Group retirement services
About Group Retirement Services Group Retirement Services – Above and beyond traditional recordkeeping
The Sun Life Financial advantage
As the largest defined contribution plan provider in Canada, we partner with one out of three organizations in this country to provide group retirement and savings plans to employees. This a big responsibility and one that we take seriously.
We invest in the group retirement business to ensure that we maintain this leadership position and are first to market with many innovative services. This commitment to innovation ensures that our clients and their plan members receive the very finest products and services.
What does this mean to your company?
We partner with you to seek out and develop solutions that will meet your plan’s distinct needs. As such, we are committed to creating an enriched client experience through our:
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innovation as an industry leader;
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personalized service;
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awarding-winning education and communication strategies;
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accurate recordkeeping;
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unique sponsor brand experience; and
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dedication to the highest possible quality assurance, including our ISO 9001:2000 certification and Capital Accumulation Plans (CAP) Guidelines compliance.
Sun Life Financial Group Retirement Services leads the Canadian defined contribution industry in significant ways. We are the largest provider of group retirement services in Canada, administering more than 7,000 group plans with over 800,000 plan members. Our Defined Benefit Investment Only (INVO) program services provide investment and custodial services for over 500 defined benefit pension funds, while our Pension Benefit Payment Services are meeting the needs of over 270,000 pensioners.
Plan member services – a new level of confidence
Plan members today demand services that are both easy to access and flexible. At Sun Life Financial, we meet that demand by providing plan members with three separate support and service venues —the Internet, Customer Care Centre and Automated Telephone System (IVR). All three channels give plan members the plan and account information and the transactional features needed to manage their investments their way.
The plan member information and services available include:
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detailed plan and account information;
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transactional capabilities and history;
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top-rated investment information;
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educational material;
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interactive retirement and financial planning tools; and
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financial, retirement and estate planning seminars.
Through our Customer Care Centre, your plan members will have access to our unique multi-language service, which offers immediate, live language translation in more than 150 languages. This unique services virtually eliminates language barriers and ensures your plan members are better informed and more confident.
We also provide a comprehensive education and communication strategy that will inspire plan members to save for retirement, while assisting you with your overall fiduciary responsibilities. Our education and award-winning communication teams will design the best possible strategy to improve your members’ plan knowledge, while also enhancing their general understanding of investment principles and concepts.
Plan sponsor services – services and information at your finger-tips
Sun Life Financial is dedicated to providing employers who sponsor a group with an unsurpassed experience of significant value for you and your plan members.
Some of the value-added services we offer include:
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a dedicated Group Retirement Services representative, assigned specifically to your plan;
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our Plan Sponsor Services website;
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detailed reporting and meaningful analysis;
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our Investment Manager Program providing investments from many of Canada’s leading investment managers;
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quality assurance measures that include ISO, CICA and Segregated Funds reports; and
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Total Benefits Solutions that include Employer Branding Innovations.
When you choose Sun Life Financial to provide your retirement and savings plan, you are not only getting an unequalled level of service, you are also getting a strategic business partner who is committed to the success of your plan.
Group Retirement and Savings Plan options
Sun Life Financial can custom-design a retirement savings program to meet the needs of your organization. You can select from the following plan options:
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Defined Contribution Pension Plan;
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Group Registered Retirement Savings Plan;
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multi-level profit sharing;
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simplified pension plan;
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Non-registered Savings Plan;
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Defined Benefit (Investment Only) Services; and
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Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
Sun Life Financial will provide you with access to over 110 investment options that cover a wide selection of complementary investment styles from many of Canada’s leading investment managers. Each fund offered is a segregated fund investing exclusively in units of pooled or mutual funds managed by the investment managers who participate in our Investment Manager Program. These investment managers were chosen according to our established criteria, with a thorough review of their performance and commitment to their business.
We also offer the Sun Life Financial Milestone Series of Segregated Funds, the first lifecycle funds for employer-sponsored group retirement and savings plans in Canada that feature a guaranteed unit value at maturity.
The following innovative features are also available as enhancements to your group retirement savings plans services:
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Open Investment Selection;
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Guaranteed Investments;
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Asset Mix Rebalancing;
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Pensioner Payroll Services;
Sun Life Financial makes it easy for departing plan members to transfer out of their plan. Our Transition Service Team helps both plan sponsors and members by making plan transfer a convenient, self-serve process. The Transition Service Team can assume the responsibility of informing departing plan members of their options and will answer any questions. This significantly reduces paperwork and time commitment for plan sponsors.
Our Group Choices Plan and Group RRIF/LIF plans provide former plan members with access to many of the same or similar benefits that were available in their employer sponsored group plan. Former members will benefit from no loads and lower investment management fees than are available to retail investors. The same 24-hour access via the Internet and/or telephone to account information and to process transactions is also available in both the Group Choice Program and the Group RRIF/LIF plan.
We are proud of our leadership position. But what we most value is our long-standing partnership with our clients and our ability to work collaboratively to create effective solutions. Talk to one of our Group Retirement Service representatives to learn more about how we can help you create a unique retirement savings plan for you and your plan members. Let us show you how we are re-defining industry leadership.
Ontario: 1 800-387-2636
Quebec and Eastern Canada: 1 800-561-5910
Western Canada: 1 877-266-3563
