Pension Workshops and Planning Tools

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Choose a workshop based on your life stage:  early_car.jpg Early career     mid_car.jpg  Mid-career     late_car.jpg Late career

Members of the Western Pension Plans are responsible for making decisions on their own account. Below you will find information about upcoming Pension Plan-related events, as well as on-demand recordings specific to the Western plans that are available to watch anytime. Sun Life offers a live webinar series year-round on a variety of topics. See On Demand Videos below or visit our Financial Resources webpage to get started!

Sun Life is ready to provide you with personal support in managing your account. Learn how to get the support you need.

Pension Plan Member Update

The annual update for Pension Plan members was held March 5, 2025. If you were not able to attend, you may wish to:

Pension Quiz: How well do you know your Pension Plan? Take the Pension Quiz and find out! The quiz was created for the third annual Pension Awareness Day, held in February. The quiz remains live for you to have fun learning. No personal or identifiable data is collected from those who complete the survey.

Sun Life Financial Wellness Webinars

These webinars are part of Sun Life's continuing series available to our plan members.  Choose a topic below or go to the Sun Life webinar page and choose from essential or in-depth financial wellness topics.

Reviewing your financial roadmap: April 30, 2025 at 9 p.m.   early_car.jpg mid_car.jpg late_car.jpg

Whether you are just starting out or thinking about retirement, learn how to build a financial roadmap, including ways to minimize taxes.

Register now

Save for retirement now: May 6, 2025 at 3 p.m.   early_car.jpg mid_car.jpg 

The focus of this webinar is to introduce you to retirement planning. How much will retirement cost? Where will the money come from?

Register now

Staying the course: May 14, 2025 at 6 p.m.   early_car.jpg mid_car.jpg late_car.jpg

Learn more about how to navigate your investments and stay on track with your saving goals even during uncertain times.

Register now

Estate & taxes: The essentials: June 25, 2025 at 9 p.m.   early_car.jpg mid_car.jpg late_car.jpg

While thinking about your estate planning, an important aspect to consider is taxation.

Register now

On-demand Videos

Looking for some quick help on your Pension Plan, choosing and balancing investments, and planning for retirement?  These focussed Sun Life videos are a great way to learn a lot in a short time! 

Understanding the Value of your Western Pension Plan (10 mins) early_car.jpg mid_car.jpg late_car.jpg

Helpful for all (10 min)

This video discusses saving for your future and the tools and services available to support that goal. Topics include sources of retirement income (government, employer pension, personal savings), examines key features of your Western pension plan, and points you to tools, resources and Customer Care options to help you get answers to your questions.

View video now

Choosing Your Investments in the Western Pension Plan (11 mins)  early_car.jpg mid_car.jpg

Designed for those in early or mid-career (11 min)

The video offers a good overview of how to save for your future and the tools and services available to support that goal. It will cover sources of retirement income and give you a closer look at Western’s Pension Plan and how to get the most from it. It will also show you the impact of starting early!

View video now

Rebalancing your Pension Plan Investment Mix (12 mins)  early_car.jpg mid_car.jpg late_car.jpg

Helpful for all

Rebalancing the asset mix in your account is a recommended way to help manage risk. This session, recorded by the Western Pension Board's investment consultants at Mercer Canada, will help you understand what it means to rebalance and how you can do it in your Sun Life account.

View video on Rebalancing Your Western Pension Plan - updated October 2023
View French language version on Rebalancing

Investing: The Essentials (11 mins)  early_car.jpg mid_car.jpg late_car.jpg

Helpful for all (11 min)

This recorded session reviews investment fundamentals around market volatility. It can help you understand your comfort with risk, help you focus on your end game, and diversify to help protect your investments. It can also show you resources and services available when you need information and advice.

View video now

Becoming Retirement Ready: Part 1- Assessing your Retirement Readiness (17 mins) mid_car.jpg late_car.jpg

Designed for those in mid or late career (17 min)

Part 1 of this series has a focus on the six to fifteen years prior to retirement, planning for your desired retirement lifestyle, reviewing expenses and creating a budget. You'll examine government sources of income, types of pension and savings plans, and vehicles for converting savings to income such as LIF/RIFs, annuities, etc.

View video now 

Becoming Retirement Ready: Part 2 - Planning for Retirement Risks (13 mins) mid_car.jpg late_car.jpg

Designed for those in mid or late career (13 min)

Part 2 focuses on the 10 years prior to retirement, covering risks (longevity, inflation, market downturns, unexpected events), the income options to mitigate those risks, and the features of each. Government benefits will also be explained as well as steps to take to plan for lifetime expenses and income.

With a focus on the Sun Life Retirement & Savings Plan for Western Retirees, this video uses a case study to convey possible income sources, available accounts (such as RIF/LIF, RRSP, etc), provides information about fees, sources of government income, and reviews the supports available to help you with your plan.

View video now

Becoming Retirement Ready: Part 3 - Living your Retirement Plan (12 mins)  late_car.jpg

Designed for those in late career (12 min)

With a focus on the Sun Life Retirement & Savings Plan for Western Retirees, this video uses a case study to convey possible income sources, available accounts (such as RIF/LIF, RRSP, etc), provides information about fees, sources of government income, and reviews the supports available to help you with your plan.

View video now

Other Learning Opportunities

Learning how to make sound financial decisions and preparing to take action can take a bit of time, but that investment of time can pay dividends for you and your family. We've gathered some of the best resources and planning tools from our Pension and Benefit providers, and from great outside sources as well. Visit our Financial Resources webpage to get started!

Watch this page for special programs, workshops and consultations that happen throughout the year. Each February/March for instance, you are invited to take part in special pension related workshops and to come to the Annual Meeting for Pension Plan members. 

Spring Education Opportunities - Completed in April and May 2025

In addition to 1:1 meetings with a Sun Life representative, the following workshops were also offered:

Western Retirement 101: Everything You Need to Know - May 13 at 3 p.m. (in-person) and May 15 at 12 p.m. (virtual) - Complete!  late_car.jpg

Are you starting to think about your retirement from Western and wondering what steps are needed to transition from working to retirement? Hosted by Bekki Ollson from Western Human Resources, this session will cover:

  • Support from Western
  • Providing written notice
  • Information on benefits
  • Retirement planning support from Sun Life
  • The Sun Life Retirement & Savings Plan for Western Retirees
  • Additional resources
  • Western Retiree Chapter

 

Value of your workplace plan April 30, 2025 at 12 p.m. - Complete!   early_car.jpg mid_car.jpg late_car.jpg

This webinar is exclusively for Western Pension Plan members and covers a variety of topics including:

  • sources of retirement income
  • overview of the design of your Western Pension Plan
  • investment options
  • strategies to determine appropriate asset allocation

We’ll also review the various Sun Life tools and resources that are accessible to Western members via phone, mobile app or online. Be sure to attend to learn how you can make the most of the plan and achieve your financial goals!

Assessing retirement readiness May 1, 2025 at 12 p.m. - Complete!   mid_car.jpg late_car.jpg

A new webinar available to Western Pension Plan members, this session is suited for members age 50 and older who want to weigh their options for retirement. The webinar includes:

  • retirement wellness and lifestyles
  • how much income is needed to support individual retirement lifestyles
  • retirement income sources
  • retirement risks and potential income sources to mitigate risks
  • a retirement case study
  • tools to create your retirement income roadmap

You’ll also learn more about the ongoing support and resources available through Sun Life to ensure your retirement plan is on track!

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