September 2022

Financial Wellness Meets Behavioral Economics

By Shlomo Benartzi Helping Participants See the Big Picture and Act on It The financial lives of American workers have become increasingly complicated in the 21st century. Instead of relying on an employer pension, most workers now save on their own, a shift that brings both opportunities and challenges. In addition, workers have to effectively allocate these savings across different financial products and accounts. Should they fund their 401(k) account or emergency savings account? Should they choose a high-deductible health...

Designing Successful Target Date Strategies for Defined Contribution Plans

By Schaus, Gross The ultimate guidebook for navigating the new world of pensions and retirement plans In the wake of the explosive growth of defined contribution (DC) plans invested with target date strategies, and the understanding of how important these strategies can be in effectively meeting retirement income goals, plan sponsors are seeking more optimal target date approaches. This timely book provides you with in-depth answers from the nation's most qualified and experienced experts to pressing questions about DC plan design. Read...

Informality and the Challenge of Pension Adequacy: Outlook and Reform Options for Peru

By Christoph Freudenberg, Frederik G Toscani Past reforms have put the Peruvian pension system on a largely fiscally sustainable path, but the system faces important challenges in providing adequate pension levels for a large share of the population. Using administrative microdata at the affiliate level, we project replacement rates in the defined benefit (DB) and defined contribution (DC) pillars over the next 30 years and simulate the impact of various reform scenarios on the average level and distribution of pensions....

The National Landscape of State Retirement Benefits

By Jonathan Moody, Anthony Randazzo Retirement security is ultimately about retirement income. Families and individuals want to know that during their retirement years they will have enough weekly, monthly, or annual income to live comfortably and meet their basic needs. Of course, many people aspire to more than just the basics. Ask even a handful of individuals about how they want to live in retirement, and you’ll hear a wide range of preferences. Expenses can vary from family-to-family, too, depending on housing, health...

August 2022

Retirement Security: Recent Efforts by Other Countries to Expand Plan Coverage and Facilitate Savings

By GAO Ensuring retirement income security for the aging U.S. workforce presents many challenges. People are increasingly responsible for their retirement planning, and as they live longer, they may outlive their savings. We reviewed steps other countries have taken to promote retirement plan savings. International experts informed us of several efforts, including auto-enrollment—which can increase plan participation for eligible workers but may not reach others, such as part-time or self-employed workers. Our review of these and other efforts can inform U.S. policymakers...

Mercer’s Asia Retirement Survey Report

By Mercer Conducted over 2019 to 2021, this series leverages our client base across Asia, and aims to bring together common issues in retirement security that Asia business leaders, HR and Finance partners can take action on. In combination, we have surveyed views from more than 700 employers from all industries, with responsibility for the well-being of over 120,000 employees. Get the report here

The Health and Retirement Study. Aging in the 21st Century. Challenges and Opportunities for Americans

By Survey Research Center. Institute for Social Research University of Michigan Published in 2006, the first HRS data book sought to introduce the world to the HRS by describing the study’s innovative design and content and providing some early findings within the main content areas of health, work and retirement, income and wealth, and family connections. In the decade since, the HRS has built on its foundation of innovation, pioneering in new directions and increasing the data’s value and relevance. The...

The Vanguard Participant Saving Rate Index

By Jeffrey W. Clark & Jean A. Young Saving rates are fundamental to retirement wealth accumulations. In this paper, we assess whether Vanguard defined contribution plan participants are saving optimally in their current workplace retirement plan. ● We find that 7 in 10 defined contribution plan participants are saving at rates that would enable them to attain a 65% replacement rate in retirement. Saving rates include both the employee elective contributions and any employer contributions. ● We find that a modest increase...

Social Protection for the Informal Economy. Operational Lessons for Developing Countries in Africa and Beyond

By Melis Guven, Himanshi Jain, & Clement Joubert The informal economy in Africa is large and diverse, and it is the main source of employment in the region. It is projected to grow and create more jobs. The informal economy is well established in the region, but it also faces a host of development challenges. It is characterized by low human capital and productivity compared with the formal economy and is typically associated with limited access to resources such as electricity, finance,...

Investment results for 1Q of fiscal 2022(update report)

By GPIF Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) manages the public pension fund in the long term and its investment results should be assessed in the same manner. In addition to the annual report, which is legally required, GPIF publishes the quarterly update report to enhance the transparency to the public. Please note that returns, which are marked to market as of the end of each quarter, include unrealized gains and losses and are influenced by the market trends. Get the report here...