October 2025
03Oct

Frailty in ageing populations worsened by air pollution, global review finds

Air pollution increases the likelihood of people becoming frail in middle and old age, according to an international review of studies. People are living longer and, while this is often painted as a challenge to healthcare systems, it is also something to celebrate. There are many opportunities to increase the quality of life in old age, maximise independence and minimise the amount time spent being ill. Dr Zahra Jafari, from Dalhousie University and coauthor of the review, said: “Frailty is a critical health outcome...

October 3, 2025
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02Oct

US. Amid Higher Funded Status, Pension Plans Consider Their Options

The assets of the 100 largest corporate defined benefit pension plans rose by $8 billion in August to $1.29 trillion, and the funded ratio of DB plans increased for the fifth consecutive month to 106.2%, according to data from Milliman. “[The current level of funding] is a significant milestone in the DB space, as the surplus funding gives plan sponsors more options for how to proceed with their plan, whether they want to continue operating their plan on a [liability-driven investment]...

October 2, 2025
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02Oct

Ghana ban on foreign investments for pension funds is counterproductive, funds say

Ghana's ban on its pension funds from offshore investments is curtailing their ability to hedge risks, executives said, as authorities seek to jumpstart the domestic bond market in the wake of its sovereign debt restructuring. The government in Accra blocked funds from putting workers' cash into offshore investments last year after concluding a restructuring of its local and foreign debts which decimated its local debt market - once a destination for major international asset managers like Franklin Templeton. The ban was designed to reduce pressure on...

October 2, 2025
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02Oct

US. How Government Shutdown affects benefits & retirement

With a possible government shutdown looming, federal employees and retirees are asking questions of how it affects their pay, leave and annuity payments. Below are a some frequently asked questions from the Office of Personnel Management’s most recent Guidance for Shutdown Furloughs. Federal Benefits 1. What happens if agency employees responsible for processing Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) or Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) transactions are furloughed? A. Agencies will continue to process FEHB and FEGLI transactions during a lapse in appropriations....

October 2, 2025
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02Oct

Pension funds should invest in venture capital for climate benefits, argues report

Large European pension funds could support the development of new sustainable and digital products by investing in venture capital, argues a report by industry networks Venture Connections, European Women in VC and Pensions for Purpose. Pension funds could “channel billions into climate tech” and are “uniquely positioned to match the long timelines of the energy transition”, Pensions for Purpose chair and founder Karen Shackleton tells Sustainable Views. If European pension funds allocated 5 per cent of existing private equity investments to...

October 2, 2025
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02Oct

Calls to reform Australia’s pension age as labourers consider early retirement due to injury

In Australia, the pension age was lifted from 65 to 67 in 2023. For some manual workers, it's a physical struggle to continue working until 67. "For some, 67 is an achievable and even desirable pension age," said Professor Gary Martin, workplace specialist at the Australian Institute of Management. "For others, the road there is far more demanding." Carpenter and labourer Paul Quealy has some advice for young tradies. A man in a blue short-sleeved shirt, visor and tinted glasses with a dark patch...

October 2, 2025
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01Oct

70m uninsured informal workers pose risk to Nigeria’s economy – Experts

Nigeria is forfeiting a vast pool of long-term savings and investment capital because most of its estimated 70 million informal sector workers are excluded from pension and insurance schemes, financial experts have warned. Speaking at an industry event involving insurance and pension operators in Lagos, the Managing Director of Arthur Stevens Asset Management Limited, Olatunde Amolegbe, stated that failing to capture the informal economy poses a significant economic risk to the country’s financial stability and growth ambitions. Amolegbe said the insurance...

October 1, 2025
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01Oct

Pilots at Germany’s Lufthansa set to strike over pension plans

Pilots at German airline Lufthansa have voted overwhelmingly to go on strike over the company's pension plans, the Cockpit Association said on Tuesday. A spokeswoman for the union said a clear majority of members voted in favour of industrial action, which is set to affect the core Lufthansa Airlines brand and its freight subsidiary Lufthansa Cargo. The strike comes after union representatives and management failed to reach an agreement on pensions for the group's 4,800 pilots. No dates have yet been announced...

October 1, 2025
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01Oct

US. Gig economy helps power economy, but its workers can’t retire

America is fast approaching a historic milestone. By 2027, freelancers will make up more than 50 percent of the workforce, marking a fundamental shift in the U.S. labor market. Yet many of these workers will have no retirement plan. According to the Pew Research Center, only 13 percent of single-person business owners are saving for retirement compared to almost three-fourths of Americans in traditional jobs. That leaves tens of millions of freelancers and independent workers at risk, just as other...

October 1, 2025
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01Oct

Healthy ageing: Are we on track?

The world is ageing at an unprecedented pace. The change in global demography caused by population ageing has been a notable phenomenon in recent times. The global population of people aged 60 and above is expected to increase from 1.1 billion in 2023 to 1.4 billion in 2030. Moreover, the pace of population ageing has been significantly faster than in the past, with an estimated increase in the proportion of older people in the global population from 12% to 22% between 2015 and 2050. Between 1974...

October 1, 2025
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