A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing. That’s the point Bonnie-Jean MacDonald, senior research fellow at National Institute of Ageing at Ryerson University and resident scholar at Eckler Ltd., drove home in a session at Benefits Canada‘s Benefits & Pensions Summit in Toronto on Tuesday. She took the example of one of her […]
Despite several twists and turns, Australian superannuation fund QSuper isn’t shying away from implementing new technology. Speaking at Benefits Canada‘s Benefits & Pension Summit in Toronto on Tuesday, Kim Hughes, head of product and services at QSuper, told attendees about the new tools and products her fund has provided for members and how they’ve taught the organization a great deal […]
While financial literacy programs have become more prevalent in recent years, what can they do to ensure they have the maximum impact? “Financial literacy, while important, is not the key to unlocking financial well-being,” said Lisa Callaghan, vice-president for strategy, marketing and communications at Manulife Financial Corp., during a panel discussion at the Benefits & Pension […]
While North American investors have traditionally perceived environmental, social and governance factors as a way of injecting personal philosophy into business practices, Japan’s business community has recently — and suddenly — begun to implement the concept and its uses in a different way. “What’s really evolved is a different set of ESG criteria,” says Linda-Eling […]
The Canadian dollar has had its share of ups and downs over the past year or so. At the beginning of 2017, it sat at 74 cents U.S., rising to a recent high of 82 cents in September. Since then, it has fluctuated at around the 80-cent level, falling by a few cents throughout early […]
Following a strong 2017, the early February selloff and subsequent quick rebound, investors are rethinking their strategy as they face a mature bull market, according to a release from Schroders. “We still feel that we are in an environment that is supportive of taking risk, it’s just that it won’t be as supportive as it was last year,” […]
The mass shooting news cycle isn’t going away. In the wake of the Parkland, Fla., shooting in February, hundreds of thousands of protesters descended upon Washington for the March For Our Lives, a show of force aimed at generating support from U.S. lawmakers to take action on gun control. Just this past Tuesday, a young […]
A 9.7 per cent net return for 2017 has helped the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan report a funded status of 105 per cent in its annual report. Among the highlights of the report was the plan’s intention to use its funding surplus as a contingency fund to support the long-term goal of maintaining steady contribution and benefit […]
As part of its 2018 budget, the Ontario government unveiled a proposal to make its changes to the pension benefits guarantee fund apply retroactively to plans with a windup date on or after May 19, 2017. “This amendment is intended to apply to pension benefits provided to former Sears Canada employees,” the government noted in its budget on […]
While Wednesday’s provincial budget in Ontario offered details on the inclusion of seniors in the government’s pharmacare program, Ontarians over age 65 aren’t the only cohort set to benefit from expanded drug coverage. Through the introduction of the Ontario drug and dental program, all Ontarians will be eligible for some coverage in those areas if they aren’t already […]