October 2025
06Oct

India. A new rival to mutual funds? NPS reform opens 100% equity, early-exit plans for seniors

The National Pension System (NPS) has entered a new chapter of flexibility and choice with the rollout of the Multiple Scheme Framework (MSF) by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). The reform allows investors to align pension savings with personal financial goals — introducing multiple investment tiers, earlier exit options, and equity exposure of up to 100%. Under the MSF, non-government subscribers can now choose between low-, moderate-, and high-risk options, breaking away from the traditional uniform model. The...

October 6, 2025
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06Oct

Nigeria. ‘Financial literacy key to unlocking pension market’

Nigeria’s pension industry stakeholders have stressed the need for a renewed national focus on financial literacy as a major catalyst for deepening pension participation and unlocking the economic potential of the growing micro-pension market. Parthian Pensions Limited, one of the newly-licensed pension fund administrators (PFAs), said an improved understanding of the contributory pension system (CPS) is crucial to bringing millions of informal sector workers into the formal savings net and boosting long-term funds available for investment in the economy. Speaking at...

October 6, 2025
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03Oct

UK and European pension funds laying the groundwork for VC surge

UK and European pension funds are laying the groundwork to become a more significant source of venture capital (VC) funding, according to a report from Venture Connections, European Women in VC and Pensions for Purpose, with Nordic pension funds the most active, despite growing momentum in the UK. The report, Mapping Pension Funds Attitudes to Venture & Growth in Europe, suggested that pension funds have the chance to help savers benefit and support long-term economic renewal, estimating that while only...

October 3, 2025
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03Oct

How ChatGPT Could Transform Your Retirement Planning for the Better

ChatGPT is ready for your retirement planning questions. It can provide answers on subjects such as deciding when to collect Social Security, estimating medical costs, and choosing which retirement accounts to tap first to minimize taxes. But should you trust artificial intelligence (AI) with your retirement planning? Here's what financial experts say. ChatGPT Can Lack Critical Thinking First off, ChatGPT doesn’t use critical thinking.1 For that, you’ll need a human financial advisor. “Remember that AI doesn’t currently think critically or form new ideas. It finds existing ideas...

October 3, 2025
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03Oct

Frailty in ageing populations worsened by air pollution, global review finds

Air pollution increases the likelihood of people becoming frail in middle and old age, according to an international review of studies. People are living longer and, while this is often painted as a challenge to healthcare systems, it is also something to celebrate. There are many opportunities to increase the quality of life in old age, maximise independence and minimise the amount time spent being ill. Dr Zahra Jafari, from Dalhousie University and coauthor of the review, said: “Frailty is a critical health outcome...

October 3, 2025
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02Oct

US. Amid Higher Funded Status, Pension Plans Consider Their Options

The assets of the 100 largest corporate defined benefit pension plans rose by $8 billion in August to $1.29 trillion, and the funded ratio of DB plans increased for the fifth consecutive month to 106.2%, according to data from Milliman. “[The current level of funding] is a significant milestone in the DB space, as the surplus funding gives plan sponsors more options for how to proceed with their plan, whether they want to continue operating their plan on a [liability-driven investment]...

October 2, 2025
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02Oct

Ghana ban on foreign investments for pension funds is counterproductive, funds say

Ghana's ban on its pension funds from offshore investments is curtailing their ability to hedge risks, executives said, as authorities seek to jumpstart the domestic bond market in the wake of its sovereign debt restructuring. The government in Accra blocked funds from putting workers' cash into offshore investments last year after concluding a restructuring of its local and foreign debts which decimated its local debt market - once a destination for major international asset managers like Franklin Templeton. The ban was designed to reduce pressure on...

October 2, 2025
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02Oct

US. How Government Shutdown affects benefits & retirement

With a possible government shutdown looming, federal employees and retirees are asking questions of how it affects their pay, leave and annuity payments. Below are a some frequently asked questions from the Office of Personnel Management’s most recent Guidance for Shutdown Furloughs. Federal Benefits 1. What happens if agency employees responsible for processing Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) or Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) transactions are furloughed? A. Agencies will continue to process FEHB and FEGLI transactions during a lapse in appropriations....

October 2, 2025
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02Oct

Pension funds should invest in venture capital for climate benefits, argues report

Large European pension funds could support the development of new sustainable and digital products by investing in venture capital, argues a report by industry networks Venture Connections, European Women in VC and Pensions for Purpose. Pension funds could “channel billions into climate tech” and are “uniquely positioned to match the long timelines of the energy transition”, Pensions for Purpose chair and founder Karen Shackleton tells Sustainable Views. If European pension funds allocated 5 per cent of existing private equity investments to...

October 2, 2025
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02Oct

Calls to reform Australia’s pension age as labourers consider early retirement due to injury

In Australia, the pension age was lifted from 65 to 67 in 2023. For some manual workers, it's a physical struggle to continue working until 67. "For some, 67 is an achievable and even desirable pension age," said Professor Gary Martin, workplace specialist at the Australian Institute of Management. "For others, the road there is far more demanding." Carpenter and labourer Paul Quealy has some advice for young tradies. A man in a blue short-sleeved shirt, visor and tinted glasses with a dark patch...

October 2, 2025
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