October 2022

Iceland, Netherlands and Denmark have the best pensions in the world in 2022

Today, Mercer and the CFA Institute released its 14th annual Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index (MCGPI). Iceland’s retirement income system has once again topped the list, with The Netherlands and Denmark retaining second and third places respectively in the rankings. As more employers have stepped away from defined benefit (DB) plans, the study also investigates the challenges and opportunities with the global shift towards defined contribution (DC) plans where individuals bear increased financial responsibility. The MCGPI is a comprehensive...

UK. Bank of England Announces Extra Steps to Help Pension Funds

The Bank of England announced extra measures on Monday to support pension funds hit by the sharp falls in U.K. government prices in recent weeks. The Bank, which had set up a 65 billion-pound ($72 billion) liquidity facility to keep the Gilt market functioning at the end of September, said it will increase the daily limit for the auctions at which it has bought Gilts for the last two weeks. The Bank has been sparing in its purchases so far, buying...

US. Young versus old will define fight over public pensions

The market rout is exposing the vulnerability of U.S. public retirement programs and plannin The firestorm among U.K. pension funds is a wake-up call for their peers across the Atlantic. The end of an era of cheap money is exposing an industry that’s chronically underfunded and overexposed to market turbulence. Imagine a meeting of executives of a typical public pension fund following last quarter’s rout. Chief investment officer: 2022 has been brutal. Sixty percent of our fund is invested in equities, they’re...

Abu Dhabi Pension Agency: Employers are obligated to register citizens within 10 working days of their joining the service

By The Bharat The Abu Dhabi Pension Fund has called on the employers registered with it not to delay in registering the new employees who have joined them. He stressed that registering and subscribing to the fund on behalf of citizens working in the public and private sectors is a mandatory procedure for all employers that have their headquarters in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, within the framework of complying with the requirements of the fund and the retirement law...

UK. Bank of England says pension funds were hours from disaster before it intervened

The Bank of England told lawmakers that a number of pension funds were hours from collapse when it decided to intervene in the U.K. long-dated bond market last week. The central bank’s Financial Policy Committee stepped in after a massive sell-off of U.K. government bonds — known as “gilts” — following the new government’s fiscal policy announcements on Sept. 23. The emergency measures included a two-week purchase program for long-dated bonds and the delay of the bank’s planned gilt sales, part...

US. Study Finds Millennials Are Less Likely to be Secure in Their Retirement

New research from the Pension Research Council shows job rates, marriage and home ownership down for early millennials. Millennials may have a harder time maintaining their standard of living due to a variety of factors, according to research from the Pension Research Council at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. At a glance, there is reason for both pessimism and optimism. Among early millennials, male labor force participation is down from past generations, with 89% of men...

UK Pension Fund Near-Collapse Is A Warning For America’s Pensions

Autor: Edward Siedle Around the world, there are millions of workers and retirees who are counting upon pensions set up by corporations and governments to provide for their retirement security. These individuals believe they have been “promised” certain benefits and that promises made will be kept. Unfortunately, many pensions are severely underfunded, i.e., not enough money has been set-aside to pay benefits promised. Further, the money in these pensions is all-too-often grossly mismanaged—what I refer to as “gross malpractice generally practiced.” That’s...

German cabinet approves €300 energy relief payment for pensioners

The German cabinet has approved a one-time payment in December for pensioners to provide relief for rising energy bills. The €300 payment is to be paid out by December 15th, Labour Minister Hubertus Heil, of the Social Democrats, said on Wednesday following the cabinet meeting. The cabinet also decided on a higher upper limit for people with so-called midi-jobs, which is a type of marginal employment in between a mini-job (which is generally exempt from taxes and social contributions) and...

Leadership and sustainability: are they mutually exclusive?

As investors, we find ourselves facing a dramatically changed macroeconomic backdrop and a raft of potentially systemic risks which threaten our collective future. How do we balance our role as stewards of our clients’ money with our obligations as sustainable investors? It is a leader’s primary responsibility to provide direction, pace, and clarity of purpose. Furthermore, a leader must address conflicting priorities, make uncomfortable decisions and be prepared to deal with the consequences. A leader is also ultimately responsible for ensuring...

UK. LDI Fallout Will Spur Pension Funds to Seek Life Sector Arrangements

The sudden need for pension funds to put up large amounts of extra collateral due to tumbling gilt prices will lead more UK defined-benefit pension funds to favour pension risk transfer deals with life insurers over liability-driven investment (LDI) arrangements with asset managers, Fitch Ratings says. The rapid drop in gilt prices following the UK’s ‘mini-Budget’ on 23 September led to a sharp increase in collateral requirements from many LDI funds as derivative contracts protecting against lower interest rates moved...