October 2017

China. Revised rules to benefit pensions

China released revised regulation on securities insurance and underwriting on Tuesday that gives insurance funds priority to subscribe to new shares offline, a move to benefit the public and improve market-oriented stock pricing. The revised regulation said at least 40 percent of new shares placed offline should first seek public offering funds, social security funds, and basic pension funds, according to the official website of Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council. It added that a certain proportion of new shares...

Global Funds Eye Australia’s $1.8 Trillion Pension Pool

More global fund managers are setting up shop in Australia, drawn to the nation’s A$2.3 trillion ($1.8 trillion) pension savings pool and new local investment opportunities. THL Credit Inc., an alternative credit manager based in Boston, said in September that it hired a director in Australia. New York-based credit hedge fund GoldenTree Asset Management opened an office in Sydney last month after appointing a local managing director. Oaktree Capital Management, which already manages Australian pension money, headed Down Under last...

Nigeria. Contributory Pensions Scheme Vs Pension Reform Act 2014 Amendment: A Preamble

It is clear from the One-Day public hearing on the multiple bills to amend the Pension Reform Act 2014 at the House of Representatives in Abuja on Thursday 28 September, that important stakeholders in the pensions sector, namely, the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigeria Employees Consultative Association, Securities and Exchange commission, National Pension Commission, Nigerian Union of Pensioners and Pension Funds Operators Association of Nigeria, among others, have decided to...

Canada. CDPQ and CKD IM acquire Mexican wind and solar assets of Enel Green Power, for a total capacity of 1,712 MW

La Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), a long-term institutional investor, and CKD Infraestructura México (CKD IM), a consortium of Mexican institutional investors, announced today the acquisition of 80% of a portfolio of eight wind and solar assets owned by Enel Green Power(Enel), a global leader in renewable energy. Following this transaction, Enel will remain the operator and retain 20% of the portfolio. This is a major investment for CDPQ and CKD IM, a group consisting of Mexican pension fund managers...

Why the average retirement age is rising

About half of today’s working-age households will not be able to maintain their standard of living in retirement. Social Security will provide less relative to pre-retirement earnings; 401(k) balances are meager; and half the private sector workforce does not have an employer-sponsored plan. At the same time, with rising life expectancy the number of years spent in retirement has increased dramatically, health care costs are high and rapidly rising, and interest rates are at historic lows. Retirees are in trouble. Three...

Here’s How Much the Average 40-Something American Has Saved for Retirement

By the time you reach your 40s, there's a good chance you'll have had about 20 years of working experience under your belt. And that means you should, ideally, be in a decent place as far as your retirement savings go. Unfortunately, a large number of American 40-somethings are already behind on building their nest eggs. They need to start catching up immediately. Among U.S. households headed by someone aged 44 to 49, the average retirement savings balance is $81,347,...

Nobel in Economics Is Awarded to Richard Thaler

Richard H. Thaler was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science on Monday for incorporating a more realistic understanding of human behavior into economic theory, and for using the resulting insights to improve public policy. Professor Thaler, an economist at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, is a pioneer of the discipline known as behavioral economics, which marries the work of psychologists with that of economists to produce better models of human decision-making. The Nobel committee, announcing the...

Saving the Next Billion from Old Age Poverty. Global Lessons for Local Action

This Book Project is the first of a series of initiatives by pinBox to jumpstart a global dialogue and collaborative action on pension inclusion across Asia, Africa and Latin America. The Book presents the policy outlook, past efforts and planned interventions by several developing countries as well as thematic chapters on the key principles and issues in design and implementation of inclusive pension arrangements. This book was realeased on October 12 on the pinBox Digital Micro-Pension Inclusion Roundtable 2017 For more information...

UK. Thousands of families and pensioners at risk of repossession as government scraps crucial mortgage benefit

Thousands of pensioners face potentially losing government help with mortgage payments when the system changes in six months time, an insurance firm has warned. People are being left in the dark over key changes to Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) due to come into effect in 2018, Royal London claimed. The SMI is currently paid as a benefit direct to a lender to cover interest payments on mortgages, but from April this is replaced by a loan that the firm...

US. Ballot measure would strip pensions from corrupt lawmakers

For years, New York lawmakers convicted of abusing their power and sent off to prison had at least one thing to look forward to: a generous state pension. That practice could come to an end in November when voters will be asked whether to change the state constitution to authorize judges to strip pensions from corrupt politicians. Top lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo have argued the change will act as a powerful deterrent in a state where 30 state...