October 2022

Denominator effect causes plans to rethink allocations

A major reason pension funds are rethinking their asset allocations is an increased exposure to private assets — due, largely, to the denominator effect. Pension plans with private investments have seen that part of the portfolio "hold up pretty well vs. public equities and bonds that are down double digits this year," said Sona Menon, Boston-based head of North American pension practice at Cambridge Associates LLC. "This is a combination of what we call the denominator effect — because the...

Aumento en el costo de vida retrasa la jubilación de trabajadores en EE.UU.

Las jubilaciones retrasadas afectan impiden contratar o promover a nuevos talentos en las empresas. Una encuesta realizada por el Nationwide Retirement Institute reveló que cuatro de cada 10 trabajadores estadounidenses en edad de poder jubilarse han optado por seguir laborando, pues el aumento en el costo de vida los ha hecho replantearse lo complicado que podría ser su futuro con el dinero de que les asignaría la Seguridad Social en este momento. Bajo este escenario, las empresas están imposibilitadas de ofrecer...

Integrating sustainability in DC pensions

Workplace pensions are an integral part of the social infrastructure in our society, and most workplace pensions are now defined contribution schemes (DC). In contrast to the defined benefit (DB) world, there is no sponsor underwriting scheme risks and no Pension Protection Fund to fall back upon; massive responsibilities rest upon the shoulders of scheme trustees. A further important differentiating factor is the relative maturity of the two markets. Today’s active contributors to DC schemes are likely to be still...

Germany. Pension levels in the east are still well below the west level

More than 30 years after reunification, the pension level in East Germany is still well below the level in West Germany. In 2021, for example, pensioners in eastern Germany received an average of EUR 1,329 after 45 years of contributions, compared to EUR 1,527 in western Germany. This emerges from a response from the Federal Ministry of Labor to a written request from Left Party member of the Bundestag Sören Pellmann on the Day of German Unity, which was...

September 2022

Nudges and Networks: How to Use Behavioural Economics to Improve the Life Cycle Savings-Consumption Balance

By David Blake Many people find it difficult to start and maintain a retirement savings plan. We show how nudges can be used both to encourage people to save enough to provide an acceptable standard of living in retirement and to draw down their accumulated pension fund to maximize retirement spending, without the risk of either running out of money or leaving unintended bequests. Networks can help too, particularly employer-based networks. However, the nudges and networks are more likely to...

Francia. RN y LFI desafían a Macron a disolverse en caso de estancamiento de las pensiones

El presidente advirtió el miércoles por la noche contra la posible adopción de una moción de censura vinculada al proyecto de ley de reforma de las pensiones, prometiendo disolver la Asamblea Nacional. Algo para abrir el apetito de Marine Le Pen y Mathilde Panot. Un aire de desafío en los banquillos de la oposición. Tras una cena en el Elíseo el miércoles por la noche que promulgó el principio de un proyecto de ley para aprobar la reforma de las...

México. Minusvalías en las afores son transitorias y no tienen impacto de largo plazo: Amafore

La Asociación Mexicana de Afores (Amafore) informó que los movimientos de los mercados financieros internacionales -y nacionales- son transitorios y no representan un impacto de largo plazo en el ahorro de los trabajadores. La Asociación Mexicana de Afores (Amafore) informó que los movimientos de los mercados financieros internacionales -y nacionales- son transitorios y no representan un impacto de largo plazo en el ahorro de los trabajadores. Actualmente, el Sistema del Ahorro para el Retiro (SAR) está en un periodo de minusvalías...

Panamá. Recaudo de la CSS no da para pagar $2,087 millones a jubilados

Las advertencias de la Junta Técnica Actuarial respecto a la crisis del subsistema exclusivamente de beneficio definido de pensiones no son ni lejanas ni infundadas. Read also 6 beneficios de cotizar pensión obligatoria en Colombia Entre enero y julio de 2022 se pagaron $1,303 millones en el programa Invalidez, Vejez y Muerte (IVM) y al finalizar el año se tendrá que asumir un total de gastos por $2,087 millones. Pero apenas se estiman $1,053 millones en las recaudaciones de la cuota...

Macron faces strike as French unions flex muscles

A nationwide strike on Thursday disrupted the French energy sector, taking a large chunk of the nuclear production offline, as workers push for a pay hike amid rising tensions between unions and the government over a planned pensions reform. "Thousands of workers are on strike today," said Philippe Martinez, chief of the hard-left CGT union as he attended a protest march in Paris along with several thousand people, many of them waving red labour union flags. "This is a message to...

US. Why Small Businesses Are Upping Their Retirement Plan Offerings

Last year was a fantastic for small business growth, and in its 2021 New Business Insights, Intuit QuickBooks predicted as many as 17 million new small businesses would form in 2022. It marks an increment of 2.5% from the previous year and grows to 9.8% in four years, from 2017 to 2021. While it was a great year for starting businesses, it was a not-so-great year for staffing them. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2021, more than...