December 2018

UK in push to consolidate defined benefit pension schemes into ‘superfunds’

The UK’s Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has launched a consultation into the prospect of consolidating defined benefit (DB) pension schemes into so-called ‘superfunds’ to improve security for members. The UK’s Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has launched a consultation into the prospect of consolidating defined benefit (DB) pension schemes into so-called ‘superfunds’ to improve security for members. The consultation paper (68 page / 688KB PDF) suggests that encouraging a well-managed superfund sector could be a more effective way...

Ageing poses particular problems for LGBT people

From dealing with transphobia and social isolation to the difficulties in accessing vital medical care, Caomhán Keane gets the inside story. Statistics from the Visible Lives study in 2011 showed that 40pc of the older people surveyed were not 'out' to their health care provider and many feared that healthcare staff would not understand or would discriminate against them because they were LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender). There is little evidence to show that that figure has improved following the...

Perú. ASPEC denuncia: pérdidas de las AFP por más de 8,862 millones de soles hasta el 23 de noviembre de 2018 y no hay responsables

La Asociación Peruana de Consumidores y Usuarios (ASPEC) mostró nuevamente su preocupación porque, en el período comprendido entre el 05 de enero y el 23 de noviembre de 2018, el fondo privado de pensiones que administran las AFP ha acumulado pérdidas por más de 8,000 millones de soles y tanto las administradoras como la SBS no brindan las explicaciones que se merecen los 6’950,000 afiliados al sistema, como si fuera absolutamente normal que ellos tengan que perder dinero cada...

Chile. Pablo Antolin y reforma previsional: “En términos generales está en línea con lo que dice la OCDE”

El sistema de pensiones chileno, en general, le parece adecuado al economista principal de la unidad de pensiones privadas de la OCDE, Pablo Antolin, quien si bien ve espacio para mejoras, considera que se abordan de manera adecuada en la reforma impulsada por el gobierno. Respecto a las recientes críticas al sistema de licitaciones para nuevos afiliados, también cree que son abordadas en la propuesta, aunque no le queda claro exactamente como lo van a resolver. Por otra parte,...

España. Nos preocupa la jubilación pero solo invertimos cuando nos quedan diez años

Siete de cada diez personas están preocupadas por la pensión pública que percibirán, pero los españoles ahorramos para el retiro cuando queda poco tiempo para alcanzar esa etapa Con la jubilación hacemos como en el colegio, que uno lo dejaba todo para el último día. Empezamos a ahorrar para el retiro cuando nos quedan apenas 10 años para alcanzar esa etapa y ya no hay margen para acumular lo suficiente para mantener nuestro actual nivel de vida. Lo cual es...

Zimbabwe. IPEC endorses policyholder security

The proposed Policyholder Protection Fund for the insurance and pension industry is a welcome development as it will help assure policyholders that they will receive compensation due to them upon the occurrence of an insured event, the Insurance and Pensions Commission (IPEC) has said. The insurance and pension industry regulator said given the critical role played by insurance in the growth of the economy, it is critical that the market is stable against any market shocks or failure. IPEC’s remarks come...

Financing decent pensions: a challenge for European states

Some 70,000 people took to the streets of Brussels on 28 May 2018. And tens of thousands demonstrated once again in several Belgian cities on 2 October. The trade union mobilisation against the reform of the pension system in Belgium attracted nationwide attention. But this protest movement did not emerge from nowhere. It is, rather, the culmination of many years of discontent. The federal government undertook to reform the entire pension system, to cope with Belgium’s ever-ageing population, from the...

Nigeria. Pension: PenCom Adopts Risk-based Supervision To Promote Risk Mgt

The National Pension Commission (NAICOM) has adopted a risk-based supervision approach to promote better risk management in pension sector of the nation’s economy. Acting director-general, PenCom, Mrs. Aisha Dahiru-Umar, who stated this at the Compliance Officers Forum held in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State recently, disclosed that the commission moved to a more risk based approach to supervising pension operators by aligning its supervisory framework with that of the Financial Services Regulation Coordinating Committee (FSRCC). Stating that risk management is essential to the...

Nepal needs a rights-based approach to transform unequal social structures, not piecemeal schemes

The Nepal government’s announcement of a social security scheme for formal sector workers this month has once again thrust social protection policy into the political spotlight. While such schemes can be important social policy instruments, significant concerns have been raised about this scheme and previous policies, particularly regarding government’s ability to fund and implement them. Now more than ever, it is important that social protection policies and programs effectively address issues of marginalisation and vulnerability that undergird social insecurity and...

US. 401(k) plans are 40 years old. To celebrate, here’s a look at how they could be better

It's clear that 401(k) plans have been huge successes in the 40 years since they were authorized, amassing more than $5 trillion in assets and becoming investment mainstays for millions of Americans through workplace-benefit programs. But 401(k) plans and similar defined-contribution programs haven't worked out well for everyone, and criticisms linger. As the 401(k) concept marks the 40th birthday from its creation in the Revenue Act of 1978, here's a look at some of the shortcomings: These programs aren't pensions Perhaps the...