April 2026

UK state pension age begins rise to 67 with payment boost

The UK state pension age has begun a phased increase from 66 to 67, starting with people born in the early 1960s, alongside a 4.8% payment rise under the triple lock. The change, expected to save £10bn annually by 2030, has drawn concern from charities about its impact on lower-income and less healthy regions. Political pledges to maintain the costly triple lock persist despite warnings about the system’s long-term sustainability. Pension age rise begins with phased rollout From Monday, the UK...

Here’s Exactly What I Plan to Do if the Market Crashes as I’m About to Retire

As someone who writes about investing and personal finance, I'm well aware that a stock market crash can be nerve wracking at any time. But I also know that market downturns are nothing to panic about when you're decades away from retirement. But what if the market crashes just as you're about to retire? Talk about bad timing. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing...

AI gaining foothold with younger savings plan members, email remains preferred communications tool: survey

More than half (56 per cent) of plan members say email is the most effective way to communicate with them about their savings plans, according to Benefits Canada’s 2026 Employee Savings Survey. The survey, which polled 500 Canadian plan members, found traditional mail (18 per cent) was a distant second preferred communications tool, followed by an insurance company website (17 per cent) and a financial advisor meeting arranged by an insurance company (14 per cent). During a webinar discussing the survey’s results, Jimmy...

Crisis de vivienda ante el envejecimiento: vivir más años sin condiciones adecuadas

Una mujer de 78 años vive sola en un departamento en un tercer piso sin elevador. Ha vivido ahí durante más de 40 años. Su vida está ahí: sus recuerdos, su red, su historia. Hace meses, salir de casa se ha vuelto un riesgo. Bajar las escaleras implica dolor, cansancio y la posibilidad real de una caída. No quiere irse. No puede quedarse en las mismas condiciones. Su principal problema no es la edad, es el lugar en el...

EU finance faces growing risks from geopolitical pressures, watchdogs warn

European financial watchdogs have warned that the war in the Middle East and fast-growing private finance markets could increase risks for the EU financial system. The European Supervisory Authorities — the European Banking Authority (EBA), the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) and the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) — said geopolitical tensions could affect financial markets through higher energy prices, inflationary pressures and weaker economic growth, ESMA announced on Tuesday. They said they had previously warned about the...

U.S. retirement savings hit alarming low

Median savings reveal stark reality New analysis from the National Institute on Retirement Security finds that U.S. workers aged 21 to 64 have a median of $40,000 in defined contribution plans, but when including those without savings, the median plunges to $955. This underscores a widening gap between retirement needs and actual savings, exacerbated by the decline of pensions. AARP data shows 20% of adults over 50 have no retirement savings, and 61% believe they lack enough for their later...

The Global Centenarian Surge: How 4 Million People Over 100 Will Reshape Markets and Policy

A demographic shift is quietly underway: the population of people aged 100+ is set to jump sharply this century. US centenarians are projected to rise from about 101,000 in 2024 to roughly 422,000 by 2054, while globally the cohort could swell from ~722,000 today to nearly 4 million by mid‑century. That growth will affect pension systems, healthcare spending, workforce patterns, consumer markets and political influence, with hotspots in China, the US, Japan, India and Thailand. The article outlines the...

Calidad y satisfacción en afores: ¿cuál es la mejor evaluada por los usuarios?

El servicio y la calidad son dos características clave al momento de elegir por primera vez o cambiar de afore Además conocer el rendimiento que otorgan y las comisiones que cobran, saber cómo funcionan y la forma en cómo son evaluadas nos ayuda a tomar la mejor decisión para nuestro retiro. La Comisión Nacional del Sistema de Ahorro para el Retiro (Consar) señala que, para seleccionar la mejor administradora, se deben tomar en cuenta tres factores: rendimientos que te da a ganar, comisión que te cobra y...

Dutch pension funds cut US exposure as rebalancing drives shift to Europe

Dutch pension funds were net sellers of US assets last year, reallocating capital towards Europe, according to figures from regulator DNB. On balance, funds sold €30bn of US equities and bonds, while purchasing €23bn of European securities. In 2025, pension funds sold €18bn of US government and corporate bonds and €12bn of equities. The decline was largely driven by civil servant scheme ABP, which divested more than €10bn of US government bonds. While US debt securities were predominantly sold, flows into European fixed...

Iran war may increase mortgage payments for extra 1.3m households, says Bank of England

The US-Israel war on Iran could end up increasing monthly mortgage payments for more than one million more UK households, the Bank of England has predicted, adding that the conflict had dealt “a substantial negative supply shock” to the world economy. Financial market jitters over the conflict in the Middle East have resulted in banks pulling about 1,500 mortgage products, with many banks raising interest rates on their remaining 7,000 home loan products in recent weeks, the Bank’s financial policy committee (FPC) said. The increases,...