July 2017

20Jul

The US is losing ground when it comes to retirement security

All your retirement dreams can come true, just maybe not in the U.S. Among the leading nations for retirement security, the United States didn't even crack the top 15, according to the 2017 Global Retirement Index by Natixis Global Asset Management. Europe, however, continued to dominate the top spots, with Norway at No. 1 for the second year in a row, followed by Switzerland and Iceland. Sweden ranked No. 4 and New Zealand rounded out the top 5, Natixis reported. With more...

July 20, 2017
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20Jul

Have Americans’ Retirement Benefits Been Slashed?

Ben Steverman of Bloomberg reports that “Employers cut their contributions to workers' retirements by a quarter from 2001 to 2015…The biggest driver: the decline of traditional defined-benefit pensions, replaced by stingier, 401(k)-style, defined-contribution plans.” According to a survey by the firm Willis Towers Watson, employer contributions to retirement plans fell from 9.1 percent of worker pay in 2001 to just 6.8 percent in 2015. Just another day in the ongoing retirement crisis, right? In fact, federal government data show...

July 20, 2017
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20Jul

UK. State pension age to increase seven years earlier than planned

Britons born between 1970 and 1978 will have to wait an extra year, until they are 68, to claim their state pension, the government has announced. David Gauke, the work and pensions secretary, announced the controversial rise for about 7 million people in their late 30s and early 40s just before the House of Commons breaks up for its summer recess. The move implements the findings of a review by the former CBI director general John Cridland, published in March, which...

July 20, 2017
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19Jul

US. GOP again hits federal retirement in latest budget plan

The House budget proposal released Tuesday continues Republican efforts to cut federal employees’ compensation by making them pay more for retirement benefits. Saying they seek “reforms to civil service pensions to put them on a better fiscal path,” the spending plan released by the House Budget Committee calls on staffers “to make greater contributions to their own defined benefit retirement plans.” While the Republican’s “Plan for Fiscal Responsibility” did not provide details, it echoes previous proposals, including one offered by President...

July 19, 2017
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19Jul

Nigeria. Social Rights Project challenged to prove pension allegation

The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi, on Tuesday issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Social-Economic Rights Accountability Project (SERAP) to prove he still receives pensions. He said SERAP must make public details or proof of pension and any other remuneration alleged to be enjoyed by him from the Ekiti State government since leaving office as governor of the state in 2014. He said in the alternative, the SERAP should publicly apologise to him for including his name...

July 19, 2017
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19Jul

EU Commission concerned about living standards for future generations

Despite the better economic news, the risk remains that the younger generations will have less well than their parents, finds the European Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs Marianne Thyssen. Presenting the Annual report on employment and social developments in Europe on Monday, Thyssen presented the situation on the European labor market, a decade after the outbreak of the financial crisis. EU’s labor market looks rosy again, while the unemployment rate is the lowest since December 2008 and employment has never...

July 19, 2017
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18Jul

US. Kroger to contribute $1 billion to bolster underfunded pension plan

Kroger Co. KR, -0.59% disclosed in a filing Monday that it will contribute up to $1 billion to pension plan, which it believes the "significantly" address the underfunded position of the plan. The supermarket chain said it plans to fund the contribution by issuing debt. The said certain participants' benefit balances will be distributed out of the plan, by way of a transfer to other qualified retirement plan options or a lump-sum payout. The company expects a one-time expense...

July 18, 2017
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18Jul

Ireland. Investors using their pension pots to back property investment

INVESTMENT levels in Northern Ireland's commercial property sector appear to be on the increase again after a slow start to the year, as the funding options for those seeking to invest also expand. After falling by more than a half to £213 million across 2016, the latest market forecasts suggest that figure could be surpassed in the third quarter of this year alone, with over £200m worth of deals that are currently being negotiated expected to complete over the summer...

July 18, 2017
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18Jul

US. Microsoft raises 401k contribution matching to help retain employees

Advisors say that to retire, employees should save up to 15% of their salaries each year. With a program like the 401k setup, workers are encouraged to put pre-tax money into the savings with an optional contribution from their employers for a long term solution. However, some have been unhappy with the results. The 401k plan that many employers offer to its workers has been undergoing a shift in the last year. During 2016, many companies have been adjusting how...

July 18, 2017
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18Jul

Chart of the Week: A Golden Aging for Vietnam?

Vietnam’s demographic dividend is fast turning into a handicap. For decades, working-age Vietnamese made up an expanding share of the population, boosting economic growth and helping to keep retirement and health spending in check. That changed in 2013. While the southeast Asian nation’s population of 92 million is still relatively young (the median age is 26), it is graying quickly. Birth rates are falling, and life expectancy is rising. This phenomenon is by no means unique to Vietnam. The problem is...

July 18, 2017
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