March 2019

20Mar

US. It just became easier for employers to dump retirees’ pensions

Traditional pensions are disappearing in America, and the federal government just made it easier for employers to get rid of them. With no fanfare in early March, the Treasury Department issued a notice that allows employers to buy out current retirees from their pensions with a one-time lump sum payment. The decision reverses Obama-era guidance, issued in 2015, that had effectively banned the practice after officials determined that lump-sum payments often shortchanged seniors. Now, advocates for the elderly worry...

March 20, 2019
News, Slider,
Read more...
20Mar

What Japan Can Teach Us About The Opportunities Of An Ageing Society

Prime Minister Abe’s recent visit to the UK was a chance for the two countries to talk about common issues affecting their future. Let’s hope one of the topics they discussed was how to deal with an ageing society. In the 1970s and 1980s the world looked to Japan to learn about lean manufacturing. After the 2007-8 global financial crisis it looked to Japan to see how to deal with the aftermath of a financial crisis. Japan is a...

March 20, 2019
News, Slider, ,
Read more...
20Mar

‘No change to France retirement age’ after backlash

There will be no change to the minimum retirement age in France, the health minister has confirmed, despite having previously suggested that “a lengthening in the duration of work” may be possible. The move has been described as a “backtrack”, after health minister Agnès Buzyn had previously appeared (on Sunday March 17) to suggest that a new minimum retirement age would be proposed. When questioned by MPs on the topic this week, however, Ms Buzyn said: “No change to...

March 20, 2019
News, Slider,
Read more...
20Mar

New Pension Calculation Formula in Bulgaria will not Lead to Pension Cuts

Steps will be taken to ensure that not a single person's pension is lowered by revisions to the pension calculation rules that took effect at the start of 2019, Labour and Social Policy Minister Bisser Petkov said following an extraordinary meeting with Prime Minister Boyko Borrisov on 19th of March, reports BNT. It was convened because of the accumulated public tension a day after the National Social Security Institute (NSSI) released an assessment according to which the changes...

March 20, 2019
News, Slider,
Read more...
20Mar

New voice-powered Finley AI offers financial and pension advice

Former wealth manager and financial advisor Elemi Atigolo developed Finley AI – which he claims is the first of its kind in the world – in order to use technology to bridge a knowledge gap in today’s society. Finley AI can be instantly accessed via any Google Assistant-enabled device by speaking the words “Google talk to financial helper”. The voice-interactive programme cannot give personalised advice, but Elemi claims it can offer answers to general questions that users might ask...

March 20, 2019
News, Slider
Read more...
19Mar

New pension comparison app set to launch

Age Wage, a new defined contribution comparison service, is expected to be up and running in June this year. The fintech company, which will soon enter the Financial Conduct Authority sandbox, will be launching an app which will allow savers to receive a score for their pension, and switch to another provider if they’re not happy with their results. Through an app, savers will be able to see the value of their pot, how it compares to a benchmark,...

March 19, 2019
News, Slider,
Read more...
19Mar

10 Years of Green Bonds: Creating the Blueprint for Sustainability Across Capital Markets

The phone call to the World Bank Treasury came out of the blue: in late 2007, a group of Swedish pension funds wanted to invest in projects that help the climate, but they did not know how to find these projects. But they knew where to turn and called on the World Bank to help. Less than a year later, the World Bank issued the first green bond—and with it, created a new way to connect financing from investors...

March 19, 2019
News, Slider
Read more...
19Mar

UK. Government gives green light to CDC pension schemes

The government has confirmed the launch of Collective Defined Contribution pension schemes in a new consultation. CDC schemes, which are already popular in Denmark and the Netherlands, pay out a regular income from a collective fund rather than producing an individual 'pension pot'. Last year, Royal Mail reached a deal with the Communication Workers Union which sought to launch CDC pensions in the UK. The government has today confirmed that it will "introduce CDC provisions slowly", starting with the...

March 19, 2019
News, Slider,
Read more...
19Mar

Blackstone joins KKR and BlackRock in Mexico private equity fundraising

Blackstone Group has raised $695 million from Mexican pension funds for its first two local private equity funds, filings showed, joining Black Rock and KKR & Co in expanding in Mexico following regulatory changes. Several of the world’s top private equity managers have quietly raised billions of dollars from Mexican pension funds, known as afores, since new rules were enacted early last year, filings to the Mexican Stock Exchange and a non-public document reviewed by Reuters showed. Regulators have...

March 19, 2019
News, Slider,
Read more...
19Mar

Only half of Americans have access to a 401(k)

Using a 401(k) plan to save for retirement is an attractive option: You get tax advantages, the funds are automatically taken out of your paycheck for you and sometimes your company even matches your contribution up to a certain amount, which is essentially free money. But many Americans don’t have access to this specific retirement tool. “Roughly half of all households are offered work-based retirement plans at their current jobs,” researchers at the Stanford Center on Longevity point out...

March 19, 2019
News, Slider,
Read more...