September 2021

Uber to pay pensions to all its UK drivers, backdated to 2017

Uber is to pay out millions of pounds in missed pension payments to UK drivers dating back as far as 2017 under a deal with the retirement savings watchdog. The ride hailing company was forced to guarantee its 70,000 UK drivers a minimum hourly wage, holiday pay and pensions in March this year after a landmark supreme court ruling over their employment status. Couriers for the group’s UberEats food delivery service are not included in the deal. On Friday, Uber said...

Zimbabwe: Nssa to Increase Pension Payouts

National Social Security Authority (NSAA) is set to review pension payouts by between 25 and 30 percent with effect from October 1, 2021, in line with the roadmap of periodic reviews announced by Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Professor Paul Mavima. The minister made the pledge to periodically review payouts during engagements with pensioners' representatives in the first half of the year. Pensioners under the Pension and Other Benefits Scheme (POBS), had their pay-outs reviewed by 30 percent, subject...

US. New Bill Aims to Solve for the Retirement Plan Coverage Gap

Congressman Jim Himes, D-Connecticut, and Senator Mark Warner, D-Virginia, have introduced the Portable Retirement and Investment Account (PRIA) Act of 2021, designed to provide a retirement savings vehicle to Americans who don’t have access to one. Read also US. Stock Market Helps State Pension Debt Hit 10-Year Low, But Crisis Still Looms Large The legislation would establish a Portable Retirement and Investment Account (PRIA) Fund and a board responsible for establishing regulations for the fund. The bill says the board will...

Dutch pension funds can retain buffers in new DC system

Dutch pension funds that opt for the so-called flexible arrangement in the new pension system will be allowed to have buffers, according to a revised draft version of the new pension law that’s yet to be discussed in parliament. Under the original version of the law, only pension funds opting for the so-called “solidary pension arrangement” were allowed to retain buffers. This prompted a demand from several company pension funds that prefer the more individual “flexible pension arrangement” to also...

UK. DWP underpaid state pensions to the tune of £1bn

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) underpaid 134,000 pensioners in state pension to the tune of £1bn, according to new figures from the National Audit Office (NAO) “Repeated human errors over many years” was cited as the reason for the underpayment. Read also UK. Guy Opperman reappointed as pensions minister The NAO said some level of error in the processing of state pension claims was almost inevitable given “the complex rules and high degree of manual review necessary” when assessing them. Read...

When phased retirement could work out

Retirement doesn’t have to be a drastic cut from a full-time job to no job at all. You may still want to work, just not as much — especially if you aren’t financially ready to retire. The gradual reduction of hours known as “phased retirement” could be the answer, and it can be achieved either through an official policy at your employer or in a more informal fashion. In fact, 45% of U.S. workers envision reducing their work hours in a phased...

CDCs could be the new annuities, say regulators

Collective defined contribution schemes could become a popular alternative to annuities if their risks can be contained, according to the Pensions Regulator and Financial Conduct Authority. Speaking at a Work and Pensions Committee hearing this morning, David Fairs, executive director at The Pensions Regulator, said CDC schemes had many advantages over defined contribution schemes and in future could be rolled out to multiple employers and master trusts, hence become the new pension product of choice for many. CDCs are a half-way...

Nigeria: Challenging Times for PFAs

The Contributory Pension Scheme administered by the PFAs has since inception, 17 years ago, recorded some achievements as well as met obstacles. In this report, Ebere Nwoji takes a look at the performance of the scheme in the face of the down turn in Nigeria's economy. The Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) regime in Nigeria was established by the Pension Reform Act 2004 amended in 2014, which put the Management of pension fund in the hands of private Organisations called Pension...

Chilean President presents Reform proposal that taxes profits to finance better pensions for the poor

Chile’s government plans to remove a series of tax exemptions, including one on securities trading, to help finance an increase in pensions for the poor. Read also Puerto Rico House to Unveil Bond-Cutting Bill Next Week: Speaker The pension reform, which will cost the government about $1.1 billion a year, was presented to Congress Monday for immediate discussion, President Sebastian Pinera said in a video address posted on his Twitter account. Read also CDCs could be the new annuities, say regulators The tax...

US. Milliman: Pension risk transfer premiums fall for second straight month

Pension risk transfer premiums fell slightly for the second month in a row in August, a study by Milliman showed. According to a report of the Milliman Pension Buyout index, the estimated buyout cost as a percentage of accounting liabilities (accumulated benefit obligation) was 102.2% as of Aug. 31, down from 102.3% as of July 31. That month's premium was down from 102.4% as of June 30. Meanwhile, the average annuity purchase rates among the most competitive rates remained steady in...