Risk management

The Plan's proactive risk management allows it to fulfill its commitments. It's constantly evolving, positioning us as a leader in industry best practices.

The Plan's risk management activities involve modelling, projections and simulations that are continually updated and used as a basis for risk-taking decisions. Integrated, dynamic management of all of the Plan's risks is a strategic driver of performance. Risk management is central to building the overall portfolio and informs all investment decisions.

We take sufficient risks to ensure adequate longterm returns, while implementing strategies to stabilize and maintain the sound financial health of the Plan under a range of possible scenarios.

Since the Plan has repercussions on the organization, we ensure that we comply with Desjardins's policies and limits in terms of risk taking, specifically the risk budget. This is one of the most important variables underlying our strategy.

Main risks

Interest rate risk
Changes in interest rates have a direct and substantial effect on the Plan’s financial health.

Market risk
Market volatility could lead to negative returns, which would impact the contributions needed to properly fund the Plan.

Longevity risk
Plan members living longer than expected or updates to mortality tables could drive costs up.

Liquidity risk
The Plan must have enough money available to fulfill its financial obligations at all times.

Risk mitigation measures

An exhaustive risk register
The main purpose of the risk register is to identify risks to the Plan's administration and financial management. Each risk is assessed and tracked using indicators with set targets and ranges. The tracking process helps make sure we meet objectives by identifying the causes when risk levels are exceeded and correcting the strategy if needed.

A resilient asset allocation strategy
Asset allocation is dynamically adjusted based on risk coverage. This aims to ensure cost-effective funding and to maximize the Plan's resiliency to as many economic scenarios as possible.

A targeted investment approach
The investment plan identifies how major asset classes function in the portfolio and which features are targeted during investment selection. Our rigorous investment process ensures consistent investment decisions and objectives. More specifically, investments are monitored to ensure that their performance and contribution that their performance and contribution remain with the needs of the global portfolio.

A customized mortality table
The investment plan identifies how major asset classes function in the portfolio and which features are targeted during investment selection. Our rigorous investment process ensures consistent investment decisions and objectives. More specifically, investments are monitored to ensure that their performance and contribution that their performance and contribution remain with the needs of the global portfolio​.