While stories in the U.S. about plan members suing their employers are almost everyday news, the same cannot be said of north of the 49th parallel. However, results from a recent survey suggest that a litigious future could be just around the corner. According to a 2010 Towers Watson capital accumulation plan (CAP) survey of […]
Health spend, and particularly drug spend, has long been an issue for both insurance companies and plan sponsors. In 1967, health spending was approximately 7% of GDP. Forty-plus years later, health spending was forecast to reach 11.9% of GDP in 2009. Similarly, drug spend represented less than 8.8% of health spending in 1967, but was […]
Hands on May 01, 2010 | Brooke Smith Most consultants and money managers would say that the best default fund for a defined contribution (DC) pension plan is not to have one. However, this is far from reality. “Plan sponsors find that, despite trying to do their best in terms of education and increasing employee […]
Four of the most well known names in Canada’s retirement industry kicked off the inaugural Benefits & Pension Summit on Wednesday in Toronto, co-presented by Benefits Canada and the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. In the keynote address, actuary Malcolm Hamilton, pension expert Keith Ambachtsheer, CARP vice-president Susan Eng and Canadian Life and Health […]
Mercer provided its top 10 Resolutions for defined contribution (DC) plan sponsors on April 6 at its webinar The 2009 rebound was good news for DC plans, but don’t take your eye off the ball. Over 2009, the global, U.S. and Canadian equity markets performed well. Those who remained invested in 2009 recovered a significant […]
Health benefits costs are always a concern for employers. But integrating a wellness program into the workplace can help reduce drug plan spending and keep employees healthy and engaged. Wellness is a must as a recruitment/retention strategy, said Janet Young, vice-president with Buffett & Company, speaking at the first Canadian Pension & Benefits Institute Annual […]
Roughly 18 months after the financial crisis, the economic fog is beginning to lift, but custodians still struggle with declining pension assets. In this year’s Custody Report, State Street Canada—once again securing the No. 1 spot—reported $354.6 billion in Canadian pension assets under custody, a drop of 5.3% from last year. Right behind is RBC […]
By the middle of 2010, estimates for the global GDP growth will be double of what it was a year ago, according to Kevin Logan, an independent global economist, speaking at Dow Jones’ 2010 Global Economic Outlook conference on Jan. 20, 2010. “A year ago, the International Monetary Fund was predicting 2% global growth, but […]
With H1N1 upon us, pandemic preparedness in the workplace will be of key interest to employers and employees and the duties and legal rights if a flu outbreak occurs in the workplace. The easiest solution to an outbreak is to provide an alternative work arrangement, such as telecommuting. Employers can also cover paid sick time […]
It’s been another tumultuous year for the capital accumulation plan (CAP) industry: pending harmonized sales tax, government reform on pensions and, lest we forget, market volatility. But through it all, the CAP industry has held up, and for that, it deserves a hats off. “It’s been a great year for the CAP industry because we’ve […]