July 2024
12Jul

US. DOL may review ‘derisking’ pension risk transfers, says congressional report

A recent Department of Labor report to Congress reaffirming current fiduciary standards for selecting annuity providers in defined benefit pension plans also includes notice that it may review the increasingly common, and controversial, practice of companies transferring pension risks to life insurers, commonly known as “derisking.” The report by the DOL’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), which was mandated by 2022’s SECURE 2.0 Act, reviews its 1995 Interpretive Bulletin 95-1 that outlined the responsibilities of fiduciaries under the Employment Retirement Income Security...

July 12, 2024
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12Jul

UK. State pensioners issued major update over DWP starting to ‘means testing’

State pensioners have been told the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) State Pensions payments "can't be means tested". A former DWP employee says means-testing will never happen due to the complexity of the contributory benefit. The insider told the Daily Record: “What is overlooked is the fact that people pay cash into the State Pension scheme in the form of Voluntary Contributions. So you are not going to pay cash into a scheme unless you are entitled to the payment of...

July 12, 2024
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12Jul

South Asia’s ‘youth bulge’ masks aging population

Zahirul Islam, a 52-year-old cafe manager in Dhaka, Bangladesh, has worked all his life supporting his family, with little to save for old age. Facing retirement at 59, Islam expects to work for another seven or eight years before holding down a job becomes unfeasible. "Then, it may not be possible to continue working," he said in an interview with VOA. In eight years, Islam turns 60, joining Bangladesh's growing population of older people. With little savings and no pension plan, he...

July 12, 2024
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12Jul

Unfunded U.S. public pension liabilities fall for fourth year in a row — Moody’s

Unfunded liabilities for U.S. state and local pension plans fell for a fourth year in a row to around $2.5 trillion as of June 30, a plunge of almost 60% from a historic high of $6 trillion in 2020, according to a July 9 report from Moody’s Ratings. Strong market returns for the latest year contributed to that progress, with investment gains of almost 11% topping public fund target returns of between 6.75% and 7.25%. But higher interest rates did the...

July 12, 2024
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11Jul

70% of U.S. employers say benefits critical to attraction, retention efforts: report

Nearly three-quarters (70 per cent) of U.S. employers say their company’s benefits package is critical to attracting and retaining the best workers, according to a new report by LIMRA. It found half (51 per cent) of employers believe their company will be offering more benefits in the future than it does today and another six in 10 (61 per cent) said their employees will expect a wider variety of benefits options. Indeed, many employees — especially middle-income workers, younger workers and those...

July 11, 2024
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11Jul

UK. Wish list for new Pensions Minister

The new pensions minister, Emma Reynolds, must address the key challenges of adequacy, sustainability and intergenerational fairness facing the industry and the millions of savers across the UK as a priority, says Hymans Robertson. The leading pensions and financial services consultancy also says, it would like to see the new government deliver on the key pensions’ initiatives that are underway as the firm lays out its pensions policy wish list. Commenting on the need for rapid action from the new...

July 11, 2024
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11Jul

U.S. companies’ pension funds poised to stock up on corporate debt after big gains

The pension funds of U.S. companies are poised to shift billions of dollars into corporate credit, after months of stock-market gains and higher bond yields have left them awash with cash, analysts and advisers said. Corporate pension plans had 103.7% of the funding they need to meet obligations as of June, the highest level since 2022, according to the Milliman 100 Pension Funding Index. That metric has dropped below 100% only four times since March 2022. Big gains in U.S....

July 11, 2024
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11Jul

Pensions and their role on the threat of climate change

Climate change is an enormous challenge and threat globally. Large investors, such as pension schemes, can have a significant influence in addressing this challenge. NetZeroWeekTM provides a reminder of the risks we face and actions that can be taken. In this article, we aim to answer two important questions: • Do pension schemes have a duty to address the threat of climate change; and • What role can pension schemes play in addressing the challenges faced? As long-term investors, trustees of pension schemes...

July 11, 2024
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11Jul

Reality bites for Gen X retirement

The Slacker generation might have been slacking off when it came to planning for retirement: Gen X consistently ranks in surveys as the least-prepared group for when they stop earning. Why it matters: The first members of Gen X were born in January 1965, which means they turn 59½ this month and can start withdrawing money from 401(k) and other retirement accounts without paying a penalty. The big picture: As Gen Xers get older, they are getting increasingly worried about looming financial problems in...

July 11, 2024
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10Jul

UK sets out plans for National Wealth Fund

UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves has launched a National Wealth Fund (NWF) to unlock private investments in “green and growth industries”. The Labour government has allocated £7.3 billion to the initiative, which will be allocated through the existing UK Infrastructure Bank so investments can start being made immediately. The Treasury said it had, alongside the department for energy security and net zero, convened a meeting with the Green Finance Institute-chaired and investor-backed NWF taskforce set up to advise the government on...

July 10, 2024
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