Canadian employers are making ongoing changes to their pension and benefits offerings as the coronavirus pandemic drags on, according to a new survey by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. The survey found almost one in five (18 per cent) employers offering prescription drug coverage have extended the time allowed under prior authorization periods, […]
As the world and Canada enters year two of the coronavirus pandemic, it’s continuing to have an uneven impact on Canadians’ finances, according to a new poll by the Angus Reid Institute. The poll found 34 per cent of Canadians were worse off now than they were 12 months ago, with 45 per cent of […]
Men and women are unevenly participating in equity compensation plans among private employers, according to new research conducted in the U.S. by Morgan Stanley. The investment bank and financial service company found only 41 per cent of women participated in these plans, compared to 52 per cent of men. And of those individuals who were […]
Remember those Freedom 55 ads that always seemed to be on TV in the ‘80s and ‘90s? I recently went down a YouTube rabbit hole and re-watched some of them and, well, let’s just say they’re as ridiculous as I remember. In one 30-second spot from the early ‘90s, a downcast businesswoman reads the paper […]
While 65 has long been considered the traditional retirement age, younger employees face the possibility of working longer. Plan sponsors can learn much from the unique financial journeys taken by different generations toward their eventual golden years. A 2019 Scotiabank investment poll revealed that 68 per cent of Canadians are currently saving for retirement, but […]
Employees that include company stock in their overall financial planning are more loyal and have a higher output level, according to new research conducted in the U.S by Fidelity Investments Inc. It found these employees were twice as likely to work harder, three times as likely to feel loyalty to their employer and three times […]
Young Canadians are increasingly planning their financial futures as the world faces down a second year of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey by Sun Life Financial Inc. It found that 89 per cent of generation Z (ages 18 to 23) and 80 per cent of millennials (ages 24 to 39) are saving […]
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says his government will make a decision this spring on whether to pursue pulling Alberta out of the Canada Pension Plan. But Kenney says even if the United Conservative government proceeds, Albertans will have the final say through a referendum on whether to create an Alberta Pension Plan. Treasury Department officials […]
Newfoundland and Labrador residents can now unlock benefits held in locked-in retirement savings arrangements for reasons of financial hardship or non-residency in Canada. The changes are in effect as of March 1 and only affect locked-in retirement savings arrangements such as locked-in retirement accounts, life income funds and locked-in retirement income funds, according to a press […]
The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association is calling on the federal government to provide Canadians with access to more-secure retirement income. In its submission to the 2021 federal budget, the CLHIA recommended that Canadians in and approaching retirement have access to flexible annuity options within registered pensions, registered retirement savings plans, registered retirement income […]