May 2019

08May

Ireland. State pension: lack of clarity criticised as changes delayed

Irish workers close to retirement are calling for clarity on the proposed new State pension system after the Government failed to meet a number of deadlines set under reform plans. In its Roadmap for Pension Reform the Government said it would finalise the design of a new total contributions approach by the end of 2018 and bring forward the scheme’s legislation by the end of March 2019. Having missed both these deadlines, workers are increasingly concerned about the number of...

May 8, 2019
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07May

Higher Risk Not Translating to Similar Returns for U.S. Pensions

U.S. state and local pensions have taken on riskier asset allocations in recent years, though the rate of return is paling compared with the higher risk according to Fitch Ratings in a new report. State and local pension plans have steadily increased their allocations to equities and alternatives such as real estate, private equity, hedge funds and commodities over the last several years. Asset allocation to both equities and alternative investments rose to 77% in 2017 from 67% in...

May 7, 2019
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07May

Australia Pension Giant Doubles Down on Push for Woman Directors

BAustralia’s largest pension fund is doubling down on its campaign for more women on boards. With almost all of the top 200 listed companies now having at least one female director, AustralianSuper Pty is raising the bar and pushing for at least two women board members, said Andrew Gray, director of ESG and stewardship at the Melbourne-based fund. That puts more than a quarter of companies in the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index in the A$154 billion ($108 billion) fund’s...

May 7, 2019
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07May

Ghana’s pension authority now has the power to prosecute companies that don’t pay their employees’ pensions

The threat of prosecution comes after the Attorney General recently gave the pensions regulator prosecutorial powers to go after companies that default in their workers’ tier-2 pensions. The National Pensions Act 2008, Act 766, established a three-tier pension scheme consisting of three levels of contributions. The mandatory first tier is remitted to Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) with the tier-two, which is equally compulsory, paid on workers’ behalf by employers and managed by Private Pension Service Providers....

May 7, 2019
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07May

The Five Pillars Of A Sound Retirement Plan

In the past, many retirees counted on pensions and Social Security as the pillars of a sound retirement. Now, there are five pillars future retirees should take into account when creating a solid plan for retirement. Estate Planning The first pillar of a sound retirement plan is estate planning. Estate planning is all about creating your own rule book versus relying on the government's rule book. If you've never put together a plan to avoid probate, both while you're...

May 7, 2019
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07May

UK. Investors back pension comparison app

Age Wage, a new defined contribution comparison service, is en route to double its funding target after receiving £305,600 from more than 400 investors. On March 18 the fintech company launched a crowdfunding campaign through investment platform Seedrs to raise £175,000 to create the infrastructure around the DB comparison product, with the technology behind it already in place. Henry Tapper, chief executive of Age Wage, announced yesterday (May 6) that the company has almost doubled its target after it...

May 7, 2019
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06May

Ghana. Pensions regulator to ensure about 11m informal sector workers have pension schemes – CEO

The National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA) has said that it is working on new policies to ensure that the more than 10 million workers in the informal sector are able to access a pension scheme. The current three-tier pension system does not favour the informal sector in that most workers do not have a regular source income like salaries which is a major factor that inhibits their contribution to a pension scheme. Thus, workers in the informal...

May 6, 2019
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06May

Greece unveils bill to help millions who owe tax and pension arrears

By Ian McKenna Greece unveiled draft legislation on Sunday intended to provide relief to millions of Greeks with tax and pension contribution arrears, offering discounts to amounts owed and stretching out payment plans by up to 120 monthly installments. The country’s leftist government, trailing the conservative opposition in opinion polls before national elections due in the autumn, is keen to show its social sensitivity to those facing difficulty paying their accumulated dues. “Our plan helps those who are struggling...

May 6, 2019
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06May

India. Pension fund regulator to work with Nasscom, startups for National Pension System

The pension fund regulator is in the process of undertaking steps to identify the areas under the National Pension System (NPS) which could utilise the financial technologies (fintech) using the regulatory sandbox approach for the benefit of subscribers and NPS as a whole. A regulatory sandbox (RS) usually refers to live-testing of new products or services in a controlled and test regulatory environment for which regulators may or may not permit certain regulatory relaxations for the limited purpose of...

May 6, 2019
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06May

Pre-Retirement Market Volatility Looks Very Different In Retirement

There’s plenty for investors to worry about when their financial livelihood is on the line. When planning for major financial decisions such as retirement, individuals often focus on the severity of a market downturn, underestimating the impact that timing and cash flows can have on their portfolio. The sequence of returns risk is the impact the order of investment returns can have on your portfolio. As individuals move from the asset accumulation stage of their life to withdrawing assets...

May 6, 2019
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