November 2018

UK. Govt urged to introduce state pension top-up for mothers

The government has been urged to introduce an additional rate of pension, on top of the single-tier state pension, for unemployed people looking after a child under 12. Workers union Prospect called for this measure among five other solutions proposed in its 13-page report Tackling the gender pay gap, published today (1 November). The current state pension system allows people looking after a child under the age of 12 and not working to receive credits to ensure there is no gap...

US. IRS Announces Higher 2019 Retirement Plan Contribution Limits For 401(k)s And More

Get ready to save more for retirement in 2019! The Treasury Department has announced inflation-adjusted figures for retirement account savings for 2019, and there are a lot of changes that will help savers stuff these accounts. After six years stuck at $5,500, the amount you can contribute to an Individual Retirement Account is being bumped up to $6,000 for 2019. The amount you can contribute to your 401(k) or similar workplace retirement plan goes up from $18,500 in 2018 to...

ESG factors could improve pots

A question often asked by individuals new to sustainable and responsible investing is: "My priority is a secure pension pot for retirement, so why should I care about sustainability and climate change?" And while the answer is nuanced, fundamentally it is: because you will have a bigger retirement pot by doing so. Mounting evidence shows this to be the case and it is a key reason why the Department for Work and Pensions recently laid new regulations that will require pension...

India low on global pension index; proactive regulation can bring meaningful change

A study says steps like introducing minimum level of support for the poor can lead to increase in India’s index value The pension and retirement income system in India has figured in the lowest category in the world, according to the Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index 2018, published by Mercer, a human resources consulting firm, along with Australian Centre for Financial Studies and Monash University. The other countries in this category along with India are Japan, South Korea, China, Mexico and...

¿Cómo promover el ahorro de largo plazo?

El período durante el cual las personas están ahorrando para su pensión se conoce como la etapa de acumulación. La economía del comportamiento sugiere que, si el ahorro voluntario fuera más fácil, más personas estarían ahorrando para su vejez. Ante este contexto, el Congreso de Estados Unidos está considerando reformas a las reglas de operación de las cuentas de ahorro de largo plazo, para intentar promover que la gente ahorre más y de una manera más dinámica. ¿En qué consisten...

Perú. Las AFP proponen elevar tasa de aporte para las pensiones

En Chile, la tasa de aporte a las AFP subirá de 10% a 14%, con el incremento a cargo del empleador. Actualmente en Perú y Chile los afiliados a las AFP aportan el 10% de su sueldo como contribución a su fondo previsional. No obstante, en ambos países hay preocupación por el aún bajo nivel de las pensiones. Es por ello que esta semana en Chile el presidente Sebastián Piñera anunció un próximo incremento progresivo de 10% a 14% en la...

Chile. Rodrigo Valdés: “Seamos realistas, el 4% hacia las AFP es políticamente un incendio en Chile”

-“¿Si no fuera porque las AFP están desprestigiadas, cree que lo mejor sería que el 4% lo administren las AFP?” Esa fue una de las preguntas que le hizo el público al ex ministro de Hacienda, Rodrigo Valdés en el primer debate de la reforma de pensiones que se realizó esta mañana, y que organizó Principal. ¿ Y qué respondió el economista? “Si es que el 4% extra fuese al mismo portafolio, o un portafolio parecido, no veo una repercusión económica fuerte,...

China. Aging population to boost individual pension market

The individual pension market in China will see great development potential in the future due to increasing pressure from an aging population and growing market demand, according to industrial experts. "With the increase in national income and people's growing awareness to save the pension reserve, China's personal pension market, which is the third pillar of the country's pension system, will see tremendous opportunities," according to Dong Keyong, secretary-general of the China Ageing Finance Forum, or CAFF50. The volume of the individual...

UK. Public sector pension had double fracking investments

Local authority pension funds continue to invest in dirty oil and gas. The largest public sector pension fund in the UK has more than double the investment in the fracking industry than previously known with more than £1billion at risk, The Ecologist can reveal. Tameside/Greater Manchester (GMPF) had by 31 March 2018 put in an extra £609m worth of holdings in companies that back fracking - which include financial, chemical, security and waste concerns. This is over and above the £700m...

Hongkongers’ MPF funds should not be used to buy property, says OECD pensions chief

Singaporeans can use their pension pots to buy homes, but Pablo Antolin says Hong Kong’s MPF cannot afford such withdrawals, given the current contribution rates Head of OECD’s private pensions unit is in Hong Kong along with hundreds of pension experts to give suggestions on how to improve city’s public pension provisions Hong Kong should follow Singapore and other markets in allowing people to pay more into their Mandatory Provident Funds (MPF). But it should not allow employees to take...