March 2022
01Mar

Kenya. Pension sector outlook positive despite election uncertainties

Kenya’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth has a history of slackening during election years. During this period, fund managers and individuals put investment decisions on hold pending a return to normalcy in the political scene. The extremity of the December 2007 elections, which sunk growth to 0.23 per cent in 2008 from 6.85 per cent a year earlier, stretched the speculation on political risk for subsequent years. In 2013, GDP decelerated to 3.80 per cent from 4.57 per cent while...

March 1, 2022
News, Slider, , ,
Read more...
01Mar

Hungarian pension funds made record income from insurance premiums

Pension funds made record income from insurance premiums, not to mention health care funds, which didn’t deny refunds to their families from their payments. It can be said that a win-win situation has developed in the fund sector, according to the latest data of Magyar Nemzeti Bank (MNB), more payments have been made to fund accounts than ever before. Voluntary pension funds closed a successful final quarter that had been unprecedented for at least a decade and a half. The multi-year...

March 1, 2022
News, Slider, ,
Read more...

February 2022
28Feb

U.S. asset owners react, mull responses to Ukraine invasion

U.S. asset owners, their supervisors, and state legislative bodies are grappling with the impact of Thursday's Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In Illinois, state Rep. Jim Durkin announced Thursday he would introduce legislation that would require the state's five pension funds to divest from any holdings in Russian companies. "This morning, we woke up to shocking images crossing our TV screens. People in cities throughout Ukraine huddled in subways and shelters while explosions shake their cities as Russian soldiers begin an invasion...

February 28, 2022
News, Slider, , , ,
Read more...
28Feb

Retirement age to be progressively raised in China

This is the government’s first step in gradually raising the retirement age under its five-year plan through 2025, with other provinces expected to follow suit later. As Jiangsu calculates pensions partly based on how long each individual has worked, those who choose to defer could end up with higher monthly payments when they retire. Read also Hungarian pension funds made record income from insurance premiums Amid staunch opposition against a blanket increase in retirement age, the province has opted for a voluntary...

February 28, 2022
News, Slider, ,
Read more...
28Feb

Nigeria. Stakeholders advocate micro pension to secure financial future

The Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria have urged those in the informal sector to embrace micro pension as a means of securing their future financially. The Chief Executive Officer of the Association, Mr. Oguche Agudah made the call at the maiden Retreat and Unveiling of Magazine, THE PENSIONER for the Pension Correspondents Association of Nigeria in Abuja. Mr. Agudah said Contributory Pension Scheme should be embraced by all, because of its flexibility and safety of funds as it was a...

February 28, 2022
News, Slider, , ,
Read more...
28Feb

Owning a Dog Could be Key to “Succesful Aging”- Study

Every dog owner knows and sometimes bemoans the daily ritual of taking your pup out for a walk. But as it turns out, those strolls around the block with Fido may be the key to a healthy life, especially as we get older. A study published Wednesday in the journal PLOS ONE examines the relationship between pet ownership, disability, and death among seniors in Japan, providing new insights into the connection between dog ownership and successful aging. The researchers discovered dog...

February 28, 2022
News, Slider,
Read more...
25Feb

Russian actions vs. Ukraine have European investors on alert

Geopolitical conflict between Russia and Ukraine is making institutional investors in Europe nervous, with some pension funds reducing their Russian holdings, and others watching closely. Read also Investors, governments act on Russia’s escalation in Ukraine The political situation that has been brewing since late 2021 escalated dramatically Feb. 24, when Russian troops invaded Ukraine. That prompted other countries, including the U.S. and the U.K. to impose increasingly strict sanctions against Russia, and the prospect of more from Canada, Japan and Australia. European...

February 25, 2022
News, Slider, , , ,
Read more...
25Feb

Canadian Pensions Bankrolling Elder Abuse and Misappropriation of Public Money by French Long-term Care Multinational: CUPE

A new report by the Centre for International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research (CICTAR) reveals that Europe’s largest long-term care home operator, Orpea, has been building a property empire while facing allegations of elder abuse and misappropriation of public money. Orpea is 15 per cent owned by the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), which also holds two seats on Orpea’s board of directors. CUPE is reiterating its call for Canadian pension funds to stop bankrolling suffering and abuse...

February 25, 2022
News, Slider, , ,
Read more...
25Feb

The political economy of pension reform in Argentina

Technical design for pension reform Argentina has more than two hundred different retirement bases at the national, regional, municipal and private levels. In general, subsystems other than SIPA provide a better relationship between effort to contribute during active life and perception of benefits during passive life. However, in most cases, these discrepancies do not reflect disparate risks in related work activities (strenuous, risky or unhealthy), but rather reflect the ability of these groups to achieve more beneficial rules than those implied...

February 25, 2022
News, Slider, ,
Read more...
25Feb

Retirees Depleting Retirement Plan Lump Sums Faster than Five Years Ago

When approaching retirement, employees are faced with a decision that can have lifelong implications: take a lump sum payment or a guaranteed monthly annuity from their employer-sponsored defined contribution (DC) plan. According to MetLife’s 2022 Paycheck or Pot of Gold Study℠, a growing proportion of retirees are depleting their lump sums at faster rates than previously seen. The full report is available at metlife.com/paycheckgoldstudy. Today, one in three retirees (34%) who took a lump sum from their DC plan, depleted...

February 25, 2022
News, Slider, , ,
Read more...