July 2025
08Jul

PensionBee: Gig workers need automatic pensions

More than a million UK gig workers are unable to save for retirement, according to fresh data from PensionBee, a leader in the consumer retirement market, prompting renewed calls for a ‘universal pension’ system to ensure every worker, regardless of income or employment status, has automatic access to a pension. The findings, launched alongside PensionBee’s Invisible Worker campaign on National Freelancers Day, highlight the challenges faced by freelancers, unpaid carers and those on zero-hours contracts who are not auto-enrolled into...

July 8, 2025
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07Jul

UK. 15.3m are at risk of poverty in retirement

Millions of people across the UK are “sleepwalking into retirement poverty”, a report has warned, as rising living costs outstrip pension savings and key groups slip through the cracks of the system. A total of 15.3 million people – over a fifth of the population – are now at risk of financial hardship in old age, according to Scottish Widows’ latest Retirement Report. That is 1.6 million more than in 2023. Even as pension savings have edged up slightly, rising prices have cancelled out progress, according to...

July 7, 2025
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07Jul

Japan’s US$1.7 trillion fund boosts ESG holdings as others flee

Japan’s US$1.7 trillion Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) has added to its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investments, rejecting the shift away from green strategies by many global asset managers. GPIF held about 18.2 trillion yen (S$160.5 billion) of assets tracking ESG indexes at the end of March – or 14.7 per cent of the fund’s equity investments – up from 17.8 trillion yen a year earlier, according to documents published on Friday (Jul 4). The fund posted a quarterly...

July 7, 2025
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07Jul

US. What’s in your 401(k)? Why boomers and Gen X really need to know.

Your target-date fund might have the wrong mix for you, and new alternatives could be risky As stock and bond markets have whipsawed this year, you may be afraid to look at your 401(k) account balance. But all of the volatility actually makes this an opportune time to look under the hood of your 401(k) if you're nearing retirement or already there. The conventional retirement-investing advice is to "set it and forget it" - but at this stage of life, you...

July 7, 2025
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07Jul

Russia launches controversial scheme to boost birth rate, offers money to schoolgirls for having children

Amid a sharp decline in birth rates, Russia has launched a controversial new initiative that offers financial incentives to school and college-going girls to become pregnant and raise children. The program, currently being piloted in select regions, provides over 100,000 rubles (approximately Rs 90,000) to adult schoolgirls who agree to give birth and care for a child. The scheme is part of a broader demographic strategy adopted in March 2025 aimed at reversing Russia’s population decline. It is being implemented...

July 7, 2025
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04Jul

US. Asset Gains for 100 Largest Public Pensions Surge $98B in May; PRT Costs Decline

The 100 largest public defined benefit plans in the U.S. raked in $98 billion in asset gains during May thanks to a 2.4% investment gain during the month, according to Milliman’s Public Pension Funding Index. It was the funds’ best monthly market performance in more than a year. The consulting and actuarial firm said the strong gains boosted their estimated funded level to 81.1% from 79.6% a month earlier. It also said that the deficit between the estimated plan assets and liabilities...

July 4, 2025
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04Jul

UK. European insurance giant acquires Pension Insurance Corporation in £5.7bn deal

Pension Insurance Corporation (PIC), the specialist bulk annuity provider, has been acquired by European insurance giant Athora in a deal worth an estimated £5.7bn. It will become the UK insurance business for Athora, which has existing presences in Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. The acquisition is a significant boost for Athora as it will increase its assets under management and administration to more than €130bn (£112bn). At the end of 2024, PIC was responsible for almost £51bn of assets and...

July 4, 2025
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04Jul

Living to 100: As lifespans rise, retirement planning needs a major reset

Longevity is quickly becoming one of the largest unaddressed risks in retirement planning: The number of Americans living to 100 is expected to quadruple by 2054, yet most retirement plans aren't built for 90 or 100-year lifespans. Yet despite this surge in longevity, new research from Nationwide Retirement Institute and The American College of Financial Services reveals a troubling disconnect: While lifespans are rising well into the 90s and beyond, financial planning hasn’t kept pace. As a result, millions face a growing risk...

July 4, 2025
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03Jul

UK. IFS recommends state pension and auto-enrolment changes to boost adequacy

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has made four recommendations for improving pensions adequacy that it believes would improve the state pension and boost private pension savings by around £11bn a year. The recommendations are the result of a two-and-a-half-year research project exploring how to improve retirement outcomes, and come as the government has promised to begin its own pension adequacy review in the coming months. The report calls for changes that take into account the needs of low earners who...

July 3, 2025
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03Jul

Tax-free pensions may spark a new era of savings for Kenya

The recently enacted Finance Bill 2025 has introduced sweeping changes to the country’s pension and tax framework that will effectively redefine retirement planning while offering much-needed relief to workers grappling with high inflation, constrained incomes, and economic uncertainty. At the heart of the law is a bold move; to make all pensions and gratuity payments, whether in the public or private sector, fully tax-exempt. This is a significant departure from the current regime, which taxes certain pension and insurance payouts,...

July 3, 2025
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