April 2021
07Apr

UK. Pension communications ‘failing to engage’ more women than men

The FCA's Financial Lives research revealed 60% of women are unaware of the charges on their defined contribution (DC) pension compared to 44% of men, while 57% of women have not reviewed how much their pension is worth in the last 12 months compared to 46% of men. Additionally, 14% of women admitted they do not read their annual statement, more than double the 6% of men who do not read it. More than half of women (53%) did not choose...

April 7, 2021
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06Apr

Japan approves law raising retirement age to 70

By Charles Chau The move is part of an effort to address the country’s falling birthrate and an ageing population, and the consequent labour shortage and rising cost of pensions. Read also New GPIF Board Head Says Fund Isn’t Distorting Japan Stocks The bills give companies five options for retaining older workers: Raising the retirement age. Abolishing the retirement age. Allowing employees to work beyond the age limit. Outsourcing work to retirees as freelancers. Supporting employees who move on to work for non-profits and other entities that...

April 6, 2021
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06Apr

The Post-Pandemic Safety Net

With the United States beset by the COVID-19 pandemic, a deep economic recession, and heightened racial tensions, many observers predicted – some in hope, others resignedly – that the 2020 elections would bring about a significant change in the country’s social contract. Fortunately, they appear to have been right. Proposals to strengthen the welfare state and social safety nets have gone mainstream – and not only in America. I argued back in May 2019 that America was ready for a...

April 6, 2021
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06Apr

US. At what age should you stop saving for retirement?

It’s that time of year. My accountant sent my husband and me a note yesterday asking how much we planned to contribute to our retirement accounts for 2020. Obviously, that makes a difference in our pending tax bill. I sighed. Our contributions are fully deductible since neither of us has an employer-provided plan. But last year was a rocky one for self-employed workers like us, and our budget has been tight. My speaking business came to a screeching halt in...

April 6, 2021
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05Apr

New GPIF Board Head Says Fund Isn’t Distorting Japan Stocks

By Chikafumi Hodo, Emi Urabe Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund, the world’s largest pension pot, considers the impact of its investments on markets and isn’t distorting the country’s stocks, said Hirohide Yamaguchi, the newly appointed chairman of the fund’s board of governors. Yamaguchi, a former deputy governor of the Bank of Japan, said also that it was important to look at the fund’s long-term returns, rather than focusing on the short-term. He spoke in Tokyo at his first press conference since...

April 5, 2021
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05Apr

India. PFRDA revises Investment Management Fees to be charged by pension funds in NPS – Check details

Investment Management Fees charged by pension funds in the National Pension System (NPS) have been increased by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) effective April 1, 2021. The fund management fees which were 0.01 per cent of the asset will now stand increased but will be capped at 0.09 per cent depending on the total asset under management of the pension fund. The revised revenue structure for the pension funds will be a staggered based model, under...

April 5, 2021
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05Apr

US. New PEPs targeting firms without retirement plans

As providers of pooled employer plans scramble to attract sponsors of small- and midsize 401(k)s into their new pooled plans, at least two are taking a different tack. Rather than pursuing employers already offering workers a retirement plan, they're chasing those not offering one at all. Payroll provider Paychex Inc. has already signed up 1,000 such employers into its PEP — a milestone it hit in February, a month after its launch on Jan. 1, said Michael Majors, senior director...

April 5, 2021
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05Apr

US. If You Sell a House These Days, the Buyer Might Be a Pension Fund

A bidding war broke out this winter at a new subdivision north of Houston. But the prize this time was the entire subdivision, not just a single suburban house, illustrating the rise of big investors as a potent new force in the U.S. housing market. D.R. Horton Inc. built 124 houses in Conroe, Texas, rented them out and then put the whole community, Amber Pines at Fosters Ridge, on the block. A Who’s Who of investors and home-rental firms flocked...

April 5, 2021
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01Apr

Europe’s New ESG Rules Create an Opportunity for US Investors

By Hari Bhambra American asset managers with little connection to Europe might dismiss the European Union (EU)’s new sustainable finance regulations as irrelevant to their business. They would be mistaken to do so, however. The regulations will have a tremendous impact on asset managers and firms operating outside the bloc. The EU might be the first to move on sustainable finance regulations, but its objectives are a harbinger of things to come around the globe. To stay competitive in today’s borderless financial...

April 1, 2021
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01Apr

Latin America: A Growing Appetite for Alternative Assets

Preqin has launched its first Latin America-focused report. “Preqin Markets in Focus: Latin America’s Growing Appetite for Alternative Assets” explores the emerging market and trends paving the region’s future in the alternatives industry. With diverse challenges and opportunities unique to the economies and investors in the region, this report reveals how Latin America is leaving the global pandemic behind and expanding further into the world of alternative investments. Read also Guyana. IDB study calls for overhaul of pension system The region’s...

April 1, 2021
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