THE CHANGING NATURE OF WORK
In addition to a workforce that has already been seen to include less formalized employment relationships, such as those in the “gig economy”, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly altered, perhaps permanently, the way in which employees work and the way in which employers will hire in the future. This session will examine the impact on pension plans and other retirement savings programs of the changing relationship between organizations and those who work for them. If work that was previously carried out in a traditional office environment can simply be done by a remote workforce anywhere in the world, will organizations, particularly those in the private sector, still feel the need to provide retirement savings programs, or for that matter, will pension plans as we know them continue to exist in the long term? Will we start to see two classes of workers – those covered by retirement savings programs and those who are not, even within the same organization?
SPEAKERS
MODERATOR: Michael Wolpert, Fasken, Canada
PANELISTS: Paul Owens, Government of Alberta, Canada, Wijnanda Rutten, Clifford Chance, the Netherlands
WHY MISSING MEMBERS MATTER
In recent years, concerns related to missing plan members have become a focus for plan sponsors, their advisors and regulators. This panel will discuss a number of recent developments and legal issues arising in their respective jurisdictions, including:
- Emerging regulatory requirements
- Implications for plan administrators and sponsors
- Developing robust procedures to comply with fiduciary and regulatory requirements
- Other insights and best practices
MODERATOR: Jeff Mamorsky, Greenberg Traurig LLP, U.S.A
PANELISTS: Terry Moore, Greenberg Traurig LLP, U.S.A, Lyle Teichman, Willis Towers Watson, Canada, Elise Laeremans, Younity, Belgium,
Deidre Phillips, Bowmans, South Africa
LEGAL ISSUES ON THE DECUMULATION PHASE FOR DC PLAN MEMBERS
A DC plan member generally must choose from several basic ways in which to use his or her plan retirement account to provide retirement income, with the goal of not outliving his or her retirement account balance. In order to enjoy a reasonably certain level of retirement income a DC plan member will have to understand and manage a number of risks, including:
- investment risk,
- longevity risk, and
- inflation risk.
The panel will discuss a variety of topics including:
- the different approaches to management of these risks, and the insights gained from experiences so far in the 4 jurisdictions covered by the panel of speakers
- constraints imposed by tax rules in the jurisdiction in question as to what decumulation options are available
- the risk to plan fiduciaries and employers of liability in the decumulation phase
- liability for information to plan members on decumulation investment strategies and withdrawal rates
- some of the challenges of collective risk sharing in a transparent way
MODERATOR: Philip Bennett, Durham University, UK
PANELISTS: Michael Wolpert, Fasken, Canada, TBC
CLOSING THE GENDER PENSION GAP
Gender and diversity issues in and around pension schemes lead to a further deepening of social inequality across the globe. The panel focuses on gender-related structural challenges around pension schemes and discusses possible ways to solve such issues, with a view to strengthening awareness amongst pension practitioners that gender equality not only includes equal pay on salaries but also an equal and fair share in pension accruals and entitlements.
MODERATOR: TBC
PANELISTS: TBC
SCHEMING TO GET SCHEME ASSETS CYBERSECURITY
As retirement security becomes increasingly digital, there are more opportunities for theft of data and assets of retirement schemes. We’ll be comparing the regulatory framework around the requirements for protecting retirement schemes as well as discussing the intersecting trends in criminal activity and liability.
MODERATOR: TBC
PANELISTS: TBC
SPECIAL TOPIC
Session description coming soon
MODERATOR: TBC
PANELISTS: TBC
