July 2022

US. Private equity allocation helps public pension plans

U.S. public pension plans had 11% of their assets invested in private equity, and 89% had some amount allocated to the asset class, according to the American Investment Council's 2022 Public Pension Study. Public equity and fixed income, combining for 68%, had the largest share. The median 10-year annualized private equity return among public pension funds that the AIC examined was 15.1%. This return was better than other major asset classes, such as public equities' 11.8%. However, recent performance has slipped....

UK. Cost of living puts pension freedoms gains in jeopardy

Inflation worries and the fear of running out of money are putting the gains from pension freedoms at risk. A report from independent actuaries AKG found that while advisers believe there has been an evolution in how people save for retirement since pension freedoms came into force in 2015, the current crisis is putting progress in this area under strain. Published in partnership with Abrdn and Scottish Widows, the report included a survey of 2,000 consumers and 100 advisers, along with...

SSNIT reveals huge disparity among pensioners: Highest pension is GH¢142,000, while lowest is GH¢300 monthly.

The top ten highest paid pensioners in Ghana receive between GH¢142,567.90 to GH¢42,187.83 every month whilst the lowest on the scheme receive between GH$300 and above, the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has revealed. The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT or the Trust) is a statutory public institution charged under the National Pensions Act, 2008 (Act 766 as amended by Act 883) with the administration of Ghana's Basic National Social Security Scheme. Its mandate is to cater...

US. Biggest Investor Worries Are Inflation and Recession Risk

Top retirement income concerns for investors are inflation and recession anxiety, a new report reveals. The Alliance for Lifetime Income and CANNEX research from the “Protected Retirement Income and Planning Study” found that four out of five U.S. workers age 45 to 75 cited concerns that high inflation will reduce their spending power in retirement (81%) and that a recession will drive the economy downward and may reduce the amount of retirement income they can expect (79%). Retirement income anxiety is...

UK pensions insurance deals to rise more than 25% in 2022-adviser

Britain is likely to see around 35 billion pounds ($41.62 billion) in pensions buy-in and buy-out deals in 2022, up more than 25% from 2021, consultants Hymans Robertson said on Wednesday. Such deals involve offloading the risk of company defined benefit, or final salary, pension schemes to an insurer. Pensions' funding positions have improved following government and central bank stimulus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making such deals cheaper for some companies, industry specialists say. The deals remove balance sheet risk for...

U.S. Seniors Worried About Inflation in Retirement

Four out of five Americans age 50+ say they are worried about inflation in retirement, according to a new survey from F&G. This feeling is even more acute among pre-retirees (84%) vs. 76% of retirees. The survey also revealed 71% of Americans are worried about a recession and 66% are worried about rising healthcare costs. The survey also found that Americans age 50+ are considering various approaches to mitigate their retirement worries likely due to the current economic climate. Sixty-two percent...

Proposal to step up economic security for pensioners in Bahrain

Bahrain's new Parliament will study a proposal to step up economic security for retired people.The services committee had finalised the proposal and submitted it to the Parliament bureau but it wasn’t submitted for review by outgoing MPs during their last session, said its chairman Ahmed Al Ansari yesterday.Parliament elections are due later this year and the new MPs will review the proposal during their first session. The proposed law aims to establish an economic protection system for retirees who have served...

Australia’s biggest pension fund braces for prolonged slowdown

Australia’s largest pension fund sees the global economy struggling for about two more years as businesses and households adjust to tighter monetary and fiscal policies. Investors have been conditioned to think that market pullbacks are a short-term phenomenon but the current crisis is different, according to Mark Delaney, chief investment officer of the A$260bn ($175bn) pension giant AustralianSuper Pty. “It takes 12 months to two years for tighter monetary policy to impact on the economy – and monetary policy is just...

Three-fifths of European employees want additional pensions advice from employers

Almost three-fifths (58%) of employees across Europe showed high or very high interest in accessing professional advice on managing their pensions via their employer, according to research from Alight Solutions. The Retirement perception index, undertaken in partnership with the University of Granada, was carried out among 2,400 employees in businesses across multiple sectors in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands, exploring employees’ awareness, confidence and interest in their national pension system, and their interest in additional support...

Pension Funds Forge Ahead With Sustainable Investing, Despite Politicization

Even as sustainable investing becomes a political football, pension funds and other asset owners in Europe and North America are adopting sustainable investment practices for their portfolios, according to a study by Morningstar Indexes. The “Voice of the Asset Owner” survey was based on 14 interviews with asset owners. They generally saw investing using environmental, social, and governance metrics “as a core element of investing rather than a specialist niche,” according to the study. The respondents said their use of ESG...