July 2024

US. Rallying Stock Market May Help Public Pensions Reduce Shortfall This Year, Study Finds

KEY TAKEAWAYS State and local government-sponsored employer pension funds are projected to earn a 7.4% market return this year. However, these pension funds still face a long-run funding shortfall of more than $1 trillion, according to a new study by a nonprofit think tank working with the public retirement system. Public pension funds have increased their investments in hedge funds, private capital, and real estate to boost returns. It’s been a good year for pension funds. While public pension funds...

UK. The new Labour Government and pensions: the employer perspective

The Pensions & Lifetime Savings team here at Burges Salmon has been closely following the UK’s general election and recently posted this passle on what the pension industry should expect from the new Labour Government. But what are the particular implications for Employers? Ahead of tomorrow’s Kings Speech, which we hope will offer greater clarity on the new Government’s immediate pensions priorities, here are some thoughts on key topics that Employers should be looking out for: The DB Funding Code Scheme funding is of course...

Malaysia’s pension fund strengthens sustainable investment with new stewardship policy

The Employees Provident Fund (EPF), Malaysia’s pension fund, has published the EPF Sustainable Investment Stewardship Policy, becoming the first institutional investor in Malaysia to publish a standalone stewardship policy for sustainable investment. EPF said in a statement on Wednesday that the policy outlines the processes and guidelines the EPF follows to promote good sustainability practices among its investee companies and external fund managers. It said the stewardship undertaking has strengthened the EPF’s commitment to help build a better retirement future for Malaysians...

What immigration means for economies as populations get older

Projections by the Census Bureau predict that within 10 years, the number of people 65 and older in the U.S. will be larger than the number of people under 18. Populations getting older is a global trend for the long-industrialized countries — something with sweeping effects on economics, social safety nets and immigration. Marketplace’s senior economics contributor Chris Farrell has been looking into this. He spoke with “Marketplace Morning Report” host David Brancaccio and the following is an edited transcript of their conversation. David...

UK. CDC benefits may be 50% greater than those offered by DC, says LCP

The expected benefits offered by collective defined contribution (CDC) schemes could be 50% greater than those offered by defined contribution (DC) schemes, research from Lane Clark & Peacock (LCP) finds. The consultancy examined 2,500 simulations looking at a 43-year-old saver beginning a 25-year career, with the assumption of a 12% annual contribution rate. Its analysis compared the expected retirement pension as a proportion of the final salary for a typical CDC scheme and DC scheme and found CDC benefits could...

Retiros por desempleo en México alcanzan máximo histórico en primer semestre de 2024

Los retiros por desempleo en las Administradoras de Fondos para el Retiro (Afores) registraron en el primer semestre de 2024 el mayor monto de retiro que se tiene registro en México, mientras que los rendimientos de las cuentas de los trabajadores apuntan su mejor mes del año, según datos de la Comisión Nacional del Sistema de Ahorro para el Retiro (Consar). El más reciente reporte de la Consar, apuntó este lunes que los retiros por desempleo en los primeros seis...

Encuesta Cadem: 78% de los chilenos considera “muy importante” aprobar reforma de pensiones este año

Según la última encuesta Cadem realizada el domingo 14 de julio, un 78% de los chilenos considera crucial que se apruebe una reforma de pensiones durante este año. Sin embargo, el estudio también revela un alto grado de escepticismo, con un 57% de los encuestados creyendo que es poco o nada probable que el proyecto se convierta en una realidad. Preferencias sobre la cotización adicional del 6% En cuanto al destino de la cotización adicional del 6%, el 52% de los...

Pensions Have ‘Critical’ Role in Strengthening Public Safety Workforce

For states and municipalities, offering public safety workers a sufficient defined benefit pension benefit is key to maintaining a healthy public safety workforce, according to new research, with a knock-on effect on both public safety and protecting property. For states and cities, offering pension plans to police officers and firefighters—particularly—is critical to sustain a robust public safety workforce to fight fires and maintain public safety, according to a National Institute of Retirement Security paper, “The Role of Defined Benefit Pensions in...

How ‘Alternative Investments’ Are Dragging Down Pension Performance

A prominent and well-regarded researcher, himself a founder of a pension consulting firm, recently released a bombshell Social Science Network report that reveals the underperformance of public pensions’ so-called alternative investments in high-fee vehicles such as private equity, private credit, real estate and hedge funds. Using 15 years of data from respected sources, the analysis by Richard Ennis shows a clear trend toward increased allocations to nontraditional investment products and fund-level underperformance relative to common actuarial benchmarks caused by these products’...

Breakthrough pension reform in Saudi Arabia – A model for the MENA region

Saudi Arabia took a big leap forward in transforming its pension system with the recent announcement of comprehensive reforms, designed with support from the World Bank, aimed at enhancing income protection during old-age, but also promoting gender equality. Aging populations, caused by increasing life expectancy and falling fertility rates, combined with the changing nature of work and the erosion of informal and traditional family support systems, have created considerable challenges for pension systems worldwide. Many are facing fiscal sustainability pressures and...