January 2018

09Jan

UK. 140,000 carers miss out on £240-a-year boost to state pension

More than 140,000 carers could be missing out on hundreds of pounds a year in retirement as they have failed to take advantage of a government scheme to protect their state pension. Those who spend more than 35 hours a week caring for someone, even a relative, are automatically given National Insurance credits that preserve their right to a full state pension. Those who spend fewer hours as a carer must apply for credits, and it appears many are missing out. When the...

January 9, 2018
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09Jan

UK. Esther McVey appointed Work and Pensions Secretary

Former television presenter and Member of Parliament for Tatton, Esther McVey, has been appointed as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in the latest Cabinet reshuffle. McVey landed the role after Justine Greening turned it down and resigned from the cabinet yesterday evening. She replaces David Gauke who was given the role as part of the last cabinet reshuffle in June 2017. Gauke will become Secretary of State for Justice, replacing David Lidington. CEO of financial advisory firm deVere Group,...

January 9, 2018
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08Jan

México. Fondos ciclo de vida, el nuevo modelo de inversión de las Afores

Antes de que termine este año, las afores empezarán a cambiar su modelo de inversión: dejarán de invertir el ahorro para el retiro de los mexicanos en los fondos de inversión conocidos como siefores, y comenzarán a migrar los recursos a fondos ciclo de vida. Se trata de uno de los cambios regulatorios más relevantes que lleve a cabo la Comisión Nacional del Sistema de Ahorro para el Retiro (Consar), órgano que regula a las 11 afores en operación. El...

January 8, 2018
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08Jan

Guatemala con pocos recursos destinados a protección social

La protección social para la población guatemalteca está en el nivel más bajo de los promedios regionales. El país solo destina el 2.2 por ciento del Producto Interno Bruto (PIB) a gasto público en protección social, excluida la salud. En el Informe Mundial sobre la Protección Social 2017-2019: La protección social universal para alcanzar los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS), publicado por la Organización Internacional de Trabajo (OIT), Guatemala carece de información de la población que se beneficia con al menos...

January 8, 2018
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08Jan

Thailand. Ageing population gives rise to worries over pensions

Amid concerns about the sustainability of the Social Security Fund (SSF) due to an ageing population, the Social Security Office (SSO), which oversees the SSF, continues to lock horns with labour networks over how best to address the issue. The SSO's approach is to raise the cap of base salary for payroll deductions from 15,000 baht to 20,000 baht a month. This means the maximum deduction, which would be funnelled to the SSF, would rise from 750 baht to 1,000...

January 8, 2018
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08Jan

New Zealand. Pensions paid to thousands after death

The Ministry of Social Development has released figures which show it overpaid almost 7000 deceased people for a month or more over the past five years. In a statement, a spokeperson said the Ministry was formally notified of a person's death by the Department of Internal Affairs. "In some circumstances, this can be some time after the actual date of death." The Ministry also double-checked the information was correct before stopping any payments which also contributed to a slight lag. Read more...

January 8, 2018
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08Jan

Pension risk as US watchdog warns savers of bitcoin ‘scammers’ and ‘bogus investments’

The US-based Utah Division of Securities has released information warning savers that cryptocurrency schemes may target individuals' retirement savings. The Division of Securities works to protect the investing public and promote confidence in the capital markets. And the warning comes after Merrill Lynch, the investment arm of The Bank of America, decided to block access to all funds connected to bitcoin after concerns were raised by bank chiefs over the "suitability and eligibility standards of this product”. Keith Woodwell, director of...

January 8, 2018
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08Jan

Securing the Future for Old Age in the Asia and Pacific Region: Short-Term and Historical Challenges

By Christian Aspalter (BNU-HKBU United International College, Zhuhai, China) This paper sets out to summarize major conundrums, and some of their solutions, in pension reform policy of the years ahead, with particular reference to the Asia-Pacific Region, and here again, Japan and Thailand. The repercussions for non-action pertaining to the reform and overhaul of public pension systems go far beyond the realm of social policy and economic development. The twin-issue of old-age poverty and fiscal sustainability of public pension systems...

January 8, 2018
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08Jan

Are Cryptocurrencies Real Financial Bubbles? Evidence from Quantitative Analyses

By Marco Bianchetti (Intesa Sanpaolo - Financial and Market Risk Management; University of Bologna), Camilla Ricci (Intesa Sanpaolo-Financial and Market Risk Management) & Marco Scaringi (Intesa Sanpaolo - Financial and Market Risk Management) The growth of peer-to-peer exchanges and the blockchain technology has led to a proliferation of cryptocurrencies and to a massive increase in the number of investors who actually negotiate digital money. Cryptocurrencies trade at prices which is mainly driven by investor sentiment, becoming a potential source of...

January 8, 2018
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08Jan

Addressing Financial Illiteracy Through Financial Innovation: The Case for Goal-Specific Bonds the Embed Inflation and Compounding

By Arun Muralidhar (AlphaEngine Global Investment Solutions; George Washington University) Financial illiteracy is widespread and leads to bad financial decisions (high debt, insufficient savings). Individuals cannot answer basic questions about inflation, compounding, and diversification. While financial literacy can be enhanced, are individuals teachable, and if so, what should they be taught and how lasting is the training? Prof. Merton suggests that some individuals can only be helped with innovation; Prof. Richard Thaler has argued for making the financial system more...

January 8, 2018
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