November 2022

UK. FCA reveals £49m redress scheme for British Steel pensions

Financial advisers to pay about £45,000 a worker to 1,000 staff who received unsuitable advice More than 1,000 former members of the British Steel pension scheme who received unsuitable advice from financial advisers accused of “enriching” themselves will receive an average payout of £45,000 in compensation. The City watchdog on Monday launched plans for a scheme that seeks to compensate those who had not yet received redress after being given poor pension transfer advice when British Steel fell into financial hardship. The...

US. Blackboxes Within Blackboxes: Cryptocurrency In Your State Pension

The recent collapse of the global cryptocurrency markets has exposed many previously hidden dangers related to these blackbox investments. Growing secrecy at our nation’s public pensions has turned these retirement plans into blackboxes themselves. Public pension officials have agreed to be kept in the dark about how much they’re poised to lose in cryptocurrency investments and aren’t eager to acknowledge the losses resulting from their gambling in crypto. No one knows for certain just how much blackbox cryptocurrency blackbox...

The countries with the oldest populations

Declining birth rates, rising divorce rates and increasing life expectancy are among the many factors changing demographics around the world. In fact, many countries are experiencing an overall aging population. According to a 2019 World Bank study, the following countries have the oldest populations. Bulgaria Just over 21% of Bulgarians are aged 65 and over, which contributes both to the general aging of the population and to one of the fastest depopulation in all of Europe. As a result of the...

70% of Hong Kong banking customers not satisfied with their online experience

Consumer confidence in digital banking has risen strongly in past two years – but large majority would trust 'Big Tech' with their finances at least as much as a bank. Hong Kong consumer confidence in digital banking is rising but trust is no longer a bank monopoly, according to a new Asia-Pacific focused Bank of the Future survey from Capco, the global technology and management consultancy. Capco surveyed 707 Hong Kong consumers to gauge their attitudes to banking services at a...

Innovation in ESG Investing

There has never been a better time to invest based on environmental, social and governance principles. Institutional asset owners are benefiting from a menu of ESG strategies, products and capabilities that is bigger than ever before. Innovation by asset managers and increased regulatory pressure is driving ESG investing forward. Most asset owners, 85%, believe that ESG factors are material to investment policy, while 70% say ESG factors have become more material in the last five years, according to the Voice...

Malaysia. Concerns over raising the retirement age

THE call for Malaysia to increase the retirement age, due to its ageing population and high number of citizens with insufficient savings, has grown louder as the Covid-19 pandemic has further eroded their savings. There are also suggestions to offer fixed term contracts, incentives for higher contributions towards savings as well as to increase the overall remuneration for employees and improve their financial literacy. Most Malaysians rely on their Employees Provident Fund (EPF) savings to sustain their expenses after retirement. The recent...

U.S. Visions of early retirement may sway some to save more

Employers looking to spur their employees to save more for retirement might want to consider enticing them with the prospect of retiring early. It's a motivator that displayed encouraging early promise for the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, the administrator of the federal government's $720 billion Thrift Savings Plan. In an initiative to coax its participants to contribute more to the plan, the FRTIB last year sent participants personalized communications that detailed how much more they would need to save each...

U.K. Pension savers ‘lost £1.7 billion on retirement transition

New research from HSBC Tomorrow Master Trust shows workplace pension scheme members are losing around £1.7 billion a year during their transition into and in retirement, due to savers choosing costly pathways to access their money. While some of this loss comes from scheme members withdrawing more than the 25% tax-free lump sum, exposing them to hefty tax penalties, many are potentially buying products that are not the optimal solution for their circumstances. The research was commissioned for a report Converting...

Ranked: The World’s 100 Biggest Pension Funds

Despite economic uncertainty, pension funds saw relatively strong growth in 2021. The world’s 100 biggest pension funds are worth over $17 trillion in total, an increase of 8.5% over the previous year. This graphic uses data from the Thinking Ahead Institute to rank the world’s biggest pension funds, and where they are located. What is a Pension Fund? A pension fund is a fund that is designed to provide retirement income. This ranking covers four different types: Sovereign funds: Funds controlled directly by...

41% of U.S. women expect to retire at age 70, older or not at all: survey

Two-fifths (41 per cent) of U.S. women say they expect to retire at age 70 or older or don’t plan to retire at all, according to a survey by the Harris Poll on behalf of the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies. Among women who plan to work past age 65 or who don’t plan to retire, 81 per cent cited financial reasons. Nearly half (45 per cent) said they expect to rely on self-funded savings or investments in retirement, while...