The Canada Pension Plan fund ended its fiscal year on March 31, 2019, with net assets of $392 billion, compared to $356.1 billion at the end of fiscal year 2018. The $35.9 billion increase was made up of $32 billion in net income and $3.9 billion in net CPP contributions. Overall, the fund’s return for the year […]
Strong governance allowed the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology pension plan to find success in private markets, according to Julie Cays, the plan’s chief investment officer. Before the CAAT plan hired its first CIO in 2004, it was using an outsourced chief investment officer-type model — although it didn’t use this term at the […]
Current economic factors like low bond yields, which make it quite difficult for pension plans to meet their long-term return requirements, are driving institutional investors to allocate more to alternatives, according to Jason Campbell, a principal at Eckler Ltd. “Growth in alternatives has been steady and quite significant,” he said during a Canadian Investment Review webinar on […]
After starting to manage funds for its first two clients, the Ontario Pension Board and the province’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, the Investment Management Corp. of Ontario has released its 2018 annual report outlining its progress. Though the investment results of its activities will be reported independently by its clients, the report delineated the specifics of […]
In a challenging market environment, it’s important to focus on making the most of worst-case scenarios, said Ed Studd, solutions manager for U.S. portfolio solutions at Schroders Investment Management Ltd., speaking at Benefits Canada’s 2019 DC Plan Summit in Banff, Alta. in February. While the definition of risk will change over the course of people’s […]
In the face of a challenging capital market and its subsequent volatility, defined contribution plan sponsors must consider the affect on plan member behaviour, said Colin Sinclare, managing director of institutional sales for Western Canada at MFS Investment Management. “Volatility affects the compounding of returns in DC plan members savings plans. As well, it has behavioural […]
Looking at the role of plan design in driving member outcomes, it comes down to data and experience, according to Margaret Rux, principal and department head of retirement plan client services at the Vanguard Group., at Benefits Canada’s 2019 DC Plan Summit in Banff, Alta. in February. Capturing data from five million members and more […]
With Brexit looming, European investor confidence dipped while North American confidence rose slightly in March compared to February, according to State Street Corp.’s latest global investor confidence survey. Globally, investor confidence rose 0.4 points to 71.3 in March. Confidence in North America rose to 68.3 from 66.2, while it declined in Europe by 7.8 points to […]
Just six per cent of Canadians cited saving for retirement as a financial priority in 2019, according to a new survey by CIBC. Paying down debt was the top financial priority for survey respondents, followed by keeping up with bills and getting by (14 per cent), growing wealth (12 per cent) and saving for a […]
Canadian taxpayers are providing $22 billion each year to the country’s public sector pension plans by assuming undisclosed investment risks, according to a new report by public policy think-tank the Fraser Institute. In the report, its author Malcolm Hamilton suggested public pension funds view the income they provide to plan members on retirement as 20 […]