ACTIVE MEMBER EDITION SPRING 2022 | VOLUME 13
IN THIS ISSUE 1 | THREE PILLARS OF RETIREMENT PLANNING 2 | KEY RESOURCES FOR PLAN MEMBERS 2 | YOUR RETIREMENT CHECKLIST 3 | INVESTMENT REPORT 5 | NBPSPP ANNUAL INFORMATION MEETING 2022 | 6 INTEGRATION: A QUICK GUIDE TO YOUR EARLY RETIREMENT BENEFIT 7 | LIFE EVENTS: WELCOME TO THE PLAN 7 | YOUR EMPLOYEE STATEMENT OF PENSION BENEFITS 7 | AMENDMENTS TO GOVERNING DOCUMENTS
CONTACT US
HAVE YOUR SAY!
WRITE: New Brunswick Public Service Pension Plan Board of Trustees c/o Vestcor PO Box 6000 Fredericton, NB E3B 5H1
Fill out the Member Survey included with this newsletter, or available online at nbpspp.ca/survey.
CALL: 1 800 561 4012 (toll free) 506 453 2296 (Fredericton) EMAIL: info@vestcor.org ISBN 978-1-4605-3206-5
We want to know, among other things: • how you perceive the Plan; • how you get the information you need; and • whether you are familiar with your Board of Trustees. What you tell us through your responses will help guide our strategic priorities moving forward. That’s why it’s important that we get your input. Deadline for submission is May 20, 2022.
THREE PILLARS OF RETIREMENT PLANNING In Canada, we have three pillars that hold up our retirement goals: Old Age Security (OAS) & Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS); Canada Pension Plan (CPP)/Quebec Pension Plan (QPP); and employer pensions & personal savings. Ensuring that you’ll have the income required to enjoy your retirement takes some planning. Many financial planners recommend that you should aim for a replacement ratio of 70% of your pre-retirement income; while this is just a guideline, your actual retirement income needs are going to be unique to you, and there are some important questions you should be asking yourself: • Will you continue working part-time? • Will your expenses increase or decrease in retirement? • Do you plan on traveling? • How do you plan on spending your days? • Will you still have debts to be paid off? • Will elder care be a concern? Some of these questions may be difficult to answer depending on what stage you are in your career, but understanding your pre- and post-retirement financial goals will help you plan your sources of retirement income.
NBPSPP & OTHER SAVINGS
NBPSPP & SAVINGS
Your NBPSPP benefit and other savings will likely make up the largest portion of your retirement income. Use the pension estimate calculator frequently throughout your career and adjust your personal savings accordingly to ensure that you will have sufficient income to sustain your retirement goals.
What’s the NBPSPP Pension Estimate Calculator? The calculator is an easy-to-use tool that can quickly calculate an estimate of your future pension using any retirement date. The calculator uses data provided from your annual NBPSPP Employee Statement of Pension Benefits; while your most recent statement will provide the most accurate results, older statements may be used. You can find the calculator and an instructional video at vestcor.org/calculators.
CPP/QPP
CPP or QPP
The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) or Quebec Pension Plan (QPP) are compulsory pension programs based on your salary and years you’ve been contributing to the plan. There is a maximum amount receivable, and you can start receiving these benefits as soon as age 60 or as late as age 70. These options will impact your monthly amount.
Because these two plans have maximum amounts, they may not give you a high replacement ratio. Depending on your foreseen retirement expenses like traveling or debts, you are likely going to need income from a pension and/or retirement savings as well.
OAS & GIS
Old Age Security (OAS) is a federal program that gives Canadians aged 65 or older a monthly payment.
OAS & GIS
Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) is for low-income OAS pensioners and is calculated based on income. This pillar is the smallest of the three, designed to give retiring Canadians basic income support.
You can find more information on OAS and GIS at canada.ca/oas and canada.ca/gis.
You can find more information on CPP at canada.ca/cpp.
DISCLAIMER: This newsletter is a publication on behalf of the Board of Trustees of the New Brunswick Public Service Pension Plan. This publication is intended to provide information about the New Brunswick Public Service Pension Plan. If there is a discrepancy between the information contained herein and the pension plan text or other appropriate governing documents, the latter will prevail.
NBPSPP UPDATE | 1
Key Resources For Plan Members NBPSPP Website - nbpspp.ca
Find helpful videos, application forms, the Plan’s governing documents, financial results, annual reports, Board of Trustees biographies, and more, including:
NBPSPP At-a-Glance
A simplified document to help walk you through the basics of the NBPSPP. Wondering how much you contribute to the Plan? Curious as to how your pension benefit is calculated? Wondering how transitions in your life can affect your pension? The At-aGlance covers all of this information and more. You can find the most recent version at nbpspp.ca under “Booklets”.
Helpful Documents • • • •
Pension Plan Member Booklet Purchase of Service Information Sheet Naming a Beneficiary Fact Sheet Pre-Retirement Death Benefits Rules Fact Sheet
Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) Summary
A summary of how COLA increases are determined and how the most recent COLA was calculated. It can be found under “Latest Information” or at nbpspp.ca/cola.
WATCH THE VIDEO NOW!
YOUR RETIREMENT CHECKLIST
Are you close to retirement, or do you just have questions about what the process will be once the time comes? Our plan administrator, Vestcor, has recently released a short video explaining the steps you’ll need to take to apply for your pension. You can watch the video by scanning the code above with your mobile device, or by visiting nbpspp.ca.
2 | NBPSPP UPDATE
INVESTMENT REPORT
A SNAPSHOT OF YOUR PENSION FUND AT DECEMBER 31, 2021 NBPSPP RETURN (GROSS)
9.23%
NET INCREASE OF
INVESTMENT ASSETS ARE
$608 million
$9.353 billion
SINCE DEC. 31, 2020
AT DECEMBER 31, 2021
INVESTMENT RETURNS (AS AT DECEMBER 31, 2021) 10%
9.23% 7.93%
8%
7.21%
7.40% 6.93%
7.26%
6.89%
6.46%
6% 4.50% Target Discount Rate
4%
2%
0% One-Year
Portfolio Return
Four-Year
Since Plan Conversion (2014)
Value Added Return (Over Investment Policy Benchmark)
Since Mandate Inception (1996) Benchmark Return
Overall, 2021 continued the rebound from the COVID-19 shutdowns in 2020, and the so-called “reopening trade” proceeded almost uninterrupted to year end. Global equity markets gained about 18% for the year, although returns were quite differentiated across countries, with North America performing particularly well compared to certain international markets. After several years of approximate 2% increases, inflation moved significantly higher in the second half of 2021, nearing a 5% rate of year-over-year changes by year end. In this past year’s market environment, the investment program earned a positive return of 9.23% in 2021 due to the strong 5.45% return experienced during the second half of the year. Over the longer term, both the four-year annualized return of 7.40%, and the annualized return since the inception of Vestcor’s management in 1996 of 7.26%, remain greater than the 4.50% discount rate set for the Fund.
INVESTMENT ASSETS
The fair value of the NBPSPP investment assets on December 31, 2021 was $9.353 billion, an increase of $608 million from the fair value on December 31, 2020.
NBPSPP UPDATE | 3
INVESTMENT REPORT (CONTINUED) ASSET MIX
NBPSPP investment asset mix weights were held close to investment policy targets during the year. The chart below outlines the portfolio asset mix on December 31, 2021, and illustrates how well-diversified the Plan’s investment assets are: Asset Mix Breakdown as at December 31, 2021 Short-Term Assets - 0.3%
Fixed Income
Real Return Bonds - 5.0%
Equities
Private Equity - 6.9%
Inflation Linked Assets
Global Developed Markets (excluding Canada)- 7.4% Canadian Equity - 8.0%
Absolute Return Strategies
Absolute Return Strategies - 8.0% Real Estate & Infrastructure - 10.1% Corporate Bonds - 17.4%
Nominal Return Bonds - 17.9% Low Volatility Equity - 19.0%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
MARKET SNAPSHOT
Going forward, continued periods of short-term volatility combined with relatively modest medium-term returns could be expected. While recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to be of concern for investors, more significantly the Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused a large spike in market volatility across the globe. While the NBPSPP portfolio does not have direct exposure to Russian assets in its portfolio, indirect effects of instability in the region will cause heightened risk for essentially all asset classes in 2022. For equities, most valuation measures (dividend yield, priceearnings ratios) are at significantly above normal levels, while interest rates on both government and corporate bonds remain low. All in, the medium-term expected return on a generic 60/40 stock bond portfolio is likely to be modestly below its long run average level. For more information, including a summary of the market outlook for this period, visit the Quarterly Market Updates provided by Vestcor at vestcor.org/marketupdates.
HELPFUL DEFINITIONS DIVIDEND (YIELD): A stock (bond) payment paid by a company to its shareholders. EQUITIES: Investment securities that represent an ownership interest in an asset such as shares in a company or real estate. DISCOUNT RATE: Set by the Board of Trustees after consulting with the Plan’s independent actuary. The rate at which a fund’s expected benefit cash flows to members are discounted to determine its present value. In a Pension Fund, the assumed, net investment rate of return that the Pension Fund needs to conservatively earn over the long-term. GROSS INVESTMENT RETURN: Return before fees are deducted (for example, investment management fees). VALUATION: The process of determining the value of an asset or security. This may involve the use of the most recent price of a publicly traded security, or a more subjective methodology used for private assets.
For even more helpful definitions, you can find a glossary of terms relevant to the NBPSPP by scanning the code above with your mobile device, or at vestcor.org/glossary.
4 | NBPSPP UPDATE
NBPSPP ANNUAL INFORMATION MEETING
2022 REGISTER TODAY!
Scan the code to the left with your mobile device or visit nbpspp.ca/2022AIM
WHEN?
September 22, 2022, 12 pm (noon) ADT
WHERE?
Online via webcast with a phone-in option
WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND?
It’s your opportunity to learn more about the NBPSPP, including: • meeting your Board of Trustees; • the financial health of your Plan, including a recap of the Plan in 2021, and an update on 2022; • presentations by the Plan’s administration services provider and the Plan’s actuary; and • a question and answer session with your Board of Trustees and guests.
Last year a member commented... I don’t agree with the cost of living adjustment (COLA) of 1.46%, I don’t understand how it’s calculated when inflation is higher than that. The methodology used to determine the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) is provided in the NBPSPP’s Plan Text, which can be found at nbpspp.ca. Based on the Plan Text, COLA is calculated by the NBPSPP’s independent actuary, LifeWorks, based on inflation figures provided by Statistics Canada. It is calculated annually by comparing the average Consumer Price Index (CPI) year-over-year for the period of July to June. Using CPI figures to determine COLA is consistent with how many plans across Canada, including the Canada Pension Plan, calculate the increase. Here’s how the most recent COLA was calculated: Month Year
July 2020
Aug 2020
Sept 2020
Oct 2020
Nov 2020
Dec 2020
Jan 2021
Feb 2021
Mar 2021
Apr 2021
May 2021
June 2021
Avg.
CPI
137.2
137.0
136.9
137.5
137.7
137.4
138.2
138.9
139.6
140.3
141.0
141.4
138.59
Month Year
July 2019
Aug 2019
Sept 2019
Oct 2019
Nov 2019
Dec 2019
Jan 2020
Feb 2020
Mar 2020
Apr 2020
May 2020
June 2020
Avg.
CPI
137.0
136.8
136.2
136.6
136.4
136.4
136.8
137.4
136.6
135.7
136.1
137.2
136.60
138.59
(average CPI for 12-months ending June 30, 2021)
136.60
(average CPI for 12-months ending June 30, 2020)
136.60
(average CPI for 12-months ending June 30, 2020)
= 1.46%
While the recent inflation rates in the latter half of 2021 were in excess of 4%, they were not captured within the average CPI periods used to calculate the most recent Cost of Living Adjustment; these inflation rates will be reflected in the average CPI calculation for the period of July 2021 to June 2022 that will be used to determine the potential COLA for January 1, 2023. Still have questions about how COLA is calculated? A video is available at nbpspp.ca or by scanning the code to the right with your mobile device.
A summary of the Q&A session from the 2021 Annual Information Meeting and a recording of the full meeting are available at nbpspp.ca/2021AIM. NBPSPP UPDATE | 5
INTEGRATION:
A QUICK GUIDE TO YOUR EARLY RETIREMENT BENEFIT
Watch a video about Integration now! nbpspp.ca/integration.
The New Brunswick Public Service Pension Plan provides an early retirement benefit paid to members that choose to retire before age 65. This temporary early retirement benefit is paid in addition to the lifetime pension to help members financially until they qualify for an unreduced Canada Pension Plan (CPP) benefit at age 65.
FIRST, A LITTLE BACKGROUND...
The NBPSPP, like most other pension plans across Canada, is integrated with the CPP. When the CPP was introduced in 1966, contributions made to the NBPSPP were reduced so that an employee’s overall pension contributions did not increase. Pension benefit levels were also adjusted so that the combined NBPSPP and CPP provided similar benefits to retirees as were previously paid by the NBPSPP alone.
SO, HOW DOES IT WORK?
As mentioned above, if you retire before age 65, your NBPSPP pension amount will include a temporary additional benefit along with your lifetime benefit. Remember, this additional benefit is only paid until you reach age 65. In addition, you are eligible to start CPP when you are age 60 at a reduced amount, at age 65 unreduced or up to age 70 with enhanced benefits. Visit canada.ca/cpp to learn more about these different options. Regardless of when you choose to begin receiving your CPP, on the month following your 65th birthday, your early retirement benefit will end. Your CPP will remain unaffected by the early retirement benefit.
CPP NBPSPP Early Retirement Benefit NBPSPP Lifetime Benefit
Example 1: Jack retired at age 60 and opted to receive both his NBPSPP and reduced CPP pensions.
Total Benefits: $4,100/ month†
Total Benefits: $3,100/ month†
Age 60-65
Age 65+
Example 2: Lola retired at age 60, but opted to wait until age 65 to receive her CPP.
Total Benefits: $3,500/ month†
Total Benefits: $3,500/ month†
Age 60-65
Age 65+
† benefit amounts shown are for illustration purposes only
For NBPSPP members who retire before age 65 and choose to delay starting their CPP, the change in their income the month following their 65th birthday will be much less significant, as the end of the early retirement benefit will coincide with the start of their CPP benefit. You should keep in mind that your early retirement benefit and CPP benefit amounts are unlikely to be exactly the same amount, so you will see a change in your monthly income. The examples given above for Jack and Lola use simple benefit amounts for illustration purposes only. It is also important to remember that you may also have other sources of income in retirement, such as Old Age Security. Refer to the three pillars of retirement on page 1 for more detail on these additional sources. Your unique retirement goals are going to be the driving force behind your retirement date and your options. Vestcor’s pension estimate calculator, available at vestcor.org/calculators, includes your early retirement benefit when giving you your pension estimate. It’s a great tool to see what retirement date might be best for you. When you feel that retirement is in your near future and you have questions, contact Vestcor’s Member Services Team at 1 800 561 4012 or info@vestcor.org and they’ll be able to talk to you about the details and how they pertain to you.
6 | NBPSPP UPDATE
LIFE EVENTS: WELCOME TO THE PLAN
Visit the Life Events page! vestcor.org/lifeevents.
Your pension can be one of your most valuable assets. When you retire, your pension is meant to provide you a monthly pension benefit for the rest of your life. Your plan offers cost of living adjustments and benefits for your loved ones when you pass away. If you have questions about your pension, the Life Events page found at vestcor.org/lifeevents is a great place to start. In addition to information for new members you’ll also find pension-related resources regarding the death of a member, ending a spousal relationship and the impact it may have on your pension, as well as information about other points of transition in your life.
YOUR EMPLOYEE STATEMENT OF PENSION BENEFITS If you were an active member of the NBPSPP in 2021 you’ll receive your 2021 Employee Statement of Pension Benefits this spring. This statement provides you with updated estimated pension amounts as of December 31, 2021. Your statement also includes the information you need to use Vestcor’s pension estimate calculator, found at vestcor.org/calculators. If you need help with your statement, an Understanding your Employee Statement of Pension Benefits guide will be included with it. This guide is also available at nbpspp.ca under “Booklets”.
AMENDMENTS TO GOVERNING DOCUMENTS The Pension Benefits Act (New Brunswick) requires that members be provided with an update on any amendments to the NBPSPP governing documents. As such, the Board of Trustees would like to inform you of the following amendments that have been filed with the Superintendent of Pensions: • The Plan Text was amended to reflect the Cost of Living Adjustment granted as at January 1, 2022. The amendment was filed with the Superintendent of Pensions on January 13, 2022. • The NBPSPP Statement of Investment Policies was amended to reflect changes to the investment strategy. The amendment was filed with the Superintendent of Pensions on January 21, 2022. The governing documents of the NBPSPP are available at nbpspp.ca, and include: • The Funding Policy: the tool used by the Board of Trustees to manage the inherit risks of the Plan. It is a document that provides guidance and rules regarding decisions that must, or may, as applicable, be made by the Board of Trustees around funding levels, contributions and benefits. The Funding Policy is accessible at nbpspp.ca/fp. • The Summary of the Funding Policy: a quick summary of some of the main provisions of the Funding Policy of the NBPSPP, which is available at nbpspp.ca/sfp. NBPSPP UPDATE | 7