April 2018

Danish pension fund PKA dumps 35 oil companies

Danish pension fund PKA, with some $46 billion under asset management, said on Thursday it has excluded 35 oil and gas companies from its investment portfolio over failure to live up to goals under the Paris climate agreement. The excluded companies include Anadarko, Chesapeake Energy, Marathon Oil, Apache, Gazprom , Inpex, Lukoil, Rosneft and Sinopec, PKA said. The pension fund also excluded 70 coal companies from its portfolio. ($1 = 6.0201 Danish crowns) (Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen Editing by Alison Williams). Read...

Kentucky attorney general challenges new pension-reform law, files suit against governor

This state's attorney general is suing its governor in an attempt to overturn a controversial state employees' pension reform bill that Gov. Matt Bevin signed into law a day ago. Attorney General Andy Beshear' lawsuit claims the bill violates an "inviolable contract" within state law that protects the retirement benefits granted a public employee at the time the employee was hired. He also charges that the Legislature violated parts of the Kentucky Constitution and state laws in the rushed process...

South Africa. Why income drawdown strategies in retirement do matter

Pensioners who buy a living annuity at retirement often consider their monthly expenses and draw an initial income that would cover these overheads. Thereafter, a common strategy is to increase the rand amount of the drawdown with inflation every year. By law, retirees are allowed to draw between 2.5% and 17.5% of their capital as income in these vehicles. But Jaco van Tonder, Advisor Services director at Investec Asset Management, argues that this is a poor income strategy. Read more @Moneyweb

In ageing Thailand, developers race to supply locals and elderly expats

At 79, Thai businessman Boon Vasin’s latest $500 million venture is a bet on a market he knows well - looking after Thailand’s rapidly growing population of old people. Not only is Thailand ageing faster than its neighbors, but it is also becoming an increasingly popular retirement option for foreigners attracted by its agreeable climate, low living and health costs and culture of service. “We will look after them from their waking hours until they go to sleep,” said Boon, chairman...

Dutch pensioners at little risk of poverty as income and assets grow

Today’s pensioners have more disposable income than in the past and their assets have increased due to soaring house prices, according to research carried out by the finance ministry for Christian Democrat senators. But even excluding home ownership, pensioners have more assets on average than the rest of the population, the ministry research shows. Between 2001 and 2010, older people’s income rose 10% but in younger households the increase was just 2%. However, since then the gap has closed because pension...

India. The math of military modernization

The Chinese are on track to dominate the security architecture of the Asia-Pacific. This is not to suggest that the People’s Liberation Army will set out to conquer the region. But it is to acknowledge the foreseeable outcome of the growing gap between China’s ability to project military power in Asia and the defence capabilities of other regional militaries. Obscuring this gap, and matching it in some sense, is the growing distance between political rhetoric and reality. Erudite and experienced...

South Africa. Will umbrella funds become the default in retirement fund management?

The case for the boards of trustees of standalone retirement funds to consider an umbrella fund strategy as an alternative has been strengthened by the recent introduction of the “default” regulations. These regulations came into effect on September 1 2017, with implementation from March 1 2019 for all retirement funds registered before March 1 2018. The regulations aim to ensure the protection, preservation and consolidation of retirement benefits as well as the sustainability of post-retirement benefits paid to members. Read More: Business Live

Ageing workforce will soon be global crisis, warns IMF

Policies to encourage immigration and deter retirement may be needed in wealthy nations to deal with the looming challenges of an ageing population, the International Monetary Fund says. The Washington-based financial watchdog has warned of a potential crisis among advanced economies as the baby boomers retire and an expanding pensioner population has to be supported by a dwindling workforce. The issue is critical because pensions and healthcare costs are paid for by taxes levied on the income an economy generates. A...

DB pension schemes evolve as paths for global retirement diverge, says BlackRock study

Edwin Conway, global head of BlackRock’s institutional client business, explains, “Pension leaders today are on the front lines of a historic and urgent transition in how societies provide for retirement. Managing this changing environment, seeking efficient and higher-yielding investment styles and tackling challenges stemming from new regulatory and governance regimes will be key for both corporate and public pension schemes. While in many areas their paths are diverging, they both play a crucial role in reshaping global retirement.” The study...

Taiwan’s BLF appoints seven managers for domestic ESG mandate

Taiwan’s Bureau of Labor Funds (BLF), supervisor of the island state’s government pension funds, has appointed seven asset managers for its NT$42 billion (US$1.43 billion) domestic environmental, social, governance (ESG) equity mandate, Asia Asset Management (AAM) has learnt. They are Cathay Securities Investment Trust Co, Capital Investment Trust Corp, Fuh Hwa Securities Investment Trust Co, Taishin Securities Investment Trust Co, Allianz Global Investors Taiwan, President Securities Investment Trust Co, and Prudential Securities Investment Trust Co. Each manager will receive NT$6 billion...