The Canadian Institute of Actuaries is supporting several of the Alberta government’s proposed legislative and policy updates for private sector pension laws, including the move towards a going-concern plus regime for defined benefit plans and the introduction of automatic features in defined contribution plans. In its response to the consultation draft, the CIA cited the benefits […]
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 […]
Alcoa Corp. is de-risking roughly US$1 billion in U.S. defined benefit pension obligations and assets with an annuity transfer. The group annuity contracts will be executed by two subsidiaries of Athene Holding Ltd., which will assume payments for roughly 4,400 participants in November, according to a press release. Read: Looking under the hood of jumbo […]
Higher long-term bond yields driven by rising interest rates are lowering the cost of annuity purchases for defined benefit pension plans, says Mary Kate Archibald, a principal at Eckler Ltd. Since January, the cost of an annuity purchase has decreased by between 10 and 15 per cent, as long-term bond yields increased from 1.7 to […]
Stelco Inc. is de-risking one of its defined benefit pension plans with a $1.3 billion annuity buy-in. The deal, which covers more than 7,000 United Steelworkers members and beneficiaries employed at the company’s Hamilton, Ont.-based plant, was completed in May with Brookfield Annuity Co. and Sun Life Financial Inc. Read: Stelco workers, retirees learn fate […]
The Association of Canadian Pension Management is providing feedback on the Accounting Standards Board’s proposed amendments to the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada’s handbook, including changes to sections covering defined benefit pension plan obligations and amalgamations. In an open letter responding to the board’s proposal, Ric Marrero, chief executive officer of the ACPM, said when […]
The Canadian pension risk transfer market registered about $6.6 billion in annuity sales in the second half of 2021, far exceeding the activity of any previous calendar year, according to a new report by Eckler Ltd. It found total annual sales of about $7.7 billion were generated in 2021, with more than $200 million in business […]
Retirees with defined benefit pension plans are less likely to draw down their savings to cover their spending than those with a defined contribution plan, according to a new report by the University of Michigan. It found while most employees born between 1920 and 1940 had access to a DB plan, this percentage dropped dramatically […]
Pension coverage in the public sector is high, with the vast majority of public sector employees covered by a defined benefit pension plan. However, the story is very different in the private sector as pension coverage is much lower and is trending downwards. Only 22 per cent of private sector employees participated in a registered […]
A new multi-employer pension plan is being created for Canadian incorporated physicians. The Medicus Pension Plan, developed by MD Financial Management Inc. and Scotiabank, will provide physicians with predictable lifetime retirement income based on personal earnings and years of service with their medical corporation, while pooling investments, longevity and economic risks among all plan participants, […]