August 2025
11Aug

Vanguard: Emergency Savings Mean Retirement Savings

Employer-sponsored 401(k) plans help millions of Americans save for retirement, but not all those savings make it to retirement age, according to new research from Vanguard. According to the firm’s June research note, “Emergency Savings Protect Retirement Savings,” one-third of Vanguard plan participants who left their jobs in 2023 withdrew their 401(k) balance as a cash lump sum—often incurring withdrawal penalties and jeopardizing their retirement readiness. For more stories like this, sign up for the PLANSPONSOR NEWSDash daily newsletter.  “It’s really about...

August 11, 2025
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11Aug

China’s consumption weighed down by weak expectations

China’s economy registered a respectable GDP growth rate of 5.3 per cent in the first half of 2025. Despite US President Donald Trump’s tariff war, China’s exports grew by 7.3 per cent and contributed more than one-third of the first half of the year’s growth. But domestic demand remains weak and prices are still falling. The conventional wisdom identifies weak consumption as the culprit. The Chinese authorities have prioritised boosting household consumption. A 200 billion RMB (US$28 billion) programme was...

August 11, 2025
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11Aug

The Silent Crisis: Aging Populations and the Retirement Security Imperative

The global demographic shift toward an aging population is no longer a distant forecast—it is a present-day reality. By 2025, over 16% of the world's population will be aged 65 or older, a figure projected to rise to 25% by 2050. Yet, as lifespans extend, so too does a parallel crisis: the erosion of financial literacy among the elderly. This decline, driven by cognitive aging, digital disengagement, and systemic gaps in education, is creating a perfect storm of vulnerability...

August 11, 2025
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08Aug

What private assets in 401(k) plans mean for investors

Investors may soon have greater access to private assets — that is, investments that are not publicly traded — in their 401(k) or other workplace retirement plans. Financial advisors say that for many workers, the risks may outweigh the rewards. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to increase the availability of alternative assets in 401(k) plans. The order instructs the Department of Labor to reexamine its guidance to employers and plan administrators on incorporating such assets into...

August 8, 2025
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08Aug

Argentinians protest vetoes to pension and disability funding

Argentinians on Wednesday gathered outside the country’s Congress to protest President Javier Milei’s decision to block raises in pension and disability funding. Milei on Monday vetoed three bills which had previously been approved by lawmakers. The first would have seen a 7.2% increase for all pensions, and would have raised the monthly bonus to 110,000 pesos (approximately USD $80). The second would have permitted women over 60 years old and men over 65 years of age to retire, even if they had not completed...

August 8, 2025
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08Aug

South Africa. State pension plan may lead to industry consolidation

The introduction of a state pension scheme could force the pension fund industry to consolidate, Metropolitan, the fourth-largest life insurer, said yesterday. Peter Doyle, the group chief executive, said there would be a shift in the pension fund industry as a result of the government introducing a mandatory state pension scheme. In his national budget presentation, finance minister Trevor Manuel said the government would be working towards setting up a pension fund that would seek to draw in irregularly employed and...

August 8, 2025
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07Aug

UK. FCA Looks to Simplify Sustainability Reporting Requirements for Asset Managers, Insurers

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the UK’s conduct regulator for financial services firms and financial markets, announced plans to streamline and improve its sustainability reporting framework for asset managers, life insurers and pension providers, including examining how to simplify disclosure requirements and ease regulatory burdens on firms. The announcement follows a review carried out by the FCA of the results of climate reporting rules put in place by the regulator in 2021, which required asset managers, life insurers and FCA-regulated pension...

August 7, 2025
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07Aug

US. What’s Driving Early Retirement Plan Withdrawals?

Hourly workers tend to cash out their retirement plan savings more frequently than salaried workers when they leave their job, according to a report from Vanguard. Early cash outs from defined contribution plans normally come with a 10% tax penalty, and far more often than not, represent a sub-optimal savings strategy. About 33% of participants in Vanguard-administered plans took a cash-out when they left their jobs in 2023. This is consistent with data from the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI),...

August 7, 2025
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07Aug

Nigeria’s president orders speedy rollout of free healthcare for low-income retirees

President Bola Tinubu has directed the expedited rollout of a free healthcare initiative for low-income retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), describing the measure as essential to ensuring dignity and social protection in retirement. The President also ordered the prompt implementation of long-overdue pension increases and the establishment of a minimum pension guarantee to serve as a safety net for the most vulnerable pensioners within the CPS. The directives followed a briefing from the Director General of the National Pension...

August 7, 2025
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07Aug

Top 5 countries with the highest retirement age

Retirement age marks an important milestone in a person’s working life—the point in many countries where an individual steps away from formal employment after years of contribution. Around the world, this age varies depending on things like how long people are expected to live, how many are active in the workforce, and how strong a country’s pension system is. While most countries set retirement between 60 and 65, many are now pushing it higher to keep up with aging populations and...

August 7, 2025
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