March 2017

The State of State Teachers’ Pension Plans

As teachers across the country retire, their pensions are being subsidized by newly hired teachers to a surprising degree. Teachers’ pension plans have always rewarded long-serving veterans at the expense of short-termers. But now, as more and more plans develop shortfalls, states have been imposing cost-cutting measures, and recent research shows that the newest hires are bearing the brunt of the changes, raising questions of fairness. The Plans Received Low Marks The Urban Institute has graded America’s state-run pension systems on...

US: GM to Take on $3 Billion in Debt to Fund Pensions Moved to Peugeot

General Motors expects to raise about $3 billion in debt to fund pension obligations it plans to transfer to Peugeot as part of the sale of its European business, said finance chief Chuck Stevens. The US auto maker on Monday said it had agreed to sell its European operations, including its Adam Opel AG subsidiary, for about $1.4 billion, withdrawing from a region where it hasn’t made a profit in more than 15 years. The company has European pension liabilities of...

Long-Term Disability: Forgotten Risk to Retirement Income

Drains on retirement income abound. That’s natural in the course of daily life. But one of them — long-term disability — is largely unheralded, despite its being less than rare, argues a recent analysis. In “Addressing the Risk of Long-Term Disability on Retirement Income,” an article appearing in the Journal of Pension Planning & Compliance, David Kaleda, Emily See and Matt Schoen argue that long-term disability is a “hidden threat” to millions of workers’ retirement security. The root of the...

Arcadia to double pensions payments as Sir Philip Green charts comeback

Sir Philip Green’s Arcadia Group is to double its top-up payments to its pension scheme, in another step in the billionaire businessman’s bid to regain credibility. Arcadia, the parent company of high street brands such as Topshop and Dorothy Perkins, plans to increase its annual payments into the scheme from £25m to £50m in order to tackle the fund’s deficit. The latest figures showed Arcadia’s deficit was around £190m, but a revaluation process which happens every three years and is currently...

Nigeria: Organized labour tackles Government over conflicting pension law

The leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) have threatened showdown with Ebonyi State Government over conflicting pension legislation being considered by the Ebonyi State House of Assembly. The two labour centres expressed the concerns via a joint letter dated 21st February, 2017, sent to Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi state and co-signed by Ayuba Wabba, NLC President and Boboi Kaigama, TUC President, respectively. The unions in the letter which was also sent to the Secretary to...

Ireland: Pension schemes called to step in and close gap in green energy

Eyebrows may have been raised worldwide by Donald Trump's selection of oil-drilling advocate Rick Perry as his energy secretary, and of climate-change sceptic Scott Pruitt as head of the Environmental Protection Agency. But, these and other fossil-fuel-friendly picks may actually lead to investment opportunities in renewable energy and sustainable natural resources. Any drop in funding from political sources represents an opportunity for investors to bridge the gap. As a result, Mr Trump's election and his climate-change-sceptic cabinet may increase the role...

World’s Biggest Pension Fund Posts Record $92 Billion Gain

The world’s biggest pension fund posted the biggest quarterly gain in its history as Japanese stocks surged and a plunge in the yen boosted overseas investments after Donald Trump’s election victory. The Government Pension Investment Fund returned 8 percent, or 10.5 trillion yen ($92 billion), in the three months ended Dec. 31, increasing assets to 144.8 trillion yen, it said in Tokyo on Friday. Domestic equities added 4.6 trillion yen after the benchmark Topix index recorded its best quarterly performance...

Macron takes aim at pension reform, lawmakers, in campaign manifesto

Presidential challenger Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said he would root out inequalities in France's pension system, sell government stakes in major firms and downsize parliament as he sought to silence critics who say his bid is thin on substance. Macron, a former investment banker running as an independent centrist, is favorite to win the unpredictable race in a May runoff against far-right leader Marine Le Pen. Macron owes some of his status as frontrunner to a financial scandal plaguing his other...

Hundreds of thousands drift towards costly pensions tax trap

Almost a year after the reduction of the pension lifetime allowance to £1m, growing numbers of workers risk tax shocks because they are unknowingly on course to exceed this limit. Workers in their 40s and 50s with previous final salary type pension benefits are most at risk. Rising stock markets and baffling rules make it hard for people to appreciate the danger. Despite calls to scrap the lifetime allowance, which has been called a tax on good investment performance, the Government...

Top 4 retirement saving ideas

It's America Saves Week, an annual reminder for us all to put good savings habits into practice. Wondering where to start? We asked over 1,000 401(k) investors in our latest DC Pulse Survey . Here are their top retirement saving tips-and advice on how to make them your own. 1. Don't wait until it's raining to fix the roof. Confidence in retirement savings is up 64% compared to last year's survey , in part, because recent investment performance has been relatively...