June 2025
20Jun

Milliman analysis: Competitive pension risk transfer cost decreases to 100.8% during May

Milliman analysis: Competitive pension risk transfer cost decreases to 100.8% during May Competitive bidding process saves about 3.6% of buyout costs as of May 31 Milliman, Inc., a premier global consulting and actuarial firm, today announced the latest results of its Milliman Pension Buyout Index (MPBI). During May, the estimated cost to transfer retiree pension risk to an insurer in a competitive bidding process dropped from 101.1% to 100.8% of a plan’s accounting liabilities (accumulated benefit obligation, or ABO). That means the...

June 20, 2025
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20Jun

Nearly half of national public pension plan is invested in U.S. — and only 12% in Canada

As a former top Finance Department official, Susan Peterson played a key role years ago in creating the stable Canada Pension Plan that we see today. But even she was surprised by the numbers. A few weeks ago, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) revealed that 12 per cent of the CPP's assets are invested in Canada — its lowest level ever. The largest chunk of its $714-billion fund, 47 per cent, is currently invested in the United States...

June 20, 2025
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20Jun

Ghana’s pension crisis: low incomes, shrinking returns, and an uncertain future

As Ghana grapples with the rising cost of living, concerns over the adequacy and sustainability of pensions continue to dominate public discourse. Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Thursday (19 June), leading voices in pension regulation, fund management, and retirees’ welfare painted a sobering picture of a system straining under low contributions, limited investment options, and rising economic pressure. Hayford Atta Krufi, former Chief Executive Officer of the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA), laid bare a fundamental truth: the nation’s pension crisis begins...

June 20, 2025
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19Jun

US. Social Security’s Finances Erode Further, Risking Benefit Cuts

The Social Security program faces a longstanding financing shortfall that, if left unaddressed, would slash millions of retirees’ crucial monthly benefit payments in just eight years. The deteriorating financial outlook for the retirement program, which supports roughly 61 million Americans, was released in its annual trustees report on Wednesday. It is now expected to run out of money nine months earlier than previously projected, which means benefits could be reduced by 23 percent if Congress does not act to bolster...

June 19, 2025
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19Jun

UK. HoL committee raises concerns over potential mandation and regulatory overlaps

An increase in savings into pension funds may increase the amount of investment available for productive assets, the Financial Services Regulation Committee has found, although concerns around mandating pension fund investments remain. As part of its inquiry on the progress made in driving UK regulators to support growth, both in the financial services sector and in the wider UK economy, the committee received evidence suggesting that the UK pension sector is "fragmented" and underinvests in productive domestic assets due to...

June 19, 2025
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19Jun

Pension funds, insurers with $9.5 trillion in assets call for stopping deforestation

A coalition of pension funds and insurance companies holding a combined $9.5 trillion of assets has called on investors to ensure their portfolios aren’t supporting or enabling deforestation. The Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance, whose signatories include Allianz SE and the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, said in a report published June 18 that investors should make certain they have a firm grasp of their exposure to deforestation and take steps to “phase out” any harms to forests stemming from their...

June 19, 2025
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19Jun

Enabling Entrepreneurship and Job Creation Through Social Protection in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

How can social protection programs in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) be transformed into powerful engines for entrepreneurship, job creation, and income diversification? This question is explored here by examining innovative social protection initiatives through real-life success stories that are driving inclusive and sustainable economic growth across the country. The DRC stands at a critical juncture today, facing rapid demographic growth and severe economic challenges. The population is getting close to 100 million people, about 73.5% of whom live...

June 19, 2025
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18Jun

UK. Focus on members amid government reform demands, LGPS urged

The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) needs to retain a focus on the “day job” of providing pensions for some of the UK’s poorest paid workers, despite the significant distractions posed by government reform and other demands. Speaking at an industry conference this week, Roger Phillips, chair of the LGPS Scheme Advisory Board for England and Wales, said the government was “very interested in us” – which he warned presented a challenge to the system’s existence. “But we need to keep doing our...

June 18, 2025
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18Jun

Activating the aging agenda: A fresh look at an overlooked mega trend

Almost every country in the world today is facing a predictable, but addressable, trend that will profoundly impact societies and economies: Aging. Despite numerous calls  to action, the aging agenda remains under the radar, especially when compared to other “mega trends” like climate change and digital transformation. Understanding demographic changes Why is aging being overlooked? There are three key aspects of demographic changes that are not well understood, which we believe is contributing to the lack of policy attention: Speed of aging in developing economies: Developing...

June 18, 2025
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18Jun

‘No choice to be absent from US markets’

US markets have historically played a key role in supporting pension fund performance, not just for CPP and OMERS but also for smaller Canadian plans, like UPP and OPTrust. But with current geopolitical and headwinds at play, are pension funds planning to change strategy? Jason Campbell believes that unless something drastic were to happen over the next year or two, most pensions will likely stay the course. After all, institutional investors typically plan for the long term and don’t get bogged...

June 18, 2025
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