July 2024

The decumulation challenge

As people continue to live and work longer, the challenge of longevity – running out of money too soon into retirement - is hanging over many Canadians’ retirement plans. According to research from CCP Investments, only 45% of Canadians actually have some sort of plan in place for their retirement, with 53% admitting they don’t know how much money they’ll need to retire. Part of this anxiety stems from a change in the last decades in the retirement plan landscape, as...

US. AARP reveals proposals for national plan on aging

AARP, the interest group advocating for the wellbeing of older Americans, revealed in a policy paper this month its priorities for a national plan on aging that sufficiently recognizes the changing demographics of the U.S. population, and the trend that will see 20% of all Americans become at least the age of 65 by 2030. “While other countries are responding to these changes by developing and implementing national strategic plans to help them meet the challenges and maximize opportunities to increase...

Ageing societies require holistic approach to fiscal policy making

Several Asia Pacific countries are ageing fast due to falling birth rates and people living longer because of access to better healthcare. This is not unique to the region and is part of a global megatrend. What is unique, however, is the speed at which these Asia Pacific countries are becoming aged societies. As a comparison, while France and Sweden took 115 and 85 years, respectively, to progress from being an ageing society (with 7-14 per cent of the population aged...

UK. Royal Mail to launch UK’s first CDC plan in October

Royal Mail Group has confirmed that the Royal Mail Collective Pension Plan will launch as the UK’s first collective defined contribution plan on October 7, 2024. The new CDC passed the Regulator’s assessment process in 2023 and every employee with at least a year’s service will be eligible to join. Employees will contribute 6 per cent of their pensionable pay each month into the collective pot, while Royal Mail will contribute 13.6 per cent. Benefits under the scheme include an...

China. Flexible model needed for raising the retirement age

The top authorities have said in a recent resolution issued after a top-level meeting that China will gradually raise the statutory retirement age in a prudent and orderly manner. As one of the important measures to deal with China's aging society, delaying the retirement age has been an issue of top concern since 2013 when it was first raised. Given that it is closely related to pensions, and also involves the fairness of different groups, the country needs to deal...

UK government announces ‘landmark’ pensions review

The UK’s chancellor of the exchequer, Rachel Reeves, has announced a landmark pensions review as part of the new government’s mission to “boost growth and make every part of Britain better off”. Labour had promised to launch the pensions review as part of its manifesto prior to the UK’s general election and the industry has been awaiting this announcement since Labour’s landslide win earlier this month. Under plans unveiled by the new chancellor this weekend, billions of pounds of investment could be unlocked in...

U.S. public pension funds earn 10-year median return of 15.2% from private equity

Private equity produced a median annualized return of 15.2% over 10 years for U.S. public pension funds, according to a report by the American Investment Council, a private equity manager trade group. The AIC report examines the private equity investments of 200 U.S. public pension funds for the years December 2021 to December 2023, with most dates as of June 30, 2023. The U.S. public pension fund earning the highest private equity return was the $6.4 billion Vermont State Retirement Systems, with...

French leftists announce legislative steps to scrap Macron’s pension reform

-The leftist France Unbowed party announced legislative steps on Tuesday to try to scrap French President Emmanuel Macron's pension changes and reverse a rise in the legal retirement age to 64 from 62. The right-wing National Rally (RN) quickly offered its support for the legislation proposed by France Unbowed (LFI), potentially boosting its chances of winning parliamentary approval. Cancelling the pension reform, signed into law last year and aimed at protecting state finances and boosting productivity, is a key goal of...

How Gen X Can Catch Up on Retirement Savings

Generation X—the cohort of people born between 1965 and 1980—is now squarely in middle age. This phase often brings worries about aging, mortality, and a general decline in overall life satisfaction. Retirement preparedness is another major worry. Based on BlackRock’s 2024 Read on Retirement report, only 60% of survey respondents in this generation believe they’re on track to retire with the lifestyle they want, compared with 77% for Generation Z, 72% for millennials, and 68% for baby boomers. Another survey from Transamerica puts some additional context...

Blackstone joins KKR and BlackRock in Mexico private equity fundraising

Blackstone Group has raised $695 million (523.62 million pounds) from Mexican pension funds for its first two local private equity funds, filings showed, joining Black Rock and KKR & Co in expanding in Mexico following regulatory changes. Several of the world's top private equity managers have quietly raised billions of dollars from Mexican pension funds, known as afores, since new rules were enacted early last year, filings to the Mexican Stock Exchange and a non-public document reviewed by Reuters showed....