April 2022

France. Macron is now ‘back-pedalling’ on ‘brutal’ pension plans, Le Pen ally says

President Emmanuel Macron is “back-pedalling” in his offer to soften his planned pension reform to seduce voters but would still execute his plans if re-elected, the head of France’s far-right Rassemblement National party Jordan Bardella said on Tuesday. Campaigning in France’s former industrial heartland, Macron on Monday said he was prepared to readjust his planned pension reform, which is at the core of his programme for re-election. Read also The Danish Pension System: Design, Performance, and Challenges “I am ready to change...

US. New York pension leaders back calls for less fossil fuel financing

New York pension officials on Monday said they will support shareholder resolutions filed at major banks seeking quick cuts to financing of new fossil fuel development, pushing climate issues to the fore of another springtime shareholder meeting season. Shareholders should support resolutions filed at Bank of America Corp, (BAC.N) Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) and four other banks "in order to mitigate the systemic risks posed by unfettered climate change," according to a statement sent by a representative of New...

Pinbox gets seed capital from ADB Ventures to expand micro pension coverage in India

ADB Ventures, a platform of Asian Development Bank, has provided seed funding to Pinbox for expanding micro pension coverage in India. Read also Kenya. Pensions raise investments in offshore, private equity Pinbox works to address friction and accessibility challenges in delivering micro pension and insurance solutions to underserved informal sector workers, ADB Ventures said in a statement. It provides a ready-to-deploy micro pension technology platform globally to governments and regulators who are seeking to expand pension and insurance coverage .. Read also Australia....

US. Corporate Pension Risk Minimization Is Going to Become Increasingly Inefficient, Says JPM Strategist

US. Corporate Pension Risk Minimization Is Going to Become Increasingly Inefficient, Says JPM Strategist

Corporate pensions are better funded than ever, according to a new study released by JP Morgan. The data shows that the top 100 corporate pensions in the United States have finally surpassed the average funded levels achieved pre-2008. The average top-100 corporate plan today is 96.4% funded. Currently, over 70% of the plans studied were at their highest-funded levels ever since the Great Recession. Read also US. Retirees less worried about financial risk than younger people But the strategies that work...

Kenya. Pensions raise investments in offshore, private equity

Kenya. Pensions raise investments in offshore, private equity

Pension funds have raised their offshore and private equity investments threefold in the past two years, underlining the push for income diversification from equities and property whose returns have contracted. The funds raised their offshore investments from Sh6.32 billion in 2019 to Sh19.4 billion at the end of last year, the latest industry data from the Retirement Benefits Authority (RBA) shows. Private equity (PE) investments meanwhile went up from Sh969 million to Sh2.96 billion in the period. While alternative investment classes...

Retirement Plan Participants Want Their Investments to Make a Difference

Retirement Plan Participants Want Their Investments to Make a Difference

Plan sponsors might consider building an investment lineup to meet the growing demand for sustainable options from defined contribution retirement plan participants. Nearly three-quarters (74%) of retirement plan participants said they would increase their contribution rate if offered sustainable investments, compared to 69% in 2021, according to the Schroders 2022 U.S. Retirement Survey. They said they want their investments to be aligned with their values (87%), and that they see environmental, social and governance investments as a driver of performance...

Russia: Have investment trends shifted irreversibly?

Russia: Have investment trends shifted irreversibly?

It has been six weeks since Russia sent troops into Ukraine, beginning what is perhaps the largest ground conflict in Europe since Germany declared war on France in 1940. Already this has changed the world immeasurably, as well as sending shockwaves through the markets. Read also Germany set for bumper pension hike amid inflation surge As the west has grouped together to impose crippling sanctions on the Kremlin’s elite, businesses have turned away from Russia, causing their economy to haemorrhage. The decision to...

US. America's Senior Homeless Population is Growing as More Retire on Streets

US. Senior Homeless Population is Growing as More Retire on Streets

Karla Finocchio's slide into homelessness began when she split with her partner of 18 years and temporarily moved in with a cousin. The 55-year-old planned to use her $800-a-month disability check to get an apartment after back surgery. But she soon was sleeping in her old pickup protected by her German Shepherd mix Scrappy, unable to afford housing in Phoenix, where median monthly rents soared 33% during the coronavirus pandemic to over $1,220 for a one-bedroom, according to ApartmentList.com. Finocchio is...

UK. Benefits and state pension increase outpaced by rising prices

UK. Benefits and state pension increase outpaced by rising prices

A 3.1% rise in the state pension and various benefits has now taken effect but charities have warned it fails to tackle cost of living pressures. Official figures show that prices are rising twice as fast, and they are expected accelerate further. Read also UK. Can retirement savers make their pension greener? The government said it recognised people's difficulties and was helping. Late last year, ministers decided to temporarily cut the state pension's link to average earnings, which would have led to an...

Australia. Two pathways for super funds to address longevity risk

Australia. Two pathways for super funds to address longevity risk

Addressing longevity risk in the Retirement Income Covenant (RIC) is a tougher nut to crack for superannuation funds than its mandate for funds to mitigate investment and inflation risk to retirement savings. Speaking to Money Management, Challenger’s general manager, institutional partnerships, Simon Brinsmead, said this was because it was the only risk that funds needed to balance that existed outside of the accumulation phase. “Why this is significant is because you've got around about 700 people retiring every day now, so...