September 2019

Australia. A simpler system would be super

In the past year, reports by the Productivity Commission and the banking and financial services royal commission have prompted intense and commendable consideration about the direction of Australia’s retirement and savings policies. Superannuation should not be as cruelly complex as it is. While the system’s basic concept is elegant – providing workers with a compulsory employer-paid super contribution equivalent to at least 9.5 per cent of salary – the confounding rules, layers of costs, tax benefits and snags are...

Japan’s public pension fund to hike investment in foreign bonds

Japan's Government Pension Investment Fund plans to expand its investment in foreign bonds. The move has been prompted by increased difficulty in managing funds in Japanese government bonds due to the Bank of Japan's negative interest rate policy. The expected increase in foreign-bond buying by one of the world's largest institutional investors may impact the foreign exchange market. The GPIF wants to change its asset management plan so that it can treat foreign bonds as domestic bonds if they...

Japan. Investors Await Naming of CIO at World’s Largest Pension Fund

Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund will likely announce next week whether its chief investment officer will continue to manage the monolith’s $1.48 trillion in assets. Hiromichi Mizuno, whose term will end on Sept. 30, captained sweeping changes to the investment strategy of the world’s largest pension fund over the past five years. He became the GPIF’s first CIO in January 2015, overseeing the fund’s shift to stocks from domestic debt, while advocating assets that incorporate environmental, social and governance...

73% of Americans Lack Financial Confidence in Retirement

Retirement can be a daunting prospect, since it generally involves moving from a steady paycheck to a fixed income. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of Americans lack financial confidence with regard to that milestone. Only 27% of U.S. adults are very confident about their ability to maintain financial stability in retirement, according to TIAA's 2019 Lifetime Income Survey. If you're not one of them, here are three important things to do today. 1. Know what to expect from Social Security Many people worry about...

Australia. Super and pension budget measures in firing line of retirement review

The next increase in compulsory superannuation and a string of budget savings measures that have crimped retirees' incomes will be investigated in the first comprehensive review of the nation's retirement income system in 30 years. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on Friday released the terms of reference for the inquiry, which will cover the age pension, voluntary savings including the family home, aged-care funding, franking credits and the role of the powerful $2.9 trillion superannuation industry. The wide-ranging review would examine...

Danish Pension Funds Sign $52 Billion Green Pledge

Denmark’s private pension fund industry is banding together in a pledge to invest more than 350 billion Danish kroner ($51.7 billion) in green assets by 2030. The goal is to help reduce the country’s carbon dioxide emissions by 70%. The investments will be in energy infrastructure and other green activities such as green shares, green bonds, and investments in energy efficient construction. According to Insurance & Pension Denmark (IPD), the country’s pension trade association, the Danish pension industry...

Fear of Retirement Poverty Drives Japanese to Private Pensions

Japanese households are rushing to private retirement products after a government report fueled fears that the national pension system won’t be enough to support them during old age. SBI Securities Co. and Monex Group Inc. have seen applications for defined contribution pension plans surge since the report was released in early June. The document, published on the Financial Services Agency’s website, sparked angst after showing that a couple in their sixties may need as much as 20 million yen...

UK Expat pensioners advised to protect healthcare rights prior to Brexit

Over 3 years after the referendum the NHS anticipates problems in the 6 months following Brexit With the political scene in London appearing to be entering further turmoil following the Supreme Court’s ruling that Boris Johnson’s prorogation of parliament was unlawful, there have at last been furtherrecommendations this week from Her Majesty’s Government regarding how expats in Spain and the rest of the EU, particularly pensioners, should prepare to protect their healthcare rights in the event of a no-deal...

Pension Insurance Market: Development History, Current Analysis and Estimated Forecast to 2026

The report titled “Pension Insurance Market” offers a primary overview of the Pension Insurance industry covering different product definitions, classifications, and participants in the industry chain structure. The quantitative and qualitative analysis is provided for the global Pension Insurance market considering competitive landscape, development trends, and key critical success factors (CSFs) prevailing in the Pension Insurance industry. Historical Forecast Period 2013 – 2017 – Historical Year for Pension Insurance Market 2018 – Base Year for Pension Insurance Market...

EU. Pensions Inadequacy: The High Fees Often Charged By European Pension Providers Prevent Many EU Citizens From Enjoying A Decent Retirement

For the seventh year in a row, BETTER FINANCE embarked on the herculean task of gathering all the data on private pensions in 17 EU Member States and published its annual report on the real net returns of long-term and retirement savings in Europe. Despite the fact that the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) have a legal duty to collect, analyse and report data on “consumer trends” in their respective fields, the “Pension Savings – The Real Return” Report remains...