April 2025

Aviva study reveals critical knowledge gap about UK pensions

New research from Aviva reveals a concerning gap between perceived and actual knowledge around pensions in the UK, reinforcing the need for greater financial literacy and support. Addressing these areas will help bridge the knowledge gap and ensure that more people are prepared for a financially secure retirement. The survey of more than 2000 UK adults uncovered widespread confusion about the basics of pension planning. While more than half (53%) claim to be knowledgeable about pensions, only a third can...

For Most Americans, Going Broke in Retirement Is a Bigger Fear Than Death: Survey

The Allianz Center for the Future of Retirement has published its annual retirement study, finding yet again that a solid majority of Americans say they worry more about running out of money in retirement than they worry about their mortality. Specifically, 64% of survey respondents this year said they worry more about financial destitution in retirement than death. Despite the concern, 62% say they are not saving as much for retirement as they would like, while 54% say inflation contributes to their...

Over Half of Global Pension Funds Exceed Private Equity Allocation Targets

As private markets continue to gain popularity, global pension funds were, on average, above their median target allocation to private equity in the first quarter of 2025. S&P Global Market Intelligence data revealed that the median target allocation across 298 funds across the global was $306.8 million. Yet, the median actual allocation was $330.3 million, resulting in a $23.5 million overallocation. Of the 298 pension funds analyzed, 174 were found to be overallocated to private equity. In particular, California State Teachers' Retirement...

US. New York State Pension Fund Commits $2.4 Billion to Climate Investment Strategies

The New York State Common Retirement Fund, one of the largest public pension plans in the U.S., announced the allocation of $2.4 billion to its Sustainable Investments and Climate Solutions (SICS) Program through investments in three climate-focused investment funds. State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli also announced that the fund completed its annual review of thermal coal, oil sands, shale oil and gas, and integrated oil companies, resulting in new restrictions on investment in eight coal and shale oil and gas...

Brits reject pension gamble, choose stability over high-risk bets

In an era of economic uncertainty and shifting retirement expectations, British savers are making one thing clear: when it comes to their pensions, stability prevails over speculation. Rather than chasing high returns through risky investments, most UK pension holders are opting for steady growth, transparent management, and long-term financial security. This trend is underscored by new research from PensionBee, which reveals just 8% of savers are willing to invest in high-risk assets. The majority are risk-conscious, with 49% preferring a moderate-risk strategy,...

US. The Increasing Role of Alternatives in Public Pension Plans

Over the period 2001 through 2021, the allocation by public pension plans to alternative assets like private equity, real estate, and hedge funds increased from 14% of risky investments to 39%. However, the overall trend masks a high degree of variability across plans as the alternative-to-risky share for pensions in states like Maine, New Mexico, Indiana, Wyoming and Texas increased by an average of 58 percentage points while it hardly changed for pensions in South Dakota, Nevada, Georgia, Iowa...

Is France really planning a ‘tax raid’ on pensioners?

Proposed changes to the tax system for pensioners in the 2026 Budget are already raising anger - here's what is planned and how it affects foreign retirees. France has only just managed to pass its 2025 Budget, but already attention is turning to the 2026 spending plans, with prime minister François Bayrou giving a press conference outlining the financial problems that the country faces, and what must be done to tackle them. France faces a soaring budget deficit and the parliamentary crisis...

The New Baby Boom: How the White House is looking to jumpstart the nation’s birth rate

The Trump administration is reportedly fielding ideas for how to increase the declining U.S. birth rate, a longtime priority of White House figures like Vice President JD Vance and Elon Musk. Since 1990 the U.S. total fertility rate has declined from 2.1 births per woman – enough to fully replace the current population – to 1.62 births per woman in 2023, below the replacement level, according to a March report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, part of a larger decline in birth rates in wealthy peer countries. Experts point...

Spain. AIReF’s evaluation of the pension reform: first match ball saved, but with big challenges on the horizon

At the end of March, the Independent Authority for Fiscal Responsibility (AIReF) published its estimate, as was its mandate, of the average impact during the period 2022-2050 of the new revenue measures introduced as part of the pension reforms and other economic measures implemented since 2020 in order to fund the pension system.1 This estimate was the last missing piece needed to determine whether the expenditure rule previously agreed between the government and the European Commission within the framework of the...

‘Will Britain’s state pension still exist when I retire in 30 years?’

The debate over the state pension – such as what should happen to the triple lock – seems to entirely focus on people who are in receipt of it, or will be soon. However, it ignores people like me who are in their 30s and have no idea what it might be worth when we finally reach retirement, or when we might get it. Is there any certainty at all about whether the state pension will still exist in 30 years, or should...