September 2023

Lessons From Japan And Italy On Managing The Aging Population

Japan and Italy are geographically distant and have evolved separately over the centuries, but they share several similar traits, including a rich culinary tradition, strong cultural values, breathtaking historical sites — and, more recently, an ageing population. More than one in 10 people in Japan are aged 80 or older. Beyond that, about 29 per cent of its 125 million people are 65 or older, the highest in the world ahead of Italy (24.5 per cent) and Finland (23.6 per...

US. Workers’ expectations about choosing when to retire unrealistic – study

Pre-retirees may have unrealistic expectations about how long they will stay in the workforce, according to a new research report released Sept. 28 by nonprofit Transamerica Center for Retirement Research in collaboration with Transamerica Institute. Two-thirds of workers age 50 or older (66%) expect to retire after age 65 or do not plan to retire at all, an expectation inconsistent with reality as the majority of retirees (58%) retired before 65, the study found. More than half of retirees, 56%, retired...

Striking US auto workers want their pensions back, apart from higher wages

On picket lines around the country, auto workers aren’t just demanding higher wages. They want to get back their once-sacred retirement pensions. While United Auto Workers (UAW) members who were hired prior to the 2008 financial crisis have pensions, those brought on since have received 401(k) plans instead. The union is demanding the auto companies provide pensions for new employees and those who currently lack them. “We need to do something, because right now, if you came in after '07, you...

Pension Savings Are an Emerging UK Political Battleground

Nothing says an election is looming more than a raft of proposed policies that have been collecting dust on think tank shelves for years . UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt has been dropping heavy hints of reforms and enhancements targeted at Conservatives’ core voters — namely people who follow changes in pensions and savings. The underlying theme is Buy UK equities. Hunt will seek to address getting UK savers to stop hoarding cash and making it easier for...

Longevity Risk: Retirees and Pre-Retirees Fear Declining Finances and Deteriorating Health in Older Age

Fewer than one in four age 50+ workers and retirees are very confident they will be able to maintain a comfortable lifestyle throughout their retirement (17%, 23%, respectively), according to Life in Retirement: Pre-Retiree Expectations and Retiree Realities, a new survey report released by nonprofit Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies® (TCRS) in collaboration with Transamerica Institute®. "Retirement brings freedom and time for pursuing personal passions. Our research finds that retirees are happy, purposeful, and have a positive view of aging. However, many...

Kenya. 11,000 Retired Teachers Yet to Be Awarded Their Pension 27 Years Later

Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung'u on Wednesday assured teachers and lawmakers that the government is entering homestretch when it comes to clearing dues owed to some 11,000 retired teachers who are yet to be paid their pension 27 years later. While appearing before MPs, the Treasury Cabinet Secretary told lawmakers that although the government released Ksh16 billion in May to settle unpaid teachers' pensions dating back to 1997, the funds were insufficient to pay all the claims. According to Prof. Ndung'u,...

Experts urge social protection for gig workers amidst growing digital economy

The rise of gig work makes it important that workers be given social protection since they may not have access to pensions, health insurance or unemployment benefits. Till the world comes up with a perfect definition for gig work, experts at the Asia-Pacific Social Protection Week organised by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), between September 26-28 in Manila, Philippines, were of the opinion that it would do well to take care of gig workers. Not only it is the smart...

Comparing ESG regulation globally remains elusive – report

Comparing global regulatory demands on ESG funds will continue to be elusive, according to a regulatory update from ISS ESG published Sept. 21. Experts at the Institutional Shareholder Services' sustainable investment arm reviewed current and proposed regulations in the European Union, U.K., U.S., Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan, and surmised "that navigating the emerging regimes will remain a challenge for the foreseeable future," the 2023 Global Regulatory Update said. It noted that two major sustainability reporting standards were finalized in 2023:...

UK pensions pull back from private equity

The steady increase in UK interest rates since the start of last year has resulted in improved funding ratios for the plans that comprise this $1.67tn pool of capital, allowing them to move money out of buyout and venture capital funds and into less risky assets, according to several pension system managers and consultants. Traditional pensions have been a mainstay source of capital to sponsored funds for decades, but changed market conditions since last year have caused that flow to...

Ghana. Financial sector assets see 95% growth

The nation’s financial sector assets’ value in nominal terms has almost doubled – recording a growth of 94.96 percent between the end of 2017 and 2022; a period marked by sector clean-ups, the COVID-19 pandemic, Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP) as well as recapitalisation of institutions in the sector. This was contained in the Ghana Financial Stability Review dubbed ‘Managing financial stability risks in the midst of a difficult macroeconomic environment and Domestic Debt Exchange Programme’, released by the sector’s...