For defined contribution plan members, the ultimate positive DC experience is understanding the plan provisions, knowing what decisions to make, feeling confident about making well-informed choices and arriving at a prosperous retirement, said Barbara Sanders, associate professor of statistics and actuarial science at Simon Fraser University, during a session at Benefits Canada‘s 2026 DC Plan Summit.

“Instead of bringing that confidence and that positive energy, many of [your plan members] are probably approaching their pension plan and the general idea of retirement planning with varying degrees of confusion and stress and just general befuddlement. And in most cases, that confusion and that befuddlement doesn’t generate curiosity, it generates avoidance.”

Even though the industry is building the best possible autopilot, including strong defaults like automatic features and target-date funds, it doesn’t automatically generate understanding and appreciation. “If we want members to understand and appreciate the pension plan, we have to engineer [engagement] back in.”

Read: A look at the landscape for automatic features in Canadian pension plans

The aim is to move from an architecture that focuses only on outcomes to one that also supports engagement, said Sanders, noting the architecture is the collection of design elements, communications and decision supports. “I’m referring to the entire environment in which members are asked to make decisions, particularly retirement plan........

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