September 2024

As life expectancy increases, Olivia S. Mitchell says it takes financial planning to take the worry out of extra retirement years

Career paths are rarely straight lines, but as new technologies transform jobs at a dizzying pace the twists and turns can throw retirement plans off course. Born to globe-trotting economist parents, Olivia S. Mitchell was introduced to economic principles early on. At the age of five, while living in Pakistan, she observed construction workers pouring concrete by bucket brigade rather than using a cement truck and asked her father why. “Labor is cheaper than capital,” he responded. Mitchell went...

Milei uses first presidential veto to overturn pensions increase

President Javier Milei has vetoed a pension increase approved by Congress in mid-August, his first use of the presidential power since taking office in December. He signed the veto on Friday night and it took effect on Monday after being published in the Official Gazette. The bill passed by Congress established a hike and guarantees to prevent retirees’ income from falling behind the basket of goods. In his decree overturning the increase, the president argued the bill was incompatible with the...

US. Fortune 500 pension plans shift $1B to bonds

Many pension managers are allotting more assets to long-term investment-grade corporate bonds, reported Standish Mellon Asset Management Co. LLC of Boston today. The firm, which is the fixed-income specialist for BNY Mellon Asset Management and a subsidiary of The Bank of New York Mellon Corp., said that 15 Fortune 500-company pension plans have added about $1 billion to their bond portfolios since January. Nearly half of the $1 billion is new money and the rest is re-allocated, said BNY...

Danish pension fund leaves Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance

Danish pension fund PKA has withdrawn as a member of the Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance (NZAOA), the fourth exit from the initiative and the first in more than a year, Responsible Investor can reveal. The €59.1 billion fund, which manages four pension plans within the social and healthcare sectors, joined the NZAOA in March 2021 and withdrew its support from the UN-backed group, which is part of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), on 31 August. A spokesperson for...

US. This Triple Tax-Advantaged Retirement Account Is Getting a Big Boost for 2025

The IRS doesn't always give away tax breaks for free. Often, there's some sort of catch involved. With a traditional IRA or 401(k) plan, for example, you get a tax break on the money you contribute. But in return, you're not allowed to access that money before age 59 1/2, and taking an early withdrawal generally results in an expensive 10% penalty. Health savings accounts, or HSAs, work similarly. While these accounts are loaded with tax breaks, there are strict rules you...

UK. More than half of women expect to run out of money during retirement, as gender pensions gap persists – Fidelity International

More than half (52%) of women in the UK do not believe they will have enough money to sustain their income in retirement, according to findings from Fidelity International’s annual Women and Money study.1 The research indicates that a significant number of women have adjusted their financial plans in response to economic pressures over the past 12 months. Specifically, more than one in ten (12%) women have reduced their pension contributions – with those who have done so cutting back by an average of...

UK. Third of retirees overspending amid rising cost of living

Nearly a third of UK adults have admitted to being ‘retirement overspenders’ due to the rising cost of living. Research by PensionBee also revealed 20 per cent of those aged over 55 have consistently spent more than they expected to during their retirements so far. With an additional 11 per cent admitting this had occurred early on in their retirement. Daily living expenses emerged as the largest financial burden for retirees, with 28 per cent citing it as their top item of...

US. Annuities gain traction with middle-market consumers

Middle-income Americans will have a more difficult time managing their longevity risk in retirement now that fewer of them have defined benefit plans. Making matters more complicated is that many of these middle-market investors may have saved thousands of dollars throughout their careers in their employer-sponsored defined contribution plans but may not know how they can be certain their money lasts throughout the retirement. LIMRA’s Retirement Investor Study, published earlier this year, examined middle-income investors’ views of their retirement risks...

China. More benefits could be doled out to incentivize couples to have more babies

Many countries in the world now face a shrinking, and simultaneously aging, population, which, if not promptly reversed or mitigated, could negatively impact the sustainable growth of their economies. A sufficient number of people is indispensable for running and reinforcing the operation of a functioning economy. Consequently, policymakers or relevant government authorities need to take note of the evolution of the ongoing changes of demographic patterns, and readjust and optimize their population policies so as to plan for a resilient...

The Average Retirement Age in 2024: US vs. UK

With recent economic challenges and rising costs of living, retirement is on many Americans’ minds. You may be wondering: Is the state of retirement in the U.S. worse than in other countries? That depends on which country you’re talking about. Read on to learn about the average retirement age in the U.S. and UK, plus current retirement processes, to compare the difference.   Earning passive income doesn't need to be difficult. You can start this week. What Is the Average Retirement Age in the US? According to...