February 2020

Retirement Migration from the U.S. to Latin American Colonial Cities (International Perspectives on Aging Book 27)

By Philip D. Sloane, Sheryl Zimmerman, Johanna Silbersack This book provides a comprehensive overview of a growing phenomenon in migration: retired Americans moving to Latin America. Through in-depth profiles of two of the most popular destinations – Cuenca, Ecuador and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, the book provides a unique commentary on the social forces shaping this new diaspora and its impact on the settings to which retirees relocate.  Sections of the book address the lives and activities of retirees themselves; their...

Aging Well: Solutions to the Most Pressing Global Challenges of Aging

By William A. Haseltine, Jean Galiana Meeting the healthcare and social needs of the older population is a personal challenge for millions of Americans and billions more worldwide. It is also a growing global public health challenge. Aging Well is a comprehensive study on how to support the health and well-being of older adults. This book is a must-read for every person caring for aging relatives or loved ones with disabilities. For those who read and enjoyed Atul Gawande’s Being Mortal, this...

Ageing, Productivity and Employment Status

By Brindusa Anghel, Aitor Lacuesta The article analyses how labour market participation and the type of work performed change with age. Drawing on data from the OECD’s Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), it is documented that as people age they gradually lose certain skills relating to their ability to do physical work or use new technologies, or their literacy and numeracy skills. By contrast, as they build up experience, older workers develop better planning skills...

Death or Bust? The Risk with Post-Retirement Models: A Quantitative Evaluation

By Ross Pepperell, ,David Greenwood, Muhamed Alsharman The purpose of this report is to quantitatively evaluate whether commonly used models of asset returns pose a threat to the successful retirement of retirees. In doing so, we evaluate the whether the 4% ‘safe’ withdrawal rule holds with more realistic models of market behaviour. Our approach comprises a quantitative evaluation seven of the most common portfolio simulation approaches including: Simple analytic formula; Historical backtesting; Bootstrapping; Analytic Stochastic; Simple Monte Carlo; Filtered...

Target Date Funds and Portfolio Choice in 401(k) Plans

By Olivia S. Mitchell, Stephen P. Utkus Target date funds in corporate retirement plans grew from $5B in 2000 to $734B in 2018, partly because federal regulation sanctioned these as default investments in automatic enrollment plans. We show that adopters delegated pension investment decisions to fund managers selected by plan sponsors. Including these funds in retirement saving menus raised equity shares, boosted bond exposures, curtailed cash/company stock holdings, and reduced idiosyncratic risk. The adoption of low-cost target date funds...

Asia Hedge Funds Brace for Lean Times as Investors Stay Away

Asia-based hedge funds are bracing for a lean quarter of capital raising as the spread of the coronavirus leads to the postponement and cancellation of key events that have historically drawn Western investors to the region. London-headquartered Albourne Partners Ltd., a consultancy that advises pensions, university endowments and foundations that invest a combined $550 billion in alternative investments, including hedge funds, said it’s seen at least 10 of its clients cancel trips to Asia in coming weeks, according to...

Marketing To 100-Year-Olds: How Longevity Will Transform Finance, Healthcare And Education

Right now, Stanford University is addressing a pressing and fascinating question: What happens to society when everyone starts living to 100? How will we stay physically fit, financially stable and mentally sharp, especially in that back half? Exploring these questions is the goal of the Stanford Longevity Project. Also Read A low birth rate and a rapidly ageing population: Europe’s demographic crisis explained To answer them, they’ve partnered with major brands like Wells Fargo, Instructure, and Principal to...

Canadian defined benefit pension plans generated second-highest returns in a decade: RBC Investor & Treasury Services

To mark the end of a decade characterized by fintech disruptors, geopolitical tensions and regulatory changes, Canadian defined benefit pension plans returned 14.0 per cent in 2019, according to the RBC Investor & Treasury Services All Plan Universe. This was the second highest annual return over the past 10 years, in large part due to an upsurge in Canadian and global equity markets. "Over the past 10 years, the average Canadian Defined Benefits plan has generated an annualized return...

Denmark’s Largest Pension Fund to Launch Sustainable Vehicle

By Michael Katz PFA, Denmark’s largest pension fund with DKK560 billion ($82 billion) in assets, is launching a pension product that allows participants to invest their retirement savings in climate-focused investments that it says will be carbon neutral in five years at the latest. Beginning this summer, PFA Climate Plus will be available to the fund’s customers to allow them the opportunity to “significantly step up” how much their pensions contribute to cutting carbon dioxide emissions, the fund said. “As Denmark’s...

Ireland. Hundreds of community employment scheme supervisors to strike

Hundreds of community employment (CE) scheme supervisors are to hold a one-day strike on Friday over access to a pension scheme. The supervisors will join with staff working in organisations providing health and social care services that receive State grant-aid (known as section 39 bodies) at a protest to be held in Dublin on Friday. In addition, section 39 workers are scheduled to take industrial action on February 21st in a dispute over pay restoration. The rally is being...