November 2021

Knowing the difference between ethical, responsible and impact investing

Climate change awareness and environmental concerns have never been more important, and over the past few years these issues have been spoken about in abundance when describing financial investments. Three phrases in particular have been commonly used to describe investment products and strategies, but there is still confusion as to their exact meaning. Mike Appleby, investment manager on the Liontrust Sustainable Investment team, outlined the difference between ethical investing, responsible practices and impact investing. “Ethical investing looks to avoid controversial industries such...

Ahorro para el retiro: la diferencia de iniciar antes o después de los 35 años

Para obtener una pensión digna, no hay nada como comenzar a ahorrar para el retiro lo antes posible. De hecho, existe una diferencia sustancial entre empezar antes de los 30 años o después de los 35. Aquí el dato. El ahorro voluntario es la clave para gozar de una jubilación sin contratiempos financieros. Entre más joven se empieza, es más fácil y menos costoso llegar a una pensión de, por ejemplo, 10,338 pesos al final de la vida laboral, con...

Chile. Las razones que explican la debacle del fondo E en 2021

Hay dos reflexiones que los analistas del mercado de capitales repiten cuando se les pregunta por el brusco y sostenido descenso que muestra desde hace meses el fondo E de las AFP: una situación que no estaba ni en el peor de los escenarios y una baja que podría no haber tocado fondo... en la medida que se mantenga el fantasma del cuarto retiro. Leer también Chile. La estrategia de las AFP para navegar la tormenta: en qué están invirtiendo...

Gender gap in pensions is real and needs to be fixed

By Margaret Franklin Women get paid less than men. In fact, it’s been well documented that, worldwide, women make only 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. Less well-known, and partially a result of that very pay gap, is the pension gulf between men and women. The gender gap in pensions is a real issue and it needs to be fixed. This year, “The Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index Report” explored the gender pension gap that exists in every retirement...

Ghana. NPRA raises alarm bells – Only 6% informal sector workers on pension scheme

Only about 600,000 out of an estimated 10.2 million workers in the informal sector are currently enrolled on at least a pension scheme, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA), Mr Hayford Attah Krufi, has disclosed. He said the figure represented just six per cent of all informal sector workers who form 85 per cent of the country’s entire active labour population. “As a regulatory authority, we are worried that only six per cent of workers...

UK academics begin legal action to halt proposed cuts to pensions

UK university academics have launched legal action to try to halt proposed cuts to their pensions as well as speed up their retirement scheme’s divestment of shares in fossil fuel companies. Documents requesting permission to launch proceedings against the £80bn Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), the UK’s largest private sector pension plan, were last week submitted to the High Court. The crux of the move is a decision by the trustees and managers of the 430,000-member scheme to undertake a health check...

US. DOL ESG investing rule could be here to stay

Democrats and Republicans in Washington broadly view retirement plan fiduciaries considering ESG factors in investment decisions much differently, with the Trump and Biden administrations promulgating vastly dissimilar regulations on the issue. A new rule proposal from the Department of Labor, which marks the latest move in a long-lasting regulatory fight, would explicitly permit retirement plan fiduciaries to consider climate change and other environmental, social and governance factors when selecting investments and exercising shareholder rights. The proposal, which was unveiled Oct. 13...

México. ¿Cómo impacta en la pensión el retiro anticipado?

Durante el confinamiento social que provocó la pandemia, muchos empleos se perdieron, disparándose los retiros parciales por desempleo en los últimos meses. De acuerdo con la Comisión Nacional para el Sistema del Ahorro para el Retiro (Consar) tan solo en septiembre, el monto retirado bajo este concepto a las administradoras de fondos para el retiro (afores) fue de 1,892 millones de pesos. Cabe señalar que dicha decisión puede afectar la jubilación de los trabajadores ya que corren el riesgo de que...

South Africa Pension Funds To Exclude Non-CBDC Crypto Assets

South Africa Restricts Non-CBDC Crypto The South African government, in an effort to push its CBDCs, has introduced legislation that restricts non-CBDC crypto from being invested in pension funds. The new regulations are in sharp contrast to the older regulations that allowed portfolio managers to invest around 2.5% of funds into the category of “other assets,” which also included crypto assets. The new rules, however, exclude cryptocurrencies, citing a lack of protection. The Fairfax County Police Officers Retirement System in the...

Ghana. Government explores use of pensions funds for mortgage

The government is exploring the possibility of prospective home buyers using their Tier Two and Tier Three pension funds as initial deposit to support their mortgage plans. The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Francis Asenso-Boakye, who made this known, observed that the quest to provide access to housing for Ghanaians, especially low-to-middle income earners, required sustainable policies and programmes aimed at ensuring that the issue of affordable housing no longer became a myth but a possibility. At the maiden Business24...