July 2020

14Jul

US. Milliman analysis: Corporate pension funded ratio at 83.7% in June as discount rate hits historic low

Milliman, Inc., a premier global consulting and actuarial firm, today released the results of its latest Pension Funding Index (PFI), which analyzes the 100 largest U.S. corporate pension plans. Despite solid investment returns, June's PFI funded status worsened by $6 billion due to an 11 basis point drop in the monthly discount rate, from 2.76% in May to 2.65% for June. This month's discount rate marks the lowest observed in the 20-year history of the Milliman PFI. The PFI...

July 14, 2020
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14Jul

China. Beijing raises retirement pensions

Beijing released a scheme to adjust basic pension for retirees, increasing 50 yuan ($7.13) per month for each person, according to the Beijing Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau on Tuesday. The new scheme, which starts on Wednesday is expected to benefit nearly 3.97 million Beijing residents, including retirees of Beijing enterprises, government bodies and institutions. Wu Xiaojun, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, said the adjustment of the basic pension will...

July 14, 2020
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14Jul

UK. Does benchmarking DB transfers against a workplace pension make sense?

Under new rules to be introduced from 1st October, IFAs who are recommending a transfer out of a DB pension will need to benchmark the proposed destination for the funds against a low-cost workplace pension. But many of these workplace pensions were designed for automatic enrolment and regular contributions by active members rather than large transfers in from Defined Benefit (DB) pension schemes by members approaching retirement. New analysis from consultants LCP based on a survey of master trusts...

July 14, 2020
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14Jul

Faced with COVID-19, highest number of Australians tap retirement funds since April

Some 511,000 Australians applied to pull up to A$10,000 each from their retirement savings in the first week of the new financial year, government data showed, the highest number of people to do so since the first week the scheme was in operation in April. Australia announced the six-month emergency scheme, which allows workers to take up to A$20,000 of their superannuation savings over two financial years, in March as part of a broader stimulus package. The figures take...

July 14, 2020
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14Jul

UK. Proposed Legislation for Losses from COVID-19 and Limitations on the Retroactive Impairment of Contracts

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused most businesses to temporarily close and, as a result, sustain significant losses. Various states are contemplating the passage of legislation to require carriers to cover claims arising from COVID-19, but case law regarding the constitutionality of such legislation is conflicting. Depending on the facts surrounding retroactive legislation, states may be able to pass an enforceable law leading to coverage. Pennsylvania’s Proposed Legislation for Business Interruption Losses Pennsylvania is one of many states that has...

July 14, 2020
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13Jul

Older South Africans are taking their wealth and pensions offshore

In the current precarious economic climate, South African residents over age 55, who invested in retirement annuities (RAs), preservation funds or pensions, are increasingly transferring their investments to living annuities with offshore equity exposure. Read also Greece’s supreme court rules for reimbursement of pension cuts Claudia Mendes, international financial planner at Sable International, considers the argument for going offshore. South African residents find themselves investing in a country that has a concentration of resource stocks and a volatile currency. With...

July 13, 2020
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13Jul

Australia. Low income earners get further support

Millions of Australians on pensions and low incomes are about to get cash hits from the government, which it hopes will give another boost to the coronavirus-hit economy. The second round of $750 payments for pensioners, veterans and carers will start going into people's bank accounts from Monday. It goes to about five million Australians at a cost of $3.8 billion. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg anticipates many will spend the money on everyday expenses like groceries, rent and bills. "This...

July 13, 2020
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13Jul

US. Public pension funds in an era of low rates and COVID-19

What is the most prudent strategy for state and local governments confronting low returns on pension investments, aging workforces, and pressure to build portfolios large enough to cover promised future benefits at the same time that these governments face other pressing demands? Presentations at the 2020 Municipal Finance Conference provide contrasting answers to this question. Louise Sheiner and Finn Schuele of the Hutchins Center at Brookings with co-authors Byron Lutz of the Federal Reserve Board and...

July 13, 2020
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10Jul

The big reforms that could boost retiree incomes by 30 per cent

Retiree incomes could increase by as much as 30 per cent if superannuation funds were forced to offer ‘longevity-based’ products, the Actuaries Institute has claimed. In a new paper released on Thursday, the peak professional body said Australian retirement incomes would be significantly boosted through the compulsory use of ‘longevity risk’ managing products. Read also Does early access to pension funds improve health? These products, such as lifetime annuities, are intended to provide a stable, regular income to retirees for...

July 10, 2020
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10Jul

Japan’s Deadly Combination: Climate Change and an Aging Society

The forecast was dire: close to nine inches of rain in a single day. Officials in Kuma, a village on the banks of a fast-moving river in southwestern Japan, urged everyone to evacuate. Yet inside the Senjuen nursing home, the 70 residents were left in place. The decision proved disastrous. The rain that fell early Saturday was even worse than expected, a blinding downpour that soon inundated the village’s streets. Caretakers in the nursing home, which lacked an elevator,...

July 10, 2020
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