August 2026

Ordinary Americans struggle to fund their 401(k) plans while plutocrats fill theirs with tax-free millions

For a half-century, Congress has been offering middle- and working-class Americans options for tax-advantaged individual retirement savings, largely to compensate for the disappearance of traditional pensions. But the transition from so-called defined benefit pensions to defined contribution accounts such as 401(k) plans and individual retirement accounts hasn’t worked for millions of Americans. Roughly 40% of working Americans don’t have any retirement savings at all, and among those who do, their savings are too meager to support them through their retirement...

German pensioners facing uphill battle to make ends meet as economic stagnation bites

Millions of pensioners in Germany are struggling to make ends meet due to fixed incomes, rising costs of housing, utilities, and healthcare, and inadequate retirement savings as the country undergoes a period of economic stagnation. In Germany, the risk of poverty generally does not refer to extreme poverty as seen in some developing countries, but rather to relative poverty, which is measured in relation to the median income of the country’s total population. According to the European Union Statistics on Income...

India. New Pension Scheme: Deposit just Rs 99 every month and get pension, new scheme launched

Gig workers working for e-commerce platforms like Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit, and Urban Company can also receive pensions. A new framework has been introduced under the National Pension System (NPS), allowing these workers to start their retirement fund with a small contribution of just ₹99. The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) announced this new facility on Wednesday, which will directly benefit millions of gig workers. The PFRDA stated that platform workers can now invest in NPS at their convenience....

U.S. DC pension plan sponsors enhancing support for members, but gaps remain: survey

The survey, which polled more than 500 DC plan sponsors, found employers are asking their DC plans to deliver more than ever, including enhancing the employee experience (69 per cent) and improving retirement outcomes (63 per cent). Three in four ranked retirement savings as a core or top priority within total rewards. However, the survey found many plans are still measured, governed and delivered for a different era, leaving a gap between what employers expect and what their plans are...

UK. TPR to accept multi-employer CDC scheme applications

The new framework gives employers and members an alternative to traditional defined benefit (DB) and defined contribution (DC) pension arrangements, building on the single-employer system introduced in 2021. CDC schemes offer a target retirement income for life rather than relying on individual pension pots, with benefits adjusted depending on investment performance and funding position. TPR urged organisations that are considering launching a CDC scheme to engage early with its supervision teams and Innovation Support Service. It has also published new...

Canada. Nova Scotia Pension Services Corp. assets increase to $15.2 billion

The Nova Scotia Pension Services Corp. — which administers the investment assets of the Public Service Superannuation Plan and the Teachers’ Pension Plan — reported an increase in combined assets under management to roughly $15.2 billion, reflecting a year-over-year increase of about $800 million, according to the investment organization’s 2025/26 report. It noted the PSSP reported a net investment return of 6.55 per cent for the 2025/26 fiscal year, exceeding its 6.25 per cent actuarial assumed rate of return but...

UK. Retirement adequacy increasingly a business planning risk

In its latest paper, Retirement adequacy: identifying future risks in your workforce, the firm highlights how financial stress, changing retirement behaviours and an ageing workforce can affect employee productivity, absenteeism and workforce planning. The paper argues that retirement adequacy is no longer just a pensions issue, but a business challenge that employers need to understand and actively manage. Employers need to understand where adequacy risks exist within their workforce and take action now, before those challenges become harder and...

US. NYC Aging Releases “What the Data Demands” Report on Affordability, Highlighting Economic Challenges Facing Older New Yorkers

The NYC Department for the Aging (NYC Aging) today released What the Data Demands: Findings from Older New Yorkers’ Financial Security, the latest issue paper in a series building on findings from The State of Older New Yorkers, which provides an in-depth examination of the affordability challenges confronting older New Yorkers, including financial insecurity, food insecurity, housing instability, and employment barriers. Drawing on responses from nearly 9,000 older New Yorkers who participated in the City's comprehensive Service Needs Assessment, the...

Ghana. GH¢35.5 Billion in SSNIT Assets: What Does It Mean to the Pensioner?

Assets Under Management Do Not Pay the Bills In financial terminology, Assets Under Management (AUM) represents the total market value of the equities, government securities, real estate, and commercial holdings that an institution manages. It measures organizational scale, balance-sheet footprint, and capital accumulation. But an impressive AUM is a measure of portfolio size, not a measure of social protection. For the vast majority of SSNIT’s roughly 240,000 pensioners, around 80% of whom receive monthly payouts hovering around GH¢1,000, and thousands more...

European Commission approves non-binding guidelines for supplementary retirement savings

Set out in Recommendation (EU) 2025/2384, approved in November 2025 as part of the Savings and Investment Union initiative led by Commissioner Maria Luís Albuquerque, these measures aim to boost future retirement income. However, under Article 288 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, these recommendations are non-binding; the decision on whether and how to implement them at the national level rests entirely with each Member State. Free national service A key proposal from Brussels is the creation of...