October 2022

UK Pension Fund Near-Collapse Is A Warning For America’s Pensions

Autor: Edward Siedle Around the world, there are millions of workers and retirees who are counting upon pensions set up by corporations and governments to provide for their retirement security. These individuals believe they have been “promised” certain benefits and that promises made will be kept. Unfortunately, many pensions are severely underfunded, i.e., not enough money has been set-aside to pay benefits promised. Further, the money in these pensions is all-too-often grossly mismanaged—what I refer to as “gross malpractice generally practiced.” That’s...

German cabinet approves €300 energy relief payment for pensioners

The German cabinet has approved a one-time payment in December for pensioners to provide relief for rising energy bills. The €300 payment is to be paid out by December 15th, Labour Minister Hubertus Heil, of the Social Democrats, said on Wednesday following the cabinet meeting. The cabinet also decided on a higher upper limit for people with so-called midi-jobs, which is a type of marginal employment in between a mini-job (which is generally exempt from taxes and social contributions) and...

Leadership and sustainability: are they mutually exclusive?

As investors, we find ourselves facing a dramatically changed macroeconomic backdrop and a raft of potentially systemic risks which threaten our collective future. How do we balance our role as stewards of our clients’ money with our obligations as sustainable investors? It is a leader’s primary responsibility to provide direction, pace, and clarity of purpose. Furthermore, a leader must address conflicting priorities, make uncomfortable decisions and be prepared to deal with the consequences. A leader is also ultimately responsible for ensuring...

Disconnected: Reality vs. Perception in Retirement Planning

By Martha Deevy & Steve Vernon This report examines potential interventions and messaging that can help pre-retirees and retirees plan ahead regarding important retirement decisions. The widespread lack of forward-looking planning has vexed retirement planners and researchers for many years. Many problems in later years could have been prevented with planning ahead. Too many people put off making important decisions, only to find themselves later in a serious crisis with limited options. Our research identified interventions and messaging that could be used by...

Investors’ Activity in Response to Information About Their Pensions

By Amedeus Malisa This paper uses individual-level data on fund choices in the Swedish Premium Pension to analyze how investors respond to information about their pension savings. The Swedish Pensions Agency mails an annual information letter, the Orange Envelope, to investors to provide them with tailored information about their public pension accounts. This paper examines the effect of pension communication in the Swedish Premium Pension System (PPS) by exploiting the staggered roll-out of these letters across different Swedish counties. Results...

The Effect of Removing Early Retirement on Mortality

By Cristina Bellés-Obrero, Sergi Jimenez-Martin & Han Ye This paper sheds new light on the mortality effect of delaying retirement by investigating the impacts of the 1967 Spanish pension reform. This reform exogenously changed the early retirement age, depending on the date individuals started contributing to the Social Security system. Those contributing before 1 January 1967 maintained the right to voluntarily retire early (at age 60), while individuals who started contributing after that date could not voluntarily claim a pension...

Pension funds in sub-Saharan Africa

By Owen Nyang`oro & Githinji Njenga The population structure the world over is going through a demographic shift, and the elderly proportion is projected to increase with population growth. This change is a matter of concern for sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, where the majority of the people are young and the rates of both population growth and unemployment are high. A good pension system provides elderly assistance and is a source of savings for long-term investment. The pension systems in...

México. Consar buscaría alertas para informar si los trabajadores tienen derecho a renta vitalicia

La Comisión Nacional del Sistema del Ahorro para el Retiro (Consar) busca establecer una alerta de saldo para que los trabajadores verifiquen si el recurso en su administradora de fondos para el retiro (afore) se acerca a un monto que les permita contratar una renta vitalicia. “La Comisión calculará y publicará los Saldos de Alerta Temprana en su página de Internet, cada vez que se requiera actualizar dicha información, derivado de los cambios y fluctuaciones en las condiciones de los...

Argentina. Inflación del 106%: la jubilación mínima cubre apenas un tercio de su canasta básica

De acuerdo con un relevamiento de la Defensoría de la Tercera Edad de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, la canasta básica de los mayores cuesta $151.578 En octubre, la jubilación mínima alcanzó para cubrir apenas un tercio de la Canasta Básica de los Jubilados. Entre gastos de vivienda, medicamentos y alimentos, este mes los adultos mayores necesitaron $151.478 para poder hacer frente a sus necesidades mínimas. Es el doble de lo que costaba un año atrás. Read also Chile. Ahorro de...

Chile. Diputados piden a Boric bono estatal que compense a futuros jubilados por pérdidas de las AFP

Es violento conocer que los accionistas de las AFP continúan retirando millonarias utilidades, mientras los usuarios pierden dinero en todos sus fondos. Por eso pedimos urgencia a nuestro proyecto para prohibir los retiros de dividendos cuando las rentabilidades son negativas", dijo el diputado Carlos Bianchi. Durante la jornada de este miércoles el diputado independiente, Carlos Bianchi, con el respaldo de pares de la bancada PPD-Independientes, propuso un Proyecto de Resolución que pide al presidente Gabriel Boric considerar un bono compensatorio...