While defined contribution pension plans currently outnumber defined benefit pension plans, this wasn’t always the case, recalls Bita Jenab, a principal at RetirementWorks Services Inc. DC plans began to gain popularity in the mid-1980s, due to a combination of legislative and economic changes, she adds. “This period marks the introduction of pension accounting rules under […]
The Association of Canadian Pension Management is taking aim at the Alberta government’s funding rules for private sector defined benefit pension plans. In its response to consultation draft of potential legislative and policy updates for private sector pension laws, the ACPM wrote that the province’s existing funding requirements fail to appropriately balance benefit security with […]
Dave Muffley thought he had it made when it came to a solid retirement. The Indiana man spent roughly 30 years as a salaried maintenance technician for Delphi Corp. — a subsidiary of General Motors Corp. — and expected to retire with a comfortable income by the time he hit age 62. But when GM […]
Despite year-to-date asset losses and historically high levels of inflation, most Canadian defined benefit pension plans are reporting increased funded positions in the second quarter of 2022, according to a report by Mercer Canada. It found the median solvency ratio increased from 108 per cent as at March 31 to 109 per cent as at […]
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 […]
The Ontario Pension Board, the administrator of province’s public service pension plan, generated a return of 9.4 per cent in 2021. In its yet-to-be released 2021 annual report, the OPB also reported its assets under management had grown to $33.8 billion, up from $31 billion the previous year. It also improved its solvency ratio by […]
The average funded status for the largest U.S. defined benefit pension plans was 93.8 per cent in 2021, up from 86.2 per cent in 2020 and reaching the highest level in 15 years, according to a new report by Russell Investments Group. The report, which analyzed 19 publicly listed U.S. corporations with more than US$20 […]
An article on British Columbia’s paramedics and their need for enhanced mental-health benefits was the most read story over the past week on BenefitsCanada.com. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. B.C. paramedics seeking enhanced mental-health benefits 2. Canadian pension plans overcoming legislation, governance challenges: webinar 3. Ontario’s DB pension plans should take steps […]
With Ontario’s defined benefit pension plans in their best financial shape since 2009, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario is advising plan sponsors and administrators to better prepare for the future. “They need a good sense of investment policies as well as how the plan itself may be affected [by different scenarios],” says Lester […]
The viability of a public defined benefit pension plan is best judged by its fiscal sustainability rather than its overall liabilities, according to a new report by the National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems. The report, written by Michael Kahn, director of research at the NCPERS (pictured right), found fiscally sustainable pension plans have […]