Plan sponsor newsletter
Current issue: Q3 2024
A new look for the member homepage
In June, we launched a new homepage on the member secure site. The redesigned homepage provides members with the most relevant information about their plan as soon as they sign in. These changes have been guided by member feedback and insight.
Here’s what your members will find on the homepage:
- Their savings balances and plan details, with a breakdown by plan
- A clear view of their projected retirement income and the progress they’ve made toward their goal
- The retirement income calculator
- Easy access to what they need to manage their account
- Quick links to the features and information they use the most
As soon as members sign in, they’ll see a pop-up message to help them navigate the new experience. Encourage your members to explore the homepage and leave their feedback.
Please reach out to your Manulife representative if you have any questions.
Charge invoices go digital
We’ve heard your requests to limit the amount of paper coming your way. As part of our ongoing efforts to transition to digital, and a successful trial period, charge invoices will be available online only starting this August.
Each month, you’ll receive an email letting you know you have a new report available online. From that point, you can simply sign in to the secure site and find your online charge invoice under the Administration tab.
Online charge invoices are a printer-friendly digital version of a paper invoice that provides detailed line items for service charges.
The benefits of an online charge invoice:
- No need to ask for reprints
- Easier administration of your plan with simpler recordkeeping and reconciliation options
- Real-time billing at your fingertips
If you have any questions regarding the change of invoice, please reach out to your Manulife representative.
It’s about time—for targeted member engagement
This quarter’s It’s about time program will help keep your members connected to their savings, their goals, and their future by delivering spending and saving tips for the busy summer months.
The Q3 financial well-being newsletter will be emailed to eligible members beginning in July and will focus on vacationing on a budget and opportunities to learn, plan, and save on the go through Manulife Mobile.
In September, your members will receive important outreach encouraging them to add/update a beneficiary to their account, or to set a goal (if they don’t already have one). Members will only receive an email if it's relevant to their plan and individual circumstance. They'll get one of two messages, with beneficiary taking precedence.
Don’t forget that as a plan sponsor, you have access to additional ready-made campaigns you can share with your employees. In August, the It’s about time program will deliver our “Investing for the long-term" campaign. The campaign will be available on the program page later in August and is designed to help your members learn to try to tune out market noise and stay focused on their long-term financial goals.
Visit the It’s about time program page at any time to view samples of our member communications and upcoming initiatives and to download advocacy campaigns that you can integrate into your own internal communication channels.
Webinars: our 2023 results and what's to come in 2024
In 2023, our webinar program saw remarkable growth. We’re excited to continue offering resourceful webinars that support and inform members.
Highlights of 2023
- Our webinar registrations increased by 154%
- We developed two new webinars topics:
1 Tax planning strategies for your savings
2 Taking the stress out of money
- We improved our email design to better communicate our webinar offerings with members
- See complete 2023 webinar results here.
What we’ve done in 2024 so far
- Migrated our registration data warehouse to Canada, allowing us to open our audience to all members, who can now register for webinars through various platforms beyond email, such as the mobile app, secure site, Retirement Redefined, and the Learning Centre
- Launched the financial well-being quarterly newsletter, which includes a webinar registration message
- Built on the success of the "Tax planning strategies for your savings" webinar by introducing a new webinar titled "Taxes and your retirement income"
- Developed our first on-demand webinar, with plans to create more based on demand
What's to come in 2024
- We’re developing a new "Countdown to retirement" webinar
- Check out all the available webinars here.
We encourage you to promote the webinars with your employees directly, along with some helpful resources that can be found in the Financial Wellness section of the Educate Your Members site: https://www.manulife-group-plans.ca/educateyourmembers/home/our-campaigns/financial-wellness/webinar.html.
Our summer of savings contest for members is on now
We’re excited to announce that our summer of savings contest is on now!
This summer, members who sign in to their group retirement account on the Manulife Mobile app are automatically entered for a chance to win one of three $5,000 cash prizes.
We’ll draw a name each month of the summer: June, July, and August.
Check out our contest page for more details.
Important changes to our contribution submission process
Effective September 30, 2024, we’ll be implementing changes to our contribution submission process to enhance security, efficiency, and convenience.
What's changing?
Two important changes will be made:
1 We’re no longer accepting contribution submissions that aren’t submitted through our secure site.
2 Payment by cheque will no longer be accepted. You’ll need to set up a preauthorized debit (PAD) on our secure site.
What are the benefits?
- Same-day processing before 4:00 P.M., Eastern time, when offset with a PAD
- No delay in investment time for your members
- Less risk of errors from manual intervention
If you have questions regarding the digital contribution submissions, please reach out to your client relationship manager.