February 2022

Russian actions vs. Ukraine have European investors on alert

Geopolitical conflict between Russia and Ukraine is making institutional investors in Europe nervous, with some pension funds reducing their Russian holdings, and others watching closely. Read also Investors, governments act on Russia’s escalation in Ukraine The political situation that has been brewing since late 2021 escalated dramatically Feb. 24, when Russian troops invaded Ukraine. That prompted other countries, including the U.S. and the U.K. to impose increasingly strict sanctions against Russia, and the prospect of more from Canada, Japan and Australia. European...

Canadian Pensions Bankrolling Elder Abuse and Misappropriation of Public Money by French Long-term Care Multinational: CUPE

A new report by the Centre for International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research (CICTAR) reveals that Europe’s largest long-term care home operator, Orpea, has been building a property empire while facing allegations of elder abuse and misappropriation of public money. Orpea is 15 per cent owned by the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), which also holds two seats on Orpea’s board of directors. CUPE is reiterating its call for Canadian pension funds to stop bankrolling suffering and abuse...

República Dominicana. Médicos denuncian irregularidades en el cobro de pensiones

El Colegio Médico Dominicano (CMD) denunció el incumplimiento del decreto 127-21 promulgado en febrero del año pasado, que otorga una pensión en base al 100 de su salario a los profesionales de la medicina. Leer también República Dominicana. Trabajadores mueren sin poder conseguir sus fondos de pensiones Al encabezar una protesta en las afueras del Ministerio de Hacienda, el presidente de la agrupación sanitaria, Senén Caba, informó que el ente gubernamental está dejando fuera de la resolución a cientos de galenos...

Panamá. CSS: Una propuesta sobre el tapete

El primer paso para resolver un problema es entenderlo y eso implica identificar su causa raíz. La quiebra técnica del subsistema de beneficio definido se debe a la gran irresponsabilidad de haber permitido la existencia de su programa de Invalidez, Vejez y Muerte (IVM) sin contar con los recursos necesarios. Cuando se sancionó la Ley 51 del 2005 se sabía que tarde o temprano los fondos se iban a acabar para dicho subsistema. Fue equivalente a decir “me jubilo...

The political economy of pension reform in Argentina

Technical design for pension reform Argentina has more than two hundred different retirement bases at the national, regional, municipal and private levels. In general, subsystems other than SIPA provide a better relationship between effort to contribute during active life and perception of benefits during passive life. However, in most cases, these discrepancies do not reflect disparate risks in related work activities (strenuous, risky or unhealthy), but rather reflect the ability of these groups to achieve more beneficial rules than those implied...

Retirees Depleting Retirement Plan Lump Sums Faster than Five Years Ago

When approaching retirement, employees are faced with a decision that can have lifelong implications: take a lump sum payment or a guaranteed monthly annuity from their employer-sponsored defined contribution (DC) plan. According to MetLife’s 2022 Paycheck or Pot of Gold Study℠, a growing proportion of retirees are depleting their lump sums at faster rates than previously seen. The full report is available at metlife.com/paycheckgoldstudy. Today, one in three retirees (34%) who took a lump sum from their DC plan, depleted...

México. Cambia figura de promotor por “asesor previsional” y dejarán de recibir comisión por traspaso de cuentas entre Afores

La Comisión Nacional del Sistema de Ahorro para el Retiro (Consar) prohibió que los promotores de las Afore cobren por hacer traspasos de cuentas. Leer también México. Primera generación de afores: se benefició a más trabajadores con reforma al sistema de pensiones Ahora, recibirán una comisión en función de el número de cuentas individuales que registren y el ahorro voluntario que hagan los trabajadores. Leer también México. Afores, control de precios: ¿todos pierden? "No se considerará el traspaso de cuentas individuales que cuenten...

Overpaying and Undersaving? Correlated Mistakes in Retirement Saving and Health Insurance Choices

Overpaying and Undersaving? Correlated Mistakes in Retirement Saving and Health Insurance Choices

By Leora Friedberg & Adam Leive Not everyone makes wise financial choices. A large body of research documents behavior inconsistent with well-informed consumers maximizing their expected utility of consumption. It remains unknown, however, whether such behavior is correlated across domains. This paper uses two novel datasets to test whether the quality of health insurance and retirement saving decisions are correlated. Using administrative panel data from a large employer, we find that people who overpay for health insurance by choosing a...

Pension Systems and Sustainability: Japan

By United Nations With 297 trillion yen ($2,854 billion) in assets, the Japanese pension system is the third largest in the world.1 Between public and private providers, some 54% of assets are managed by PRI asset owner signatories, a higher proportion than in Australia, the US and the UK. This report builds on ideas set out in the PRI briefing ‘Sustainable Finance Policy in Japan’, published in October 2020, providing an overview of the Japanese system and its key sustainability...

Assessing the Macroeconomic Impact of Structural Reforms in Ukraine

Assessing the Macroeconomic Impact of Structural Reforms in Ukraine

By Anil Ari & Gabor Pula Ukraine’s economic performance has been anemic since the early 1990s. A major impediment to productivity growth has been low investment, held back by lack of strong and independent institutions. This paper aims to assess the major areas of institutional weakness in Ukraine and quantify the long-term growth impact of catching-up to Poland in terms of the quality of major economic institutions and market development. Our analysis identifies the legal system as the area where...