January 2023

Investing novices call the shots on $4 trillion at public pensions

Canada selects directors to oversee its public pension funds for their financial expertise and pays some six-figure salaries. In the Netherlands, board members must obtain approval from the central bank. In the U.S., a lineup of unpaid union-backed reps, retirees and political appointees are the vanguards of a $4 trillion slice of the economy that looks after the nation’s retired public servants. They’re proving to be no match for a system that’s exploded in size and complexity. The disparity is dragging...

UK. A surge in pension risk settlement predicted in 2023

Aon is predicting a surge in UK pension risk settlement in 2023, as the events of 2022 continue to feed through to the market. Martin Bird, senior partner and head of UK Risk Settlement at Aon, said: “While 2022 was one of the busiest years we have seen in the risk settlement market, we have every expectation that 2023 will see it accelerate. We think there will be a focus on full scheme transactions driving significant volumes across the entire...

France’s African ex-soldiers win last battle – over pensions

Some of the last survivors in France from a colonial-era infantry corps that recruited tens of thousands of African soldiers to fight in French wars around the world will be able to live out their final days with family members back in Africa after a French government U-turn on their pension rights. The decision to make claiming their pensions easier follows a years-long campaign on behalf of the “tirailleurs Sénégalais,” who were recruited to fight from Senegal and other former...

Korea to take drastic measures to tackle population decline

The government will take drastic measures to tackle Korea's demographic crisis of its falling birthrate and rapidly aging society, said Na Kyung-won, head of the presidential committee on Aging Society and Population Policy, who floated the idea of writing off loans for married couples who give birth to children. "Now is the absolute last chance to take action on the imminent demographic crisis. Responding and adapting to the demographic change is a matter of the nation's survival and sustainability," Na,...

México. Cambiar de Afore actualmente reduce hasta en 30% la pensión

Un trabajador que cambia de administradora de fondos para el retiro (Afore) en un momento de alta volatilidad en los mercados de valores, tal y como sucede ahora, puede llegar a ver afectado el monto de su pensión hasta en 30 por ciento, estima la Comisión Nacional de Ahorro para el Retiro (Consar). Según cifras del organismo regulador y supervisor, entre enero de 2020 y septiembre de 2022, periodo de intensa volatilidad en los mercados producto de factores como la...

Argentina. Sustentabilidad, pero cómo lograrla

Hace unas semanas circuló un informe de la CIPPEC que afirma que el 40 por ciento de los jubilados y pensionados, un total de 3,7 millones de beneficiarios, corresponden a “beneficios especiales”. Con lo cual, habiendo 3,3 millones de beneficios de los Planes de Inclusión Jubilatoria sobre un total de poco menos de 7 millones, aquellos que obtuvieron un beneficio a través de una moratoria, serían equiparables a los jueces y al servicio exterior, por ejemplo. Lo interesante es que...

Chile. Comisiones de Trabajo y Hacienda de la Cámara despachan a Sala la ley corta de pensiones

Durante esta jornada de martes, en una rápida tramitación, las comisiones de Trabajo y Hacienda de la Cámara comenzaron a tramitar el proyecto que modifica la ley 21.419 –que crea la Pensión Garantizada Universal (PGU)- más conocida como ley corta de pensiones, en la que expusieron los ministros de Trabajo y Hacienda, Jeannette Jara y Mario Marcel, respectivamente y que fue aprobada por unanimidad en ambas instancias. La propuesta del Gobierno propone extender el universo de focalización de la PGU...

Panamá. Urgen acciones ante inminente quiebra en el subsistema de pensiones

La quiebra del subsistema exclusivamente de beneficio definido de pensiones amenaza con arrastrar la economía panameña. A medida que pasa el tiempo es mayor el riesgo que implica la insuficiencia de fondos para hacerle frente al pago de las jubilaciones. Pero el pasado 2 de enero, cuando el presidente Laurentino Cortizo tuvo la oportunidad de decirle al país cómo abordaría de forma inmediata la crisis para evitar el efecto dominó que se avecina, el mandatario decidió dedicarle menos de dos minutos a...

U.S. corporate pension funding holds steady at 95% despite market volatility

  U.S. corporate pension plan funding ratios remained steady in 2022 despite significant market volatility, according to a new analysis from Willis Towers Watson. The analysis, which examined pension plan data from 356 Fortune 1000 companies, estimated their aggregate funding ratio to be 95% at the end of 2022, the same as a year earlier. According to the analysis, Willis Towers Watson estimated that the pension plans finished 2022 with $1.22 trillion in assets, down 26% from $1.65 trillion a year earlier,...

UK. Solving the Liquidity Factor for Alternative Investments in DC Plans

One of the main reasons that plan sponsors have been hesitant to bring alternative assets into defined contribution plans is concerns about the liquidity of such assets. Private real estate, for example, which has become the most common alternative investment within defined contribution plans, is at its core an illiquid asset. Part of the reason that it’s a less volatile investment than traditional securities is that it’s typically only valued once per quarter, making it even harder for asset managers...