We can help you determine the right pension solution to deliver brighter outcomes and help your employees become financially fitter.
Employers have an important role to play to ensure that retirement works for everyone. Currently, a combination of unintended consequences is casting a shadow over the entire retirement process. Employers with defined benefit (DB) plans face ever-growing risks, including low interest rates, market volatility and longer life spans.
Employees participating in defined contribution (DC) plans are responsible for saving for their own retirement and are ultimately exposed to the risks of low returns. Unfortunately, many employees have not saved enough so may seek to work into older age, which could give rise to workforce management challenges, whereas younger employees may not feel sufficiently engaged with the need to save for retirement.
As a plan sponsor, your needs can vary depending on your business size, strategic focus and growth goals as well as any evolving changes in legislation, regulations and industry trends that could impact the needs of members. We can provide you with a broad range of advice on ways to make better decisions on your retirement plans.
We can help you design and execute efficient and flexible retirement programs. We will help manage risks associated with sponsoring and managing your occupational pension plan. If necessary, we can design customised plans, such as hybrid arrangements, which can be tailored to your specific workforce.
Connect with a consultant today
For employers, DC retirement plans represent freedom from financial volatility, traditional pension risk, market volatility and long-term financial uncertainty. However, they also impose new risks and responsibilities on the employer.
For employees, DC plans offer individual control, greater flexibility and, in an ideal world, access to institutionally priced investments.
We can help design, plan and manage customised DC plans. We help employers optimise plans both globally and locally. We align organisational objectives with workforce demographics and employee behaviours to identify how employers can help improve retirement outcomes for their employees while meeting workforce management needs.
Managing a DB plan presents persistent risks and evolving realities: market volatility, uncertain liabilities, shifting regulations, and pressure to reduce expenses and contributions. Succeeding in this landscape requires an agile strategy and process that can dynamically react to market conditions and seize opportunities while managing risk and expense.
We can provide you with advice and solutions driven by an integrated interdisciplinary team of specialists. A core team of experienced consultants and analysts is supported by specialists in manager research, pension strategy, investment operations and more. The core and specialist teams work together to provide employers with holistic advice and continual guidance.
We have a broad range of services to help your trustees and fiduciaries meet their obligations regarding your pension plan. We provide advice and solutions, including diversification, governance, de-risking of pension plans and compliance with regulatory requirements.
Employers are required to ensure that their trustees have the appropriate knowledge and understanding to carry out their important role. Trustees are required to undertake training on a regular basis. New trustees must undergo training within six months of the date of their appointment, and experienced trustees must undergo training every two years. The good news is that training for your trustees is available. We offer training courses for both new and prospective trustees each month in Ireland. Details can be found at the link below.
When employees face fewer financial worries and distractions, employers benefit from a more focused, engaged and productive workforce. Employee financial wellness programmes can help employees find balance and control over their finances, now and throughout their lifetimes. Improving employees’ financial wellness can lead to heathier employees, reduce absenteeism and lower turnover rates while raising employee satisfaction and improving the employer brand. However, for financial wellness programmes to be successful, they need to do more than just provide education; they need to result in employees taking appropriate actions that lead to financial success.
Our latest paper, Health is Vital to Wealth, looks into how companies can support the health of an aging workforce. Companies are going to need older employees to meet talent shortages and to share their unique combination of knowledge, skills and experience. Since older workers will be a key part of the workforce in the decades to come, they must safeguard their most important asset — their health.
We’d be happy to set up a free consultation or send you more information to get you started. Simply fill out the form below and we will be in touch. If you are an existing Mercer plan member and have a question about your pension or shares, please contact the JustAsk team via this link.
Africa
