August 2026

UK. A dynamic value-based framework for retirement

My mother spent much of her working life as a home-help organiser, helping other people remain independent and supporting families who needed care. When she eventually needed help herself, however, that lifetime of contribution gave her no particular claim on the care she required. She simply had to pay for it. That always struck me as odd. We are very good at recognising, storing and exchanging financial wealth, but much less good at recognising other forms of value that people...

The Most Important Longevity Term You’ve Probably Never Heard of

What if there was a single metric that could capture every aspect of your health — how strong you are, how clear your vision is, how sharply you think? That’s the goal of intrinsic capacity, a holistic measure of what someone’s body and mind are capable of. “It’s not really a sexy term,” but it makes sense from a scientific perspective, said Dr. John Beard, a professor of productive aging at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health who helped...

Gen Xers fret over the future of Social Security. “I will likely be working in retirement.”

Retirement is biting Generation X. Its oldest members will turn 62 next year, the earliest age at which people can claim Social Security benefits, with many Americans having too little saved to stop working even as the program faces its own funding crisis. Chris Branaman, 53, jokes that his retirement will be spent as a Walmart greeter. "That's my funny way of saying I will likely be working in retirement," said Branaman of Bay City, Michigan, who works in IT and...

Look beyond funded ratios for hidden pension risks

Pension funding risk has evolved into a structural debt obligation — akin to an obligor's bonded indebtedness from a secondary credit consideration — having minimal impact on yield levels. Public pension fund risk assessment stands at the intersection of investment management practices and a municipal credit evaluation process for governments and revenue enterprises that prioritizes funding discipline and fiscal capacity. While funded ratios remain a key barometer of pension funding risk, they do not tell the full story. Beyond simply...

India’s gig economy leaving its women behind, study finds

India’s gig economy, which includes 10-minute food delivery and ride-hailing apps, is creating millions of jobs. Yet, women are largely missing from it, according to a new study. Indian women have achieved near parity with men in access to basic bank accounts, but that progress isn’t carrying over to the digital economy, with women workers underrepresented in jobs at companies such as Uber Technologies, Swiggy and Urban Company, according to report by the International Labour Organization and the National Council...

South Korea’s pension recipients rise 5.6% in 2024

South Korea's pension recipients aged 65 and older rose 5.6 per cent to 9,122,000 in 2024, driven by a rapidly aging population, the Ministry of Data and Statistics said Tuesday (Aug 25). The average monthly pension payout rose 6.0 per cent from a year earlier to 737,000 won (about US$530) in 2024. Men received an average of 957,000 won, while women averaged 546,000 won. Those aged 65-69 received 858,000 won, compared with 577,000 won for people aged 80 and older. Among...

Nigeria. PenCom records 11.18 million pension registrations in Q1

The National Pension Commission has disclosed that cumulative Retirement Savings Account registrations under the Contributory Pension Scheme rose to 11,183,475 at the end of the first quarter of 2026. According to PenCom’s Q1 2026 report released on Monday, cumulative RSA registrations grew by 143,248 accounts during the three months, up from 11,040,227 recorded at the close of the fourth quarter of 2025. Highlighting the momentum in account openings during the period, the commission stated, “The quarterly cadence is materially stronger than...

South Korea. Elderly income up 80% in a decade, but pension gap triples

South Korea's elderly are moving away from relying on allowances from their children, with public pensions — the national pension and the basic pension — becoming the primary source of income in old age. Annual income per elderly person rose roughly 80 percent over the past decade driven by public pensions, and the share of seniors receiving both the national pension and the basic pension nearly doubled. Yet the income gap between those receiving the national pension and those dependent solely...

Cyprus. Pension reform to bring increases for all retirees, minister says

All pensioners will receive increases under the government’s planned pension reform, with those on lower pensions set to benefit the most, Labour Minister Marinos Mousiouttas said on Sunday. In interviews with newspapers Phileleftheros and Kathimerini, Mousiouttas said the reform – the first major overhaul of the system since 1980 – was intended to create a fairer, more modern and sustainable pension system. Increases will be calculated according to factors including the number of years worked and contributions paid, with proportionally greater...

US. Successfully Aging: The economic contributions of people aged 50 years and older

Q. I continue to read that our seniors are a drain on the economy with the costs of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and other government age-related programs. I don’t want to feel guilty because I certainly do my part. Can you provide another side of the story? Thanks. B.K. Thank you for that very important question. Clearly, the programs you mentioned are a significant part of our government’s budget and expenses. However, there is another side to the story. It’s called...