Too much avocado toast isn’t the reason younger Canadians have a hard time getting a start on their retirement savings. Canadian millennials are “literally working and studying more to have less” than their parents and grandparents, according to Paul Kershaw, associate professor in the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia, […]
The current environment is simply too difficult for Canadians to save adequately for retirement, given increased longevity and the low yields on appropriate investments, according to a new report by the C.D. Howe Institute that suggests raising contribution limits to retirements savings plans to 30 per cent per year. “People are living longer and — […]
As the economy continues to face major technological disruption, investors will face an increasingly competitive environment to find the best real estate opportunities, a panel of experts suggested at an event in Toronto on Thursday. “Every time you hear the word challenge, you should hear opportunity,” said Tim Bellman, head of global research on Invesco Ltd.’s real estate […]
Two-thirds of institutional investors consider environmental, social and governance factors, according to a survey conducted by RBC Global Asset Management Inc. The survey, which questioned 434 institutional asset owners and investment consultants in Canada, the United States and Europe, found that of the two-thirds that do consider such factors, 25 per cent intend to boost their allocations to managers […]
The Canadian government will discontinue the Canada savings bond and Canada premium bonds program on Nov. 1, 2017. While existing bonds will continue as usual until they mature or the purchaser redeems them, the option of buying them through a payroll savings program will now be off the table. The program reached peak popularity in the 1980s, but […]
While the sustainability of defined benefit pension plans have long been a central talking point in the industry, they took a real hit during the 2008 financial crisis, a sting many plans feared would linger in public opinion. “DB plans were obviously affected. Actually, all retirement savings plans were impacted,” says Darryl Mabini, senior director of growth and […]
CARP is the latest organization to call for legislative reforms to better protect pensioners working for private sector companies that file for insolvency. CARP, formerly the Canadian Association of Retired Persons, held discussions on the issue with members of Parliament, senators and other government staff on Parliament Hill on Wednesday. The organization is asking the federal government […]
While mental health is often a sensitive area, the Co-operators Group Ltd. aimed to bring the issue into the open by introducing an online Yammer group as a safe place for employees to talk, share information and support one another. “It’s a way for us to have those organic conversations crop up from our staff,” said Stacey Kennedy, […]
For Manulife, building its benefits plan communication strategy was all about choice. Recognizing there are different ways employees prefer to access information, it rolled out a strategy that ensured a number of different communications options were available. This strategy helped Manulife earn the benefits plan communications award at Benefits Canada’s 2017 Workplace Benefits Awards in Toronto on Oct. 12. […]
By presenting pension information in simpler, bite-sized chunks and introducing a colourful character, the Alberta Local Authorities Pension Plan undertook a digital revamp that earned it the pension communications award at Benefits Canada’s 2017 Workplace Benefits Awards last week. Facing the challenge of engaging members on the difficult topic of pensions, the organization took on the task of […]