Sometimes, the best way to explore the unknown is by following in the footsteps of someone who’s been there first. When it comes to in-plan decumulation options from a defined contribution pension, whether the plan was grandfathered into existing legislation or is registered in a province that allows the option, many employers — and their […]
While fewer than half (42 per cent) of U.S. employers are currently offering financial wellness programs, that number is set to almost double to 80 per cent by 2023, according to a survey by the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. The survey, which questioned nearly 900 U.S. employers, found 90 per cent of respondents said their primary reason for […]
Freedom 55? It’s looking more like Freedom 70 for some Canadians, but there are strategies that working baby boomers, generation Xers and millennials can employ now to lower their retirement age, according to a new annual report by Mercer. The report found millennials often opt to invest conservatively in low-risk, short-term investments such as money market […]
As millennials enter their prime working years many are actively saving for their retirements, according to a new report by Wells Fargo Institutional Retirement and Trust. The report, which looked at four million eligible participants in about 1,900 defined contribution pension plans, found 61 per cent of millennial workers (age 27 to 39) were participating in a DC plan. In […]
The majority (seven in 10) of Canadian women age 45 and older said they feel confident they’ll be able to afford the lifestyle they want in retirement, according to a new survey by RBC Insurance. This is a significant shift from five years ago, when another RBC survey found 75 per cent of Canadian women didn’t […]
Should I stay or should I go? That’s the question employees are asking regarding their retirement, but they’re getting mixed answers from their employers. In a survey by MetLife Inc., half (55 per cent) of U.S. employers said they’d prefer older workers to retire to make room for the advancement of younger employees. The other 45 […]
Canadian defined contribution plans offer a range of investment choices, from a single balanced fund, in some cases, to more than 25 options. Douglas Anderson, corporate services officer at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario: As a member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario’s pension committee, I believe in offering […]
Jim Flynn, a trustee of the Nursing Homes and Related Industries Pension Plan and a former assistant regional director of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, remembers a time when the industry’s workers — predominantly women in precarious employment with physically demanding jobs — would retire without a pension plan. “The need was great,” he […]
Squeezed by onerous funding requirements and overarching fiduciary duties, defined benefit plan sponsors are increasingly willing to embrace alternative structures — such as multi-employer pension plans, jointly sponsored pension plans and pooled registered pension plans — to relieve some of the pressure. “Most employers simply shouldn’t be in the business of running a pension plan, […]
Canadian workers don’t think they’ll have enough savings for their retirement, according to two new surveys. While 68 per cent of respondents said they’re currently saving for retirement, 70 per cent are worried they aren’t saving enough, according to a Scotiabank survey. Of the 32 per cent who aren’t saving for retirement, almost half (45 per […]