Common Wealth generates more retirement bang for the buck
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Case study
SEIU's my65+ will provide an innovative, low-cost option for hard-working families to build private savings for retirement. It has the potential to serve as a much-needed model to expand coverage for low- and moderate-income workers across Canada, as well as in the U.S., where nearly one-half of private sector workers lack access to a retirement plan at work.
More than 1 in 4 single seniors are living in poverty most of whom are women. This is unconscionable. That is why CARP is delighted to support the SEIU’s community retirement fund initiative. This program represents a significant step towards improving retirement security for thousands of care-workers, the majority of whom are women. I’m impressed by the careful plan design; low fees will preserve assets and the use of a TFSA structure means savers will not be penalized with claw-backs from guaranteed incomes. CARP strongly supports this initiative and would like to see similar projects developed to reduce senior poverty even further.
Mainstream RRSPs just don’t pass the logic test for people earning less than $50 thousand per year. They need a savings plan that won’t end up costing them money in their most vulnerable time of life. SEIU’s plan allows them to hold on to all the retirement income they’re entitled to, and that makes so much sense.
This plan is a concrete step forward that will help workers in precarious jobs save for their retirement. It has an innovative approach, using tax policy to benefit low-wage workers. It is tailored to increasing retirement security and incomes for low-wage workers who take care of vulnerable Ontarians.
The Evolution of the Canadian Pension Model
I want to acknowledge Alex Mazer and Jonathan Weisstub of Common Wealth and Mahmood Nanji, Associate Deputy Minister at the Ontario Ministry of Finance, for developing the concept and bringing together a great group to contribute to the report. They have done an outstanding job showcasing the journey that funds have been on in the past 30 years.
Secure a better retirement for all nonprofit workers
People working in the community sector will have access to an effective and affordable retirement savings plan with the Common Good Retirement Plan. It is being designed by people with financial expertise who also understand the nonprofit and charitable sector, and the financial pressures its employees face. Common Good will provide people in the sector with a sound and viable retirement savings option that will make a comfortable retirement possible for many for the very first time.
Having chosen the nonprofit sector as a career, I have seen many employees who are passionately dedicated to the mission and cause of their organizations, but have often done so at the expense of securing their financial future. I believe in decent work, and part of that is ensuring that those who work so hard to secure the future for others can themselves depend on a good retirement. Common Good provides a flexible, portable tool that provides the foundation for saving throughout your career, and is vital in ensuring a nonprofit workforce that can focus on good outcomes today knowing their own future income is assured.
Employees in the not-for-profit sector spend their careers working on behalf of others. With the Common Good Retirement Initiative, we have an opportunity to support them by filling an important need for a high quality, portable retirement plan. This innovative solution supports savings for sector employees at all income levels whether they currently have a retirement plan at work or not – and the plan has a legal duty to act in the best interests of its members. I believe this is an excellent model with the potential to make a real difference in the financial security of so many dedicated workers.
Retirement savings are a critical dimension of financial health, but very few workers in Canada’s nonprofit sector have access to high quality retirement savings plans. That’s why I support the Common Good Retirement Initiative. The people who care for our communities every day deserve our support in return and access to an affordable, accessible and portable retirement savings plan that works for them.
Our Thinking
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April 6, 2018
An RRSP is not a product
Weaning the retirement industry off our obsession with regulatory categories The retirement industry has a problem. We are obsessed with regulatory categories. Welcome to the […]
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November 4, 2017
Fixing the U.S. retirement system – Does Canada have the answers?
The Brookings Institution, a leading American policy think tank, invited Common Wealth and Canada’s top public sector pension plans, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) […]
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September 19, 2017
Expanding access to high-quality retirement plans for modest earners
Co-Founder Alex Mazer presented at the 2017 ACPM National Conference on September 13. Click here for his presentation, which was part of a plenary session on Changes and […]
Building retirement security together
We create portable, value-for-money, community-based retirement plans within sectors where many workers lack pension coverage. We design and manage these plans based on the principles of the world’s best pension organizations and tailor them to the needs of employees and freelancers in a 21st century workforce.