November 2023

US Corporate Pension Funding Status Keeps Climbing

The funding status of U.S. corporate pension plans increased in October, largely due to a reduction in liabilities stemming from an increase in discount rates, which were offset by negative investment returns. According to some trackers, pension funding status is at its highest point in decades. Funding Status Increases Fueled by High Interest Rates According to WTW’s pension finance tracker, U.S. corporate pension funding is at its highest level since mid-2001, with the funding ratio of WTW’s benchmark plan increasing 1.1...

Malaysia. Pension system needs upgrading as nation heads towards ‘super-aged society’

MALAYSIA is undergoing a significant demographic shift towards an ageing population.  The World Bank has projected that with 14% of the population aged 65 and above by 2044, it will officially be an “aged society”. By 2056, Malaysia is expected to become a “super-aged society”, with over 20% of its population in that category.  While this brings challenges in areas such as employment, income security and aged care, the shift also presents economic opportunities, particularly in the field of aged care services.  Meanwhile,...

Ghana. GMA demands retirement salary for members, improved conditions of service

The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) is demanding that government put in place measures that will ensure all of its members continue to receive a salary even after retiring. The President of the Association, Dr. Frank Serebour tabled the demand at the 65th General Meeting of the Association on Monday, November 13. In his address, Dr. Frank Serebour said the conditions of service of doctors must also be improved. “We need to be protected from workplace hazards, we need to be given accessible...

Austrian pension funds to lose 7.5% in asset value due to climate risks

The value of assets in the portfolios of Austrian pension funds would decrease by approximately 7.5% in the event of an unexpected increase of the price of CO2 emissions through additional taxes to make fossil fuel investments less attractive, according to a stress test conducted this year by the by Austria’s Financial Market Authority (FMA). This is an improvement from last year’s test showing a 10% loss in asset value. Read also German government drafts law to reform second pillar pension system This year’s...

US. UAW goes all in on building Cadillac DC plans for members

The United Auto Workers' talks last month with Ford, General Motors and Stellantis concluded without the long-shot reopening of the "Cadillac" defined benefit plans that union executives had targeted. Instead, the union won enough concessions to make members' defined contribution plans a plausible alternative for securing a comfortable retirement. Analysts say the surprisingly strong deal the UAW secured in those talks from U.S. automakers for member 401(k) accounts could elevate the prominence of DC-related demands in future collective bargaining talks. The...

UK pension funds step in to build affordable homes

The UK’s pension funds are increasingly stepping in to build affordable homes as the housing crisis worsens. Pension Insurance Corporation (PIC), a specialist insurer of defined benefit pension schemes, is the latest to enter the market. It is building 125 affordable homes in Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, in partnership with the developer London Square and its affordable housing subsidiary, Square Roots The £50m project, which is due to be completed by November 2025, is backed by a £4.9m grant from the...

Kenyan Aging Study Aids Sub-Saharan Africa’s Population Shift

The population of Africa is the youngest in the world-but that is expected to change rapidly in the coming decades. Over the next three decades, the proportion of older Africans will triple across the continent. This population will nearly quadruple in Kenya, one of the most rapidly aging countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. And yet demographers report that robust longitudinal data to address the economic and health-related consequences of this demographic transition are largely missing. The Longitudinal Study of Health and Ageing in Kenya (LOSHAK), a...

U.S. Population Will Start Shrinking by 2100, Census Bureau Forecasts

The population of the U.S. will climb to about 370 million in 2080 before reversing course and starting to fall before the turn of the century, according to a new Census Bureau projection. By 2100, the U.S. will have a population of around 366 million people, unless immigration continues to climb each year, in which case the population could reach as high as 435 million, the bureau forecas U.S. House Votes to Censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib Over Israel Stance In the implausible...

UK. DB pension surpluses remain broadly stable

Defined benefit (DB) pension surpluses remained broadly stable during October, registering a slight decrease, but remaining elevated compared with recent years, according to XPS Pensions Group’s latest DB:UK funding tracker. The consultancy's tracker tool estimated that the aggregate surplus of UK pension schemes, when measured on a long-term target technical provision basis, stood at about £184bn on 31 October, which translates into an aggregate funding level of 115 per cent. A moderate 0.1 per cent rise in long-term gilt yields led...

3 Factors That Affect People’s Retirement Planning Decisions

A whopping 95 per cent of respondents “adhere” to their retirement plan, while 54 per cent follow it precisely, and 41 per cent miss out on a few aspects occasionally, according to the PGIM India Mutual Fund Retirement Readiness Survey 2023.   Sixty-seven per cent have a retirement plan in place, while 63 per cent believe they have a comprehensive one. Regardless of a retirement plan, fixed deposits (FD) are the most preferred investment vehicles among the respondents. FDs bagged the top place in the survey, followed...