The average cost increases for employer-sponsored health-care plans are set to increase at a faster rate than inflation in 2018, according to a new report by Aon. Global average cost increases are projected to be 8.4 per cent in 2018, nearly three times the projected rate of inflation of 3.1 percent. Results vary depending on region, with […]
Few Canadian employers are tracking the impact of their defined contribution pension plans or measuring their outcomes, according to new research by Willis Towers Watson. It found only 26 per cent of survey respondents measure the retirement readiness of their employees at least every three years, while 30 per cent monitor it periodically and 40 […]
While some employees consider the holidays the most wonderful time of the year, others find it fraught with tricky questions, such as whether or not to give gifts to colleagues or how to survive the office Christmas party. A recent survey by staffing and recruitment firm Ranstad polled more than 1,200 American employees to learn […]
The Canada Infrastructure Bank has appointed Bruno Guilmette as interim chief investment officer. “The board recognized the need to move quickly and Bruno Guilmette agreed to start the build up of our infrastructure investment capacity as interim chief investment officer, so that we can look forward to engaging with stakeholders,” said Janice Fukakusa, chair of the […]
Sun Life Financial Canada has appointed Jacques Goulet as president, with current president Kevin Dougherty moving into the newly created role of executive vice-president of innovation and partnerships. Goulet joins Sun Life from Mercer, where he was president of health and wealth, and responsible for the organization’s global retirement, health, investment consulting and investment management […]
The market value of assets held by Canadian trusteed pension funds fell to $1.8 trillion in the second quarter, according to a new report by Statistics Canada released on Wednesday. The figure was down one per cent in comparison to the previous quarter but it was up 7.5 per cent from the same period in 2016. Pension fund […]
Some of the world’s largest institutional investors are throwing their weight around on behalf of mother earth. A group called Climate Action 100+, which is comprised of 225 institutional investors with more than US$26 trillion in assets under management, has launched a program to engage with the world’s largest corporate greenhouse gas emitters, encouraging the companies to step up […]
The Desjardins Group and a partnership of Canada’s five provincial credit unions and the Cumis Group Ltd. are set to merge their subsidiaries to create a new wealth management firm, Aviso Wealth. The deal will make Aviso Wealth one of the country’s largest wealth management firms with more than $55 billion in combined client assets and more than […]
Green Shield Canada will offer plan sponsors more options for including medical marijuana in their group benefits plans in early 2018. The insurer said its new offering has a much greater level of oversight than is currently available through health-care spending accounts. Read: Key questions for plan sponsors as marijuana legalization approaches There will be benefit maximums put in place, noted […]
At a meeting in Ottawa on Monday, Canada’s finance ministers agreed in principle to a number of additional features in the Canada Pension Plan enhancement that would help further protect the value of retirement benefits during periods of low or no earnings for parents, persons with disabilities and young widows. The proposed changes are: Further support […]