As all aspects of employee well-being increasingly overlap, it’s never been more critical to look at the intersection between health and wealth, especially for a traditionally underserved part of the population. The inaugural Women’s Health & Wealth Summit, which was hosted in Toronto on March 5, brought together plan sponsors and other industry thought leaders […]
Driving to a client meeting in 2003, Kate Nazar, then age 30, felt shooting pains up her spine and pulled to the side of the road, stepped out of the car and collapsed. Hours later, after emergency surgery, she learned the episode — and the months of missing menstrual cycle before it — were symptoms […]
“Financial autonomy is something a lot of Canadians are striving for every day — alongside that, they can achieve financial empowerment,” said Avnee Patel (pictured right), senior director of business development and group retirement savings at Desjardins, during a fireside chat at Benefits Canada’s inaugural Women’s Health & Wealth Summit. “Growing up, financial empowerment felt […]
Financial stress is an ever-present concern for many employees — among women, it’s even more pronounced. A survey by the Financial Resilience Institute found almost two-thirds (72 per cent) of women said money worries cause them emotional stress, eight percentage points higher than men, while 71 per cent of Canadian women are stressed about not […]
Employers can remove friction from benefits and pension plan design by encouraging ease of use, communications and reducing decision fatigue, according to a panel discussion at Benefits Canada’s inaugural Women’s Health & Wealth Summit. According to the 2025 Employee Savings Survey, women were less likely than men to describe their financial health as excellent or […]
Workplace financial advice has evolved significantly over the past 15 years, moving from in-plan investment advice to more broad financial planning, said Marc-Antoine Morin, assistant vice-president of group retirement at Manulife, during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2026 Defined Contribution Plan Summit. He traced the evolution to the rise of three factors: target-date funds, which […]
As generation Z’s behaviours, motivators and stressors evolve in real time, a joint research project from Canada Life and Deloitte Canada is aiming to help bridge the gap between prudent financial planning and the generation’s legitimate concerns around long-term systemic risks. Speaking during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2026 Defined Contribution Plan Summit, Kate Nazar […]
While more than half (52 per cent) of workplace savings plan members count on the plan as their main source of retirement income, both men (16 per cent) and women (12 per cent) overstated their account balances, according to Sun Life’s latest survey of 1,900 plan members. Sharing the survey results at Benefits Canada’s 2026 […]
On balance, Canadians believe they’re meeting their ambitions, including investment- and financial-related goals, said Michael Keaveney, client portfolio manager in total investment solutions at CIBC Asset Management, during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2026 Defined Contribution Plan Summit. Sharing the results of CIBC’s recent ambitions index, he noted two-thirds said they believe they’ve been meeting their […]
A workforce that’s sprawled across the country is pushing Simon Cabral (pictured centre), former director of global defined contribution plans at Scotiabank, to employ a fully digital approach when communicating with employees. “We have to, we have no choice really to reach our cohorts across the country,” he said during a panel session at Benefits Canada’s […]