the forum engaged externally on investment fees, a topic of high importance to both defined contribution pension plan members — particularly those invested in mutual funds — and policy holders of segregated funds. It sought the views […]