August 2021

Why it is important to start pensions early

Young savers and the self employed saw the largest proportional increases in financial vulnerability during the pandemic, rising by more than 40 percent, according to the Financial Conduct Authority. Since young people are now more likely to be much less comfortable retiring than their parents, it is important to start preparing for retirement sooner rather than later. Advice firm Purely Pensions has warned that savers in their 20s could lose more than £21,000 at retirement if they put off making contributions...

Running the numbers: How each generation is saving for retirement

Many workers are struggling with financial security, made even more pronounced by the COVID-19 pandemic – though most are still saving something for retirement, according to the report, Living in the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Health, Finances, and Retirement Prospects of Four Generations by the nonprofit Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies (TCRS), in collaboration with Transamerica Institute. 82 percent continue to contribute A majority (60 percent) of the 3,109 workers surveyed had to make one or more adjustments to their finances due to...

45% of Singaporeans surveyed have not started planning for retirement

This was more apparent in the younger demographic (aged below 35), a survey has noted. Reasons include: 20% of plan to rely on their spouse or family members for it, and 61% are confident they will have sufficient funds for it. More details here. One in three Singaporeans (39%) are worried they will not have enough funds for retirement, yet not many are acting on it, a recent report by Endowus has found. In particular, this was seen more in respondents...

US. Pandemic Puts Secure Retirement at Greater Risk for Many

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an outsize effect on people 50 and older: Not only did it impact older adults’ health more severely than younger ones, but it also forced many into early retirement and prompted others to take withdrawals from their savings earlier than they had planned. "The prospects of a secure retirement for millions of workers will be even more precarious following the pandemic, and more Americans of all ages will need to rely even more on Social...

How COVID-19, politics have impacted Latin America’s private pension fund industry

Assets under management held by Latin America’s private pension fund managers have trended higher, reaching US$659bn last year. Growth, albeit slower than in previous years, was eked out in 2020 amid the COVID-19 economic fallout. Nevertheless, the number of contributors fell. Read also Finland tops global pension rankings These managers – known in private pension fund trailblazer Chile as AFPs – are key drivers of economic development, typically investing in company stock, government debt and infrastructure bonds. Read also The Origins of ESG...

UK. Pandemic widens pensions pot gender gap

The gender pensions gap grew to nearly £200,000 this year as the Covid-19 pandemic took a heavy toll on women’s finances, according to new analysis. The difference between the average pension pots of men and women aged over 55 grew to £184,000 in 2021, or £26,000 more than the previous year, according to research published this week by more2life, an equity release provider. Around one-third of women who took part in a UK-wide survey that was part of the analysis said...

Young Americans Are Saving For Retirement Sooner

Need some good news about American retirement? A recent survey by the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies looked at how retirement savings behaviors and expectations have evolved during the Covid-19 pandemic. Some of its findings were grim. Six in 10 respondents said they were concerned about their mental and physical health while the median respondent had just $5,000 in emergency savings. Yet there were also glimmers of hope. More than 80% of respondents saved for retirement during the pandemic, in either employer-sponsored...

Sustainability, not size, is vital for growth

Research into economic growth has a long and distinguished history, but the recent introduction of sustainability into the debate has given the field a necessary and overdue shake-up. In particular, a report on the economics of biodiversity, commissioned by the UK government and led by Partha Dasgupta of the University of Cambridge, represents a tectonic shift in thinking, rather than only a logical extension of previous growth models. While this may be unsettling to some, it provides a great...

Access, participation and income: The state of retirement plan coverage in the U.S.

A study from The Inclusive Wealth Building Initiative starkly illustrates the gulf between those employees with access to an employer-sponsored retirement plan and those who participate—and, perhaps unsurprisingly, much of that participation depends on income levels. The Initiative, a project of The Economic Innovation Group, derived its data from various surveys, including the Census Bureau’s Survey of Income and Program Participation and the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ National Compensation Survey. The study also used the 2019 Current Population Survey’s Annual...

Asia vast savings can bring on an ‘age of sustainability’

Insurance companies, pension funds, and other institutional investors in Asia and the Pacific can pave the way to a resilient and sustainable future. The recent global public health crisis has revealed that economies can no longer afford to return to old ways of doing things. But there could be a silver lining in a coming “age of sustainability” in Asia and the Pacific that can get countries growing strongly again. Reaching this new age, however, will require greater use of insurance...