August 2018

UK. Crackdown to safeguard pensions when firms go bust

Directors who have dissolved companies to avoid paying workers or pensions could be disqualified or fined by authorities for the first time. The move is part of a government initiative to safeguard workers, pensions and small suppliers when a company goes bust. The Observer reported in January that the government was preparing to crack down on irresponsible company bosses in the wake of the collapse of Carillion. The construction and outsourcing giant went into liquidation with a deficit in its...

3 Unusual Retirement Risks You Can’t Ignore

The stock market and personal health are two common things people tend to worry about during their retirement years. Visions of being forced to move in with their children, a lack of savings and real estate prices can also cause anxiety. While those may be top of mind for some, they may not really be the largest threats to financial freedom. 3 unusual retirement risks that you should not ignore Risk of Living too Long This probably seems like a good thing...

UK. Britons living in EU could lose access to UK bank services in no-deal Brexit

In a document detailing contingency planning if Britain leaves the EU in March with no transition deal, the government said unilateral action on several fronts could only minimise disruption up to a point. While Britons will still be able to use their bank cards to withdraw money in EU countries, over a million UK citizens living abroad may not be able to use their British accounts for borrowing and deposit services, or insurance contracts such as annuities that pay pensions,...

France. Macron government to tackle poverty, pensions, health

The last parliamentary session ended on a sour note for President Emmanuel Macron and his government, with the uproar over presidential bodyguard Alexandre Benalla, who was caught on camera assaulting student protesters while wearing a police crash helmet. The Macron camp is clearly hoping the dust has settled on that question, although the opposition is extremely unlikely to miss any chance to remind the public of such a major embarrassment. But there will be no change in strategy, the president told...

India. Explained: National Pension System recent changes make NPS more subscriber-friendly; 10 points

National Pension System (NPS): Over the years, the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has undertaken several measures to make the NPS  more beneficial for the subscribers. The recent notification, which was issued in July, makes the NPS (also popularly referred to as National Payment System) more subscriber friendly. Until last month, there were 11,758469 NPS subscribers in the country with assets under management of Rs 2,50,758 crore! Most of the subscribers are government employees, the number of subscribers...

Ireland. Gov launchs consultation process for mandatory pensions

The Government is launching a consultation process for the first step towards mandatory pensions this afternoon. Minister Regina Doherty is announcing the process for an 'Auto Enrollment Retirement Savings System.' It could see almost all workers enrolled from 2022 to ensure people working in the private are saving enough for their future. Donal Keating is a Tax Director with Price Waterhouse Coopers. He said today's announcement is of most benefit to under 35s: "If you're sitting listening and you're 58 saying I have...

4 ways to rethink social protection for future work in Asia

Anyone who studies welfare systems, particularly on providing social protection or social security for every citizen, usually goes back to the argument between the approaches defended by 19th century German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck and UK progressive economist Lord William Beveridge. These two models have divergent objectives: while Bismarck’s is to assure a standard of living, the Beveridge system focuses on securing a subsistence level. Although there is some convergence, both models are still being practiced throughout the world. People are...

International Labor Organization Urges Stronger Social Protections in Latin America

“When the economy is doing well, social protection systems work better, they develop, more people are covered. But when crises hit, spending cuts must be made and social protections are affected,” the ILO’s director for the Southern Cone, Fabio Bertranou, told reporters in Buenos Aires. Applying counter-cyclical fiscal policies to face economic fluctuations is one of the recommendations made in the ILO’s report “Present and future of social protection in Latin America and the Caribbean,” which was presented Wednesday by...

US. Workers want employers to help more with retirement planning

Many employers appear to be missing the mark when it comes to helping workers prepare for their golden years. While just 16 percent of companies are "very confident" that their employees will be financial secure in retirement, they also often fail to offer the savings tools that their workers actually want, a new study from the nonprofit Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies shows. "There's a basic disconnect related to worker expectations," said Catherine Collison, president and CEO of the center and...

UK. Ian McKenna: We must pull pensions dashboard back from brink of demise

Suggestions that secretary of state for work and pensions Esther McVey may no longer be committed to the delivery of the pensions dashboard project has caused much wailing and gnashing of teeth around the industry. Personally, I do not see the problem. This is the perfect opportunity for it to take back ownership and control of the project. The current scope is so unwieldy while also being so constricted in its distribution (only to be available via the new single guidance...