The British Columbia Financial Services Authority is releasing a stand-alone information security guideline for pension plan administrators based in the province. The guideline, which will come into effect on July 1, 2025, aims to help mitigate information security risks and ensure timely reporting of material security incidents, according to a press release. Until then, all […]
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 […]
While good governance practices must be at the core of any pension plan, intricate frameworks are designed to be proportional to the size of the sponsoring organization, according to Leah Fichter, vice-chair at the Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities and deputy superintendent of pensions and executive director of the pensions division at the Financial […]
With no federal requirement for U.S. employers to offer retirement savings options, individual states are stepping up and delivering meaningful programs. Speaking at Benefits Canada’s 2025 Defined Contribution Plan Summit, Michael Frerichs, state treasurer at the Illinois Treasurer’s Office, said the U.S. is facing a retirement crisis and he hopes these government tools can be […]
Increased investment volatility could trigger additional questions on the decisions of Canadian pension funds as governance reviews come into focus, says Level Chan, a partner in the pensions practice at Stewart McKelvey. “Where there’s greater volatility, we could expect that triggering more questions about how pension plans are weathering the storm.” When responding to additional […]
Three-quarters (76 per cent) of U.K. employers offer alternative cash benefits to high earners in lieu of pension contributions, according to a new survey by WTW. From April 6, 2024, the U.K. government abolished the lifetime allowance from pension tax legislation, limiting the total amount of tax-free cash an individual can receive to a maximum […]
When designing an optimal menu of defined contribution investment options, it’s important for plan sponsors to maintain a documented rationale for the investment lineup and to continually monitor the lineup’s performance amid external factors, according to a new report by the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association. It found while plan sponsors typically take one of […]
In 2025, the Association of Canadian Pension Management is focusing on flexible pension plan models amid a backdrop of multiple elections taking place across Canada. Korinne Collins, chief executive officer at the ACPM, says flexibility is needed around decumulation strategies for defined contribution plans and the potential for different income tax treatments for workers looking […]
More than eight in 10 (84 per cent) U.S.-based employer-sponsored retirement plans have at least one likely Employee Retirement Income Security Act red flag from a regulatory and/or fiduciary perspective, according to a new report by consultancy Abernathy Daley 401k Consultants. The report, which analyzed filings for more than 760,000 plans, found 43 per cent […]
While a plan member lawsuit against the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan regarding cryptocurrency investment decisions isn’t entirely surprising, it’s not a common event in Canada, says Level Chan, a partner at Stewart McKelvey. “In Canada, it does not come up very much. It normally is only in these unique circumstances where there is kind of […]