December 2018

17Dec

Singapore Savings Bonds opened to Supplementary Retirement Scheme funds; individual limit to double

Investors will be able to apply for Singapore Savings Bonds (SSB) using their Supplementary Retirement Scheme funds with effect from Feb 1, 2019, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said in a media release on Monday (Dec 17). The Supplementary Retirement Scheme is a voluntary scheme to encourage individuals to save for retirement, over and above their CPF savings. Similar to cash applications, the minimum application amount is S$500. The S$100,000 individual limit for SSB will be also doubled from S$100,000...

December 17, 2018
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17Dec

US. Shareholders call on ExxonMobil to set greenhouse gas reduction targets

A number of institutional investors in ExxonMobil Corp (XOM.N) have said they will file a shareholder resolution which calls on the world’s largest oil company to set targets for lowering its greenhouse gas emissions. The call, led by the New York State Common Retirement Fund (NYSCRF) and the Church Commissioners of England (CCE), comes in the wake of shareholder moves at other major energy firms seeking to make them more responsive to climate change and its impact on the business. The...

December 17, 2018
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17Dec

Italian Premier Wins Populist Support for Budget Offer to EU

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte forged a deal with populist leaders to submit a revised budget proposal to the European Commission, in a bid to avert fines against Italy. Conte’s euroskeptic deputies Matteo Salvini and Luigi Di Maio, who hold most of the political power in the administration, set aside their opposition to concessions at talks running late into Sunday night and agreed on a new package to send to Brussels, government officials said. Investors aren’t pricing in a deal just yet...

December 17, 2018
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16Dec

Informing Retirement Savings Decisions: A Field Experiment on Supplemental Plans

By Robert L. Clark (North Carolina State University - Poole College of Management), Robert G. Hammond (North Carolina State University), Melinda Sandler Morrill (North Carolina State University - Department of Economics), Christelle Khalaf (North Carolina State University) Although supplemental saving plans can be an important part of an individual's financial security in retirement, contribution rates remain low, particularly among those with lower salaries and less education. We report findings from an intervention that provided information on key aspects of the...

December 16, 2018
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14Dec

BlackRock, Microsoft to Build Retirement-Planning Platform

BlackRock and Microsoft are teaming up to build retirement tools for individual investors, a growing market as employers move away from pensions. The partners will launch an unnamed product, still in development, next year for companies to offer to their employees. About 40% of Americans said they are not confident they will have enough money in retirement. BlackRock is inking its biggest technology alliance yet, aiming to help Americans save for retirement. The firm is working with Microsoft to build...

December 14, 2018
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14Dec

Welfare, pensions to be revised to meet Italian deficit target

Italy’s government will cut “a few billion” euros from its two main reforms in order to hit the new deficit target it proposed to the European Commission, Deputy Industry Minister Dario Galli said on Thursday. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte met EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Wednesday and offered to lower Italy’s deficit target for next year to 2.04 percent of gross domestic product from 2.4 percent previously to avoid disciplinary action from the EU. “A few billions (in savings) compared...

December 14, 2018
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14Dec

S.Korea says pension fund to boost investment in risk assets

South Korea on Friday said its National Pension Fund, the world’s third-largest, would aim to boost its ratio of risk assets, such as stocks and real estate, to 60 percent over time from 50 percent now, as it looks to lift investment returns. The fund, which managed assets of 654 trillion won ($578.77 billion) by the end of September, will also aim to boost the ratio of overseas investment to about 45 percent from 30 percent now. The steps are part...

December 14, 2018
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14Dec

India. Senior Citizens Should Get Meaningful Pension: SC

The Supreme Court on Thursday said that senior citizens should get a meaningful pension to live with dignity, and not just the equivalent of Rs 92 at current value. The apex court said the State was "obligated to ensure" that the right to live with dignity that includes reasonable shelter, health care, clothing and meaningful pension for elderly people without any means was "not only protected but are enforced and made available to all citizens". Noting that in real terms the...

December 14, 2018
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14Dec

New Zeland. What contribution rate should I have in order to retire?

More specific guidance is needed from advisers if clients are to have the income they require in retirement. Let us cut to the chase, KiwiSaver was formed to ensure New Zealanders could self-provision for retirement. Its predecessor, NZ Super, which relies on tax payers funding the generation ahead of them, is failing. One need only reference the Westpac-Massey-Ed Centre’s annual Expenditure Guidelines study to see NZ Super’s current “inflation adjusted” payment level does not meet a “no-frills” lifestyle, or The Treasury’s projection...

December 14, 2018
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13Dec

US. Why millions of seniors are still working past the age of 65

Retiring comfortably at 65 is now out of reach for millions of Americans. Tom Coomer was a machinist at the aerospace manufacturer McDonnell Douglas for 29 years, but the plant closed one year before he was due to get his full pension. Now 80 years old, he works as a greeter five days a week at a Walmart in Oklahoma. While Coomer and his wife have downsized their lifestyle, it's still hard for them to make ends meet. They're just...

December 13, 2018
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