July 2025

Funded Status of U.S. Corporate Pension Plans Rose Again in June

Strong investment returns for both equities and bonds drove pension fund investments higher and funding levels for U.S. corporate pensions improved in June for the third consecutive month. The funded status of the 100 largest corporate defined benefit pension plans increased to 105.1% from 104.9% and improved by $3 billion in the month, according to Milliman’s June Pension Funding Index. In May, a decrease in liabilities, due to higher bond yields, drove up pension funding. In June, “liabilities actually increased because...

Pension Transfer Delays Put Trust at Risk, Says New PensionBee Report

UK pension provider PensionBee is renewing its call for a legally enforced 10-day pension switch guarantee, warning that long delays and inconsistent processes are causing real harm to savers. Its latest report, Ending Pension Purgatory, reveals that nearly half of consumers found transferring a pension difficult, while three in five said delays were harming their ability to manage their retirement savings. The findings follow earlier research with financial advisers that uncovered widespread frustration with delay, with some transfers taking over a year, and a growing...

A revolution in the pension system is being prepared in Ukraine: what is known about it and how much payments will increase

Ukraine is preparing a large-scale pension reform that will allow citizens to significantly increase their future payments. According to the new model, pensions can be doubled or even tripled by combining three levels – solidarity, accumulative and voluntary. This was stated by the Minister of Social Policy, Oksana Zholnovych, in the program “What about the economy?” . It is noted that in some cases the pension will reach 80% of the previous earnings. The draft law on launching the accumulative system is...

Former Liberation Fighters in South Africa Decry Delays in Military Veterans Pension Payments

Former liberation soldiers are voicing their deep disappointment over the prolonged delays in receiving their military veterans pensions. These ex-fighters, who left their families to battle in foreign lands against apartheid, now find themselves in dire straits, begging for support from the very government they helped bring to power. At least 300 former combatants from the ANC’s Umkhonto we Sizwe, the PAC’s liberation army APLA, and AZANLA from Azapo, applied for their pensions in 2023 but have yet to...

UK. DWP benefits warning as payments could be slashed by 15% in certain scenarios

Universal Credit and Pension Credit are essential sources of financial support for many in the UK. Yet, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) cautions that, in highly exceptional cases, claimants could experience reductions of 5% to 15%. These cuts, called 'third-party deductions', happen when a benefits recipient owes debts like court fines, rent, Council Tax, or energy bills. Usually, deductions are made at a fixed rate until the debt is paid off, with a maximum of three debts being...

South Korea Boomers Having Their Wages Cut for Continuing to Work

South Korea's older workers are facing steep wage cuts and insecure work conditions simply for staying on the job past a certain age—a reality drawing criticism from rights groups. Why It Matters South Korea has one of the highest rates of elderly poverty in the developed world. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), 38 percent of people over 65 live in relative poverty. The nation's "peak wage" system and mandatory retirement policies are pushing many older workers into lower-paid, more precarious jobs, even as...

Swedish pensions reform efforts must heed rise of anonymous owners, says AMF

AMF, Sweden’s second biggest occupational pension fund, has issued a stark warning about the negative effects of the rise of huge passive investment funds on corporate governance in the Nordic country, and said legislators must take this into account when shaping pension reforms. Anders Oscarsson, head of equity and stewardship at the SEK850bn (€76.3bn) pensions institution, said large index funds were increasingly dominating as owners of Swedish companies — a development he said posed a threat to the Swedish ownership...

US. How Much Should You Have Saved for Retirement If You Live To 100

Planning for retirement requires an effective strategy that covers everything, including inflation, long-term healthcare, vacations, debt, the uncertainty of Social Security, taxes, the unexpected and living expenses. What makes it even more challenging is people are now outliving their savings because life expectancy is longer. According to a new survey from Allianz Life, 64% of Americans, mostly Gen Xers, worry more about not having enough money to cover their lifetime than they worry about dying. While many fear about running out of...

UK. DC pensions continue to back Net Zero despite ESG backlash

Barnett Waddingham’s latest DC Sustainability Report finds a 34% increase in allocations to funds with a climate target in the growth stage since original 2021 report. Despite this, providers have on average 35% of growth assets exposed to investment managers who have stepped away from climate collaboration initiatives. Misalignment between UK DC schemes and global asset managers on sustainability requires a strategic shift to ensure ESG ambitions are fulfilled.     Against the backdrop of anti-ESG sentiment among many global institutional investors,...

Eiopa calls for stricter supervision of liquidity risk at pension funds

The EU pensions regulator has issued binding guidance requiring national supervisors to oversee liquidity risk at institutions for occupational retirement provision (IORPs) more closely, citing margin call risks, asset fire sales and the need for proportionate stress testing and liquidity buffers. The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (Eiopa) concluded that better supervision of liquidity risk management across institutions for occupational retirement provision (IORPs) was necessary to preserve financial system stability and ensure pension schemes could meet their obligations. In...