Two-thirds (62 per cent) of global employees said they’d exchange their work-related data for more customized benefits, rewards and compensation, according to a new survey by Accenture. The global survey, which polled 1,400 corporate executives and 10,000 employees across 13 industries, also found 92 per cent of employees are open to their employers collecting data […]
Defined contribution plan assets now account for more than 50 per cent of total assets across the world’s seven largest pension markets, surpassing defined benefit plan assets for the first time, according to a report by Willis Towers Watson’s Thinking Ahead Institute. For the past decade, total DC plan assets have continued to grow at a faster pace, […]
Hub International Ltd. is acquiring the assets of Toronto-based Firstbrook Pointon Benefits Inc., a full-service employee benefits consulting firm. Bob Pointon, the firm’s president and managing partner, will join Hub Ontario, while its founder and chief executive officer, John Firstbrook, has formed an alliance with Hub Ontario and will continue to play a role in the […]
Allstate Benefits is rolling out its critical illness coverage with medical care support services for Canadian employers and employees. When a plan member is diagnosed with a covered critical illness, they receive a cash benefit based on the percentage payable for that condition. The cash benefit can be used for any example; for instance, to cover […]
British Columbia’s College Pension Plan board of trustees selection panel has appointed Bita Jenab as its director of research and analysis for the college and public service pension plans. Jenab has more than 30 years of consulting experience and extensive experience as a consulting actuary working with jointly sponsored pension boards. She will provide the board with strategic […]
Flexible working arrangements have a positive effect on personal health and well-being, as well as interpersonal relationships, according to a new survey by FlexJobs Corp. The survey, which defined a flexible job as a professional-level position that has a remote, flexible schedule, freelance or part-time component, found 99 per cent of respondents said a flexible job […]
Financial Horizons Group Inc. is changing up its broader leadership team. The firm is appointing David Stewart, who previously focused on the firm’s Atlantic Canada business, as its chief operations officer. Stewart will work closely with Chris Valardo on distribution, Mike Donati on dealership and Heidi MacDonald on operations, according to a press release. Cathy Hiscott […]
If institutional investors are looking to divest completely from an industry, tobacco would be ripe to pluck out of their portfolio, according to a new report by Genus Capital Management Inc. The report found that divesting entirely from tobacco wouldn’t have had a significant negative impact on returns over the past 20 years. “Though individual investors may […]
More than half (60 per cent) of North American workforces said their employees are facing more mental health and substance abuse issues than they were two years ago, according to a new survey by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. The survey, which polled 190 U.S. and 88 Canadian employers, found 40 per cent of […]
Canadian defined benefit pension plans finished 2018 in negative territory, according to two new reports. Pension plans in RBC Investor & Treasury Services’ universe posted an annual return of negative 0.7 per cent, reversing gains from the previous three quarters of the year, and substantially lower than 2017’s annual return of 9.7 per cent. Canadian equities and […]