May 2019

08May

Croatian Unions Urge Minister to Quit over Pensions Adverts

Mladen Novosel, the chairman of the Union of Autonomous Trade Unions of Croatia, called on Tuesday for Labour Minister Marko Pavic to step down for “systematically telling untruths related to pension reform” via a series of televised advertisements. Unions also accuse the government of spending much more on the advertisements to promote its controversial reform of the pension system than the minister has told the public. “For sure, today we can talk not about two, nor four, but about...

May 8, 2019
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08May

French insurance sector pension fund announces investment in Scientific Beta low carbon multi-factor indices

Scientific Beta, the smart beta index provider, and SACRA, a pension fund for the French insurance sector, have announced the launch of two low carbon multi-factor indices for the US and Eurozone regions. This move comes as part of SACRA's reorganisation of the management of its equity portfolio. The US equity portfolio, and part of the Eurozone equity allocation, are now invested to track the two multi-factor indices from Scientific Beta. In addition to seeking higher long-term financial returns...

May 8, 2019
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08May

Ireland. State pension: lack of clarity criticised as changes delayed

Irish workers close to retirement are calling for clarity on the proposed new State pension system after the Government failed to meet a number of deadlines set under reform plans. In its Roadmap for Pension Reform the Government said it would finalise the design of a new total contributions approach by the end of 2018 and bring forward the scheme’s legislation by the end of March 2019. Having missed both these deadlines, workers are increasingly concerned about the number of...

May 8, 2019
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07May

Higher Risk Not Translating to Similar Returns for U.S. Pensions

U.S. state and local pensions have taken on riskier asset allocations in recent years, though the rate of return is paling compared with the higher risk according to Fitch Ratings in a new report. State and local pension plans have steadily increased their allocations to equities and alternatives such as real estate, private equity, hedge funds and commodities over the last several years. Asset allocation to both equities and alternative investments rose to 77% in 2017 from 67% in...

May 7, 2019
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07May

Australia Pension Giant Doubles Down on Push for Woman Directors

BAustralia’s largest pension fund is doubling down on its campaign for more women on boards. With almost all of the top 200 listed companies now having at least one female director, AustralianSuper Pty is raising the bar and pushing for at least two women board members, said Andrew Gray, director of ESG and stewardship at the Melbourne-based fund. That puts more than a quarter of companies in the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index in the A$154 billion ($108 billion) fund’s...

May 7, 2019
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07May

Ghana’s pension authority now has the power to prosecute companies that don’t pay their employees’ pensions

The threat of prosecution comes after the Attorney General recently gave the pensions regulator prosecutorial powers to go after companies that default in their workers’ tier-2 pensions. The National Pensions Act 2008, Act 766, established a three-tier pension scheme consisting of three levels of contributions. The mandatory first tier is remitted to Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) with the tier-two, which is equally compulsory, paid on workers’ behalf by employers and managed by Private Pension Service Providers....

May 7, 2019
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07May

The Five Pillars Of A Sound Retirement Plan

In the past, many retirees counted on pensions and Social Security as the pillars of a sound retirement. Now, there are five pillars future retirees should take into account when creating a solid plan for retirement. Estate Planning The first pillar of a sound retirement plan is estate planning. Estate planning is all about creating your own rule book versus relying on the government's rule book. If you've never put together a plan to avoid probate, both while you're...

May 7, 2019
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07May

UK. Investors back pension comparison app

Age Wage, a new defined contribution comparison service, is en route to double its funding target after receiving £305,600 from more than 400 investors. On March 18 the fintech company launched a crowdfunding campaign through investment platform Seedrs to raise £175,000 to create the infrastructure around the DB comparison product, with the technology behind it already in place. Henry Tapper, chief executive of Age Wage, announced yesterday (May 6) that the company has almost doubled its target after it...

May 7, 2019
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06May

Ghana. Pensions regulator to ensure about 11m informal sector workers have pension schemes – CEO

The National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA) has said that it is working on new policies to ensure that the more than 10 million workers in the informal sector are able to access a pension scheme. The current three-tier pension system does not favour the informal sector in that most workers do not have a regular source income like salaries which is a major factor that inhibits their contribution to a pension scheme. Thus, workers in the informal...

May 6, 2019
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06May

Greece unveils bill to help millions who owe tax and pension arrears

By Ian McKenna Greece unveiled draft legislation on Sunday intended to provide relief to millions of Greeks with tax and pension contribution arrears, offering discounts to amounts owed and stretching out payment plans by up to 120 monthly installments. The country’s leftist government, trailing the conservative opposition in opinion polls before national elections due in the autumn, is keen to show its social sensitivity to those facing difficulty paying their accumulated dues. “Our plan helps those who are struggling...

May 6, 2019
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