The Canadian Securities Institute has launched a new Web site designed to educate pension plan members and help pension plan sponsors meet their fiduciary duties.

Designed for both defined benefits and defined contribution plan members, www.investorlearing.ca includes three essential investment courses with more advanced ones in the planning stages. CSI will also customize courses to fit the needs of company pension plans.

Free of any product advice and written by educational experts, the CSI says the site meets Canadians’ needs for basic retirement planning information.

“It’s ironic,” said Lee Anne Davies, CSI Product Manager. “As Canadians, we take it for granted to arm ourselves for our working lives – to educate ourselves for our careers. But we aren’t educating ourselves adequately as we end our careers – as we face retirement.”

“It’s important to note that pension plans are trusts. Pension plan sponsors need to be more proactive in providing unbiased investment education that’s in the best interests of plan members,” Davies added.

The first course in the program, Fundamentals of Investing is an online introductory education course for investors. It provides an overview of investing and investment products and helps new investors gain the knowledge and confidence to make basic investment decisions, either on their own or through an investment advisor.

Intelligent Investing is an online seminar that provides an interactive way to learn how to make informed investment decisions on one’s own or in consultation with an investment advisor. The course includes sessions on capital markets, stocks, bonds and mutual funds.

Asset Allocation, the third course, is online and interactive and looks at creating an asset mix, determining investment objectives, investment risk, investment return, investment taxation and asset allocation techniques.