July 2019

US. Senate split over retirement savings bill

The House of Representatives passed the Secure Act, a bill that would create more opportunities for Americans to save for retirement, with overwhelming bipartisan consent in May. But the bill is stalled in the Senate. The legislation could die in the upper chamber if it is not passed by a floor vote, unanimous consent, as an updated Senate bill or attached to another bill that must pass (typically these are spending bills). In other words, the bill is not...

South African State Pension Fund to Invest More Offshore

South Africa’s Government Employees Pension Fund is planning to invest more of its 2 trillion rand ($144 billion) under management outside the country and in unlisted assets to reduce risk of overexposure to locally traded companies. The strategy was outlined by GEPF Principal Executive Officer Abel Sithole to a commission of inquiry into allegations of wrongdoing and poor governance at the Public Investment Corp., the fund’s biggest manager. The GEPF has more than 93% of its assets invested in...

La Cámara de Diputados de Brasil podría postergar para agosto la votación de la reforma de las pensiones

La Cámara de Diputados de Brasil podría no votar un emblemático proyecto de ley de reforma al sistema de pensiones del país hasta agosto, adelantaron el viernes a última hora líderes parlamentarios, debido a que las negociaciones sobre las enmiendas retrasaron el proceso y redujeron los ahorros derivados de los cambios. La reforma al costoso sistema de pensiones es una de las principales políticas del presidente Jair Bolsonaro para recortar los gastos del gobierno y sanear las finanzas públicas....

México. IMSS reduce a tres días la entrega de ayuda para gastos de matrimonio

¿Estás aliado al IMSS y contraerás matrimonio próximamente? El instituto ha establecido un sistema para agilizar la entrega de la “Ayuda para Gastos de Matrimonio”, ya que ahora los trabajadores que soliciten este apoyo tardarán tres y no siete días hábiles en recibirla, informó el organismo. A través de un comunicado, Andrés Ruiz Maciel, coordinador de Prestaciones Económicas, informó que todos los trabajadores aliados al Seguro Social cuentan con este servicio. “La prestación es de 30 días del valor...

Chile. Kevin Skerrett, experto en pensiones: Los países que tomaron la opción AFP, hoy están volviendo atrás

En conversación con Diario y Radio Universidad de Chile, el asesor previsional canadiense comparó el sistema mixto presente en su país de origen y el sistema chileno, basado en cuentas obligatorias de ahorro individual. Invitado por Fundación SOL para dictar una charla sobre sistemas de pensiones en el marco del Seminario “Derribando mitos sobre los Sistemas de Reparto”, el canadiense Kevin Skerret, asesor previsional del Sindicato Canadiense de Empleados Públicos ( Canadian Union of Public Employees, CUPE) conversó...

Egypt. Draft bill to end debt conflict between Treasury, Social Insurance

The draft new social insurance and pensions bill prepared by the government and approved in principle by the House of Representatives last week includes mechanisms and measures that would resolve the existing and future debt crises between the Treasury Authority and the National Social Insurance Authority. The key features pertinent to conflict resolution are: The Treasury Authority pays to the National Social Insurance Authority a sum that increases annually by 5.7 percent for 50 years and that...

Kenya: We Are Not Paying Ghosts, Pensions Chief Tells Auditor

The Pensions Department has accused Auditor-General Edward Ouko of misrepresenting facts by saying Sh67.9 billion was paid to ghost retirees. Mr Ouko, in a report tabled at the National Assembly two weeks ago, said individuals at the National Treasury may have taken advantage of the weaknesses in the Pensions Management Information System (PMIS) to authorise irregular payments. Of the money paid out, some 962 claimants received Sh1.6 billion -- which was made way before the end of their service...

Morocco’s Head of Government Fails to Cancel Ministers’ Pensions

The Head of Government, Saad Eddine El Othmani, declared on July 9, that in order to save pension plans, wage cuts and the retirement age would have to be increased, starting this year. Speaking in the House of Councils, he admitted to being unable to cancel ministers and parliamentarians’ pensions. His statement came in response to the countrywide campaign for pensions’ abolition. The civil pension plan El Othmani’s new initiative comes after the publication of the 2017...

Australia. Pensioners gain $1000 boost as deeming rates cut

Pensioners will be up to $1000 a year better off from September when the Morrison government changes the income test for pensioners. The government will cut deeming rates, used to estimate how much some pensioners earn on their financial investments, for more than 630,000 pensioners and nearly 350,000 people receiving other income-tested Read more @AFR

US. Congress Moves to Put Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation On Taxpayer Dole

The Ways and Means Committee of the House just approved a bill for a big taxpayer bailout of private multi-employer/union-sponsored pension plans. Many of these plans are hopelessly insolvent. In other words, they have committed to pay employee pensions far greater than they have any hope of actually paying. In the aggregate, the assets of multi-employer plans are hundreds of billions of dollars less than what they have solemnly promised to pay. There is an inescapable deficit...