92 results found for "guaranteed annual income"
Op-Ed
In the fall of 2020, barely noticed amid the stresses of COVID-19, Canada’s economy passed a peculiar milestone. Residential investment surpassed all other business investment — more than for nonresidential structures, machinery and equipment, and intellectual property products combined. That was unprecedented. As recently as the early 2000s, it would have been inconceivable. As a nation, we risk…
Op-Ed
Governments around the world are responding to the COVID-19 crisis with myriad measures – additional resources for health care, supports for individuals and businesses, tax deferrals and public health edicts that have slowed or stopped activity in many sectors of the economy. One common consequence of these measures is that governments need massive amounts of money, both to finance the deficits…
Op-Ed
The battle over Enbridge Line 5 – unfolding in a Michigan courtroom – shows how declarations of friendship between Canadian and American governments are hostage to local politics. This past February, the Prime Minister and the U.S. President concluded a Roadmap for a Renewed U.S.-Canada Partnership. While the Roadmap doesn’t refer to pipeline issues, in spirit and intent it should prevent actions…
Op-Ed
What returns can we earn on our saving? In planning for retirement, few questions matter more. Project prudently and all should be well; count on a bonanza that falls through – not so good. What is true for individuals is true for pension plans. Those that forecast conservatively and back their obligations well tend to pay what they promise; those assuming turbo-charged returns to fund rich…
Op-Ed
The bankruptcy of Sears Canada, and the threat that its underfunded pension plan won't pay what it promised, has caught the attention of members of Parliament. Understandably so. People don't get a second chance at retirement. Getting an annuity less than you counted on is a terrible blow. After the sponsor of an insolvent pension plan has gone bankrupt, moreover, governments have no happy…
Op-Ed
By Finn Poschmann Few Canadians may have heard of them, yet covered bonds, an important bank funding mechanism, have taken a place near the heart of the financial system. How big a place that should be, and how close to the heart, will be a question for whoever forms the next government in Ottawa – and this will matter to housing finance. Covered bonds have been around for centuries – capital…