While many people know the reward of a hard day’s work goes well beyond a salary, an increasing number of employees don’t understand the real value of the total rewards they receive from their employer. At the same time, employers are struggling to communicate the value of the benefits they offer. One way to improve […]
A pension dashboard that consolidates all of an individual’s pension and retirement information using pre-populated data would make it significantly easier for Canadians to access and understand their retirement savings, according to a new report by the C.D. Howe Institute. “Canada’s current retirement landscape offers numerous savings vehicles, giving individuals more choices than in the […]
The implementation of variable payment life annuities in Quebec will support employee financial well-being and retirement readiness, while providing a model for other Canadian jurisdictions, says Louis-Bernard Désilets, an associate at Normandin Beaudry. “Currently, there’s approximately $1.5 trillion in retirement savings accumulated in [registered retirement savings plans] and [defined contribution] plans in Canada, with likely […]
Defined contribution pension plan sponsors are navigating the demands of a strict asset allocation guideline in accordance with Islam by incorporating Sharia-compliant funds into their plans’ investment lineups. One reason is the increasingly diverse makeup of the Canadian workforce. According to Statis-tics Canada, the country’s Muslim population doubled between 2001 and 2021, from two per […]
Risk management continues to be one of the hottest topics in the pension industry for a number of reasons, including the uncertainty caused by the current geopolitical and economic climate and the September 2024 release of the Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities’ new guideline for risk management for plan administrators. While pension plan administrators […]
The Association of Canadian Pension Management is recommending a few amendments to the Pension Benefits Standards Act, including the required disclosure to spouses and electronic communications with plan beneficiaries. In a letter to the Department of Finance, the ACPM noted the PBSA currently requires information that’s provided to a plan member or former member — […]
Canadian defined benefit pension plan sponsors have an average per-member administration cost of US$165, according to a new report by CEM Benchmarking Inc. The report, which analyzed 80 global DB plans, found the average per-member administration cost was $164 in the Netherlands, but was $105 in the U.S. and $71 in the U.K. It noted […]
For most of the decade since I joined Benefits Canada, it feels like the pension industry has been moving at a snail’s pace. Don’t get me wrong — I have witnessed many substantial (dare I say, exciting) developments in the industry, each one touted as a potential solution to Canadians’ retirement readiness concerns and increasingly […]
The benefits of artificial intelligence go hand in hand with the many risks, but the pension industry’s requirements around fiduciary responsibility and governance, as well as privacy concerns, add an important layer to these considerations. Genevieve Hayman, senior affiliate researcher in research, advocacy and standards, the CFA Institute Many artificial intelligence risks — which include […]
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 […]