May 2021
07May

Dutch government think tank wants more flexible pensions

The Centraal Plan Bureau (CPB), a Dutch government think tank, has proposed Dutch workers save less for their pensions so they can increase their liquid financial buffers. The CPB has criticised the “lack of flexibility” of the Dutch pension system in a new policy brief. “More flexibility in the way Dutch pensions are being accumulated would be beneficial given the low levels of liquid assets of Dutch households,” the think tank said. A quarter of households with more than €100,000 in...

May 7, 2021
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07May

4.8 million South Africans have unclaimed benefits worth R42 billion

About 4.8 million South Africans have unclaimed pension benefits, according to the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA). The unclaimed pension pot is worth R42 billion. Millions of, perhaps, cash-strapped people may not know how to claim what is rightfully theirs. Africa Melane asked Kabelo van der Merwe (Project Lead of Unclaimed Benefits at Liberty) how to find out if you are one of the 4.8 million, and how to claim if you are. If you want to check if you are the beneficiary...

May 7, 2021
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06May

U.S. corporate pension funding inches up in April – 3 reports

Funding ratios for U.S. corporate pension plans increased in April, according to reports from Wilshire Associates, Legal & General Investment Management America and Mercer. All three firms noted strong equity markets as the primary driver for the increases, partially offset by a decrease in discount rates leading to rising liability values. Wilshire's monthly report said U.S. corporate pension plans' aggregate funding ratio rose 0.6 percentage points to 92.9% in the month ended April 30. The change was the result of a...

May 6, 2021
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06May

Almost half of Swiss workers choose early retirement

On Tuesday, the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) reported External linkthat in 2019 between 40-50% of people started receiving their pension from their so-called second pillar before the legal retirement age - 65 for men and 64 for women. Men tend to make this choice more than women – 46% compared to 40%, respectively. The Swiss pension system is complex, and is based on three so-called pillars: old-age and survivors’ insurance (known as the AVS), occupational pension planning (often referred to as...

May 6, 2021
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06May

US birth rate falls 4% to its lowest point ever

The American birth rate fell for the sixth consecutive year in 2020, with the lowest number of babies born since 1979, according to a new report. Some 3.6 million babies were born in the US in 2020 - marking a 4% decline from the year before, found the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics. The slump was seen across all recorded ethnicities and origins, according to the findings. The national picture mirrors a decline in...

May 6, 2021
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06May

Germany hatches plan to attract green investment capital

The German government is planning a new green financing strategy to steer capital towards environmental projects and developing Germany into a leading hub for sustainable finance, plans seen by Reuters show. The so-called Sustainable Finance Strategy plan lists 26 individual measures and is due to be adopted by the cabinet on Wednesday with a view to mobilising investment for climate protection projects. "The federal government wants to develop Germany into a leading location for sustainable finance," states the plan, which is...

May 6, 2021
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05May

UK. Pension funds urged to help UK reach net zero climate goals

Pension funds must set a target of net zero emissions for their investments if the UK is to meet its climate goals, influential figures in climate activism have urged. Many people are unaware of whether their pensions funds are invested in fossil fuels or high-carbon activities, and even companies that have publicly committed to reaching net zero emissions may have pension fund investments that are still wedded to high-carbon businesses. As the UK prepares to host the UN climate talks Cop26...

May 5, 2021
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05May

Canadian pension officials hailed as climate champions

Two Canadian pension fund officials were hailed Tuesday by the British High Commission and the Canada Climate Law Initiative as Canadian climate champions for their efforts to move Canada to net-zero emissions. The list of 26 champions includes Barbara Zvan, the inaugural president and CEO of the University Pension Plan, Ontario, and Kim Thomassin, executive vice president and head of investments in Quebec and stewardship investing for the Caisse de Depot et de Placement du Quebec. Last July, Ms. Zvan was...

May 5, 2021
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05May

BBC Africa Eye uncovers grand corruption in Nigeria’s pension pot

A new investigation by BBC Africa Eye into pensions in Nigeria has uncovered an unfair and corrupt system which leaves some elderly people sick and penniless, with government workers soliciting extra payments before paying out pensions, people arbitrarily being declared ‘dead’ and having to prove they are alive before their pension is reinstated, and politicians being offered outrageous retirement packages. The five month investigation began when Africa eye was approached by Obaji Akpet – a reporter / producer from Cross...

May 5, 2021
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05May

UK. FCA proposes Pension Wise nudge for DC savers

In a consultation today, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) today proposed that providers will need to go further than the current signposting in a bid to improve take-up of the free guidance service. Consumers would see appointments made for them, if requested, although they will not be mandatory after MPs on several occasions voted against the idea, believing it could be seen as a tick-box exercise, as opposed to a beneficial part of the process. Upon deciding, in principle, how to...

May 5, 2021
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