May 2019

Ghana’s pension authority now has the power to prosecute companies that don’t pay their employees’ pensions

The threat of prosecution comes after the Attorney General recently gave the pensions regulator prosecutorial powers to go after companies that default in their workers’ tier-2 pensions. The National Pensions Act 2008, Act 766, established a three-tier pension scheme consisting of three levels of contributions. The mandatory first tier is remitted to Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) with the tier-two, which is equally compulsory, paid on workers’ behalf by employers and managed by Private Pension Service Providers....

The Five Pillars Of A Sound Retirement Plan

In the past, many retirees counted on pensions and Social Security as the pillars of a sound retirement. Now, there are five pillars future retirees should take into account when creating a solid plan for retirement. Estate Planning The first pillar of a sound retirement plan is estate planning. Estate planning is all about creating your own rule book versus relying on the government's rule book. If you've never put together a plan to avoid probate, both while you're...

UK. Investors back pension comparison app

Age Wage, a new defined contribution comparison service, is en route to double its funding target after receiving £305,600 from more than 400 investors. On March 18 the fintech company launched a crowdfunding campaign through investment platform Seedrs to raise £175,000 to create the infrastructure around the DB comparison product, with the technology behind it already in place. Henry Tapper, chief executive of Age Wage, announced yesterday (May 6) that the company has almost doubled its target after it...

Perú. Jubilación anticipada: afiliados a las AFP exigen que SBS publique reglamento el martes

Por Enrique Díaz Infante Tras casi un mes desde que se aprobó el nuevo Régimen Especial de Jubilación Anticipada (REJA), el Congreso publicó el último viernes la ley que puso en vigencia dicho régimen que permite a los ex aportantes retirar hasta el 95,5% de su fondo de AFP en caso de desempleo. No obstante, el nuevo REJA tiene varias modificaciones y cambios si se compara con el régimen que estuvo vigente hasta el 31 de diciembre del 2018....

Colombia. Retos alrededor del régimen pensional a seleccionar

Con el retiro del artículo 84 del Plan Nacional de Desarrollo, queda vigente la discusión entre el Congreso de la República y el Gobierno sobre la posibilidad de que muchas personas retornen de los fondos privados a Colpensiones, ya que algunos congresistas han planteado que presentarán nuevamente esta iniciativa. En mi opinión, no es conveniente permitir un traslado masivo de todas las personas que puedan estar hoy afiliadas al régimen de ahorro individual hacia Colpensiones. Esto explicado por varias...

Ghana. Pensions regulator to ensure about 11m informal sector workers have pension schemes – CEO

The National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA) has said that it is working on new policies to ensure that the more than 10 million workers in the informal sector are able to access a pension scheme. The current three-tier pension system does not favour the informal sector in that most workers do not have a regular source income like salaries which is a major factor that inhibits their contribution to a pension scheme. Thus, workers in the informal...

Greece unveils bill to help millions who owe tax and pension arrears

By Ian McKenna Greece unveiled draft legislation on Sunday intended to provide relief to millions of Greeks with tax and pension contribution arrears, offering discounts to amounts owed and stretching out payment plans by up to 120 monthly installments. The country’s leftist government, trailing the conservative opposition in opinion polls before national elections due in the autumn, is keen to show its social sensitivity to those facing difficulty paying their accumulated dues. “Our plan helps those who are struggling...

India. Pension fund regulator to work with Nasscom, startups for National Pension System

The pension fund regulator is in the process of undertaking steps to identify the areas under the National Pension System (NPS) which could utilise the financial technologies (fintech) using the regulatory sandbox approach for the benefit of subscribers and NPS as a whole. A regulatory sandbox (RS) usually refers to live-testing of new products or services in a controlled and test regulatory environment for which regulators may or may not permit certain regulatory relaxations for the limited purpose of...

Pre-Retirement Market Volatility Looks Very Different In Retirement

There’s plenty for investors to worry about when their financial livelihood is on the line. When planning for major financial decisions such as retirement, individuals often focus on the severity of a market downturn, underestimating the impact that timing and cash flows can have on their portfolio. The sequence of returns risk is the impact the order of investment returns can have on your portfolio. As individuals move from the asset accumulation stage of their life to withdrawing assets...

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Increases Position in Weyerhaeuser Co (WY)

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund boosted its position in shares of Weyerhaeuser Co (NYSE:WY) by 43.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 146,271 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 44,364 shares during the period. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in Weyerhaeuser were worth $3,853,000 as of its most recent SEC...