November 2017

28Nov

Brazil. Ministry Sees Risk of Recession if Pension Reform Bill Is Not Approved

A report conducted by the Planning Ministry assesses that if the pension reform bill is not approved by next year, the country will face yet another recession in 2019. The payment of pensions is the federal government's biggest expense. In order to tackle an ever-increasing deficit – which, according to official numbers, will reach R$ 184 billion (US$ 57 billion) by the end of the year – the federal government will be forced to take out further loans in order...

November 28, 2017
News, Slider
Read more...
28Nov

S. Korea. State pension fund grows sharply over 30 years

South Korea's state-run pension fund has posted exponential growth since its inception about 30 years ago, but it still has a long way to go in order to serve its intended purpose, analysts said Tuesday. South Korea adopted the state pension program in 1988 to guarantee income for the elderly after retirement, and to provide coverage for disabilities and surviving family members. According to data from the National Pension Service, the number of subscribers to the National Pension Fund came to...

November 28, 2017
News, Slider
Read more...
28Nov

US. Changes, trends and best practices for 401k administration in 2018

Whe new year won’t bring significant changes to 401k plans, experts say, which means it’s the perfect time for employers to boost their financial education efforts. Employees who are stressed about finances have lower productivity. And, when workers don't retire because they can't afford to, employers are faced with a talent logjam that creates high healthcare costs and a brain drain when those workers leave. These phenomenons have, in recent years, led employers to take various actions, from offering flexible...

November 28, 2017
News, Slider
Read more...
28Nov

Brazil stocks fall on pension reform jitters

Brazilian stocks fell on Monday as traders feared the government might have to weaken pension legislation further to ensure its approval in Congress. President Michel Temer's administration agreed last week to soften its controversial plan to streamline the social security system after facing strong opposition from lawmakers. That proposal would generate fiscal savings of about 60 percent of the government's original proposal, down from 75 percent under a previous version. Investors widely see the bill as necessary to curtail rising public...

November 28, 2017
News, Slider
Read more...
27Nov

Can Tech Tools Help Millennials Avoid A Looming Retirement Crisis?

Regardless of their age, background or investment philosophy, advisors agree on one thing: Technology is changing the way they do business. Ask them about their client communication, back-office operations and workflow, and almost every advisor will start by marveling, "There have been so many advances in recent years," as one planner recently put it. Tech tools enable them to allocate their time better so that they can concentrate on listening to clients and helping them address current financial challenges...

November 27, 2017
News, Slider
Read more...
27Nov

Pension scheme trustees urged to prepare for imminent EU regulation

Although the regulation is not expected to impact trustees directly, it is thought that new rules for brokers and asset managers may affect UK pension schemes’ current contractual relationships. The EU legislation is designed to offer greater protection for investors while injecting more transparency into all asset classes, taking effect on 3 January 2018. Sacker & Partners LLP have identified several steps trustees should be taking now, which include: 1) Obtain an LEI number – this can be done at the London Stock...

November 27, 2017
News, Slider,
Read more...
27Nov

China. Fintech energizes real economy

Chinese financial technology or fintech firms are expected to lead industry innovation and facilitate growth of small and medium-sized enterprises or SMEs in the Asia-Pacific region, said an executive of a leading Chinese fintech company. Tang Ning, founder and CEO of Beijing-based CreditEase, said tremendous development opportunities await fintech firms as well as peer-to-peer or P2P lenders in the next decade despite a stricter regulatory environment. After more than 10 years of development, China's fintech has entered the world's top league....

November 27, 2017
News, Slider
Read more...
24Nov

Brazil. Even the Watered-Down Version of the Pension Reform Lacks Backing

One day after President Michel Temer held a dinner meeting, in an attempt to gather political strength to pass the government's pension reform bill, Temer's allies are rather pessimistic concerning government's interests. Although the bill has been watered down, congressmen claim "nothing will change" regarding parliamentary support, unless the current government campaign succeeds in reducing public rejection of the reform. "Most party leaders attended dinner, but their 'followers' didn't join them. I asked: 'What happened, did you lose the strength of...

November 24, 2017
News, Slider
Read more...
24Nov

Australia. Criminals rorting millions from welfare system from behind bars

More than 20,000 jailed criminals have been busted illegally claiming a total of more than $16.5 million in taxpayer-funded benefits. The Herald Sun can reveal the federal government has been conducting sweeps of the nation’s prisons over the past four years to identify those criminals receiving benefits behind bars. It already costs taxpayers $110,000 to keep one prisoner locked up for a year. While inside, they are not allowed to receive welfare payments — but many fail to inform Centrelink that they have...

November 24, 2017
News, Slider
Read more...
24Nov

Ireland. Government needs to pursue a proper pension investment strategy

At a time the economy was booming, the National Pension Reserve Fund was established in 2001, taking up a proposal by Prof Philip Lane to plan ahead for future growth in the numbers of pensioners. The numbers aged over 65 are set to more than double by 2046, according to CSO projections. The share of the population over 65 will also rise rapidly in coming decades from 13 per cent of the population in 2011 to between 25 and 30 per cent of...

November 24, 2017
News, Slider
Read more...