August 2021
04Aug

UK pension funds commit to manager diversity

Some of the UK's biggest pension funds have committed to tackling the lack of diversity in funds management. The Asset Owner Diversity Working Group has launched the Asset Owner Diversity Charter, which aims to "build and investment industry which embodies a more balanced representation of diverse societies". "The charter reflects asset owners' aspirations to see diversity balance at all levels across financial services firms," the group said. "A balanced workforce is good for business - it is good for consumers, for profitability...

August 4, 2021
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04Aug

How can the retirement system help more people afford retirement?

You don’t have to be a mechanic to drive a car, and you shouldn’t have to be a financial expert to prepare for a secure and adequate retirement. In a nutshell, that’s the theme of a new book we edited and contributed to, Wealth after work: Innovative reforms to enhance retirement security. We propose a variety of ways to make the current retirement system work better for the majority of American workers. A better-working retirement system should provide broader and more...

August 4, 2021
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03Aug

World’s biggest pension fund makes record cut to U.S. bond weighting

The Government Pension Investment Fund made a record cut to the weighting of Treasuries in its portfolio last fiscal year as the world’s safest asset led a global debt selloff. Read also US. Pandemic not stopping workers from contributing to retirement plans GPIF, as the world’s biggest pension fund is known, lowered U.S. government bonds and bills to 35% of its foreign debt holdings in the 12 months ended March, from 47% previously, according to an analysis by Bloomberg of the...

August 3, 2021
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03Aug

Investing for sustainability impact will transform capital allocation

By Jonathan Rogers Swimming through the acronym-laden waters of the environmental, social and governance (ESG) landscape involves an often irritating thrash through that overwhelming thick alphabet soup, but it behoves anyone with a vested interest in the topic to become effortlessly familiar with all the letters and what they stand for. The latest to rise to the surface is IFSI – investing for sustainability impact. At first glance, this acronym might seem like another term that describes ESG. But not so...

August 3, 2021
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03Aug

It’s time to give essential workers the protections they deserve

The world's essential workers have kept things running during the pandemic. But many still lack the protections they deserve, such as maternity pay, pensions or paid sickness leave. An upcoming summit, Essential for Recovery, will give these workers a voice and a space in which to address corporate and social leaders. Justina Kgoele has been picking waste in South Africa for the last 25 years. Her income sustains her family, and her work helps to protect children in her community from picking...

August 3, 2021
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03Aug

Europe’s Pension Funds Still Don’t Know How to Treat a Key Risk

The main organization representing European pension funds says it’s still not clear how the industry should balance financial returns against a desire to do more environmental and social investing. The lack of clarity means pension investors representing about $5 trillion may be putting less cash than they otherwise might into sustainable assets. That’s as the need for a decisive reallocation of capital toward planet-saving goals grows more urgent as global warming becomes increasingly deadly. How asset managers treat ESG risk will...

August 3, 2021
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02Aug

2 billion workers of world population are in the informal sector – IMF

The informal economy is a globally widespread and pervasive phenomenon, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has noted. The IMF added that 2 billion workers or 60 percent of the world population participate in the informal sector. Although most prevalent in emerging and developing economies, it is also an important part of advanced economies. Whereas workers and firms may choose to operate in the informal sector to avoid taxes or regulations, 85 percent of all informal workers around the world are in precarious employment in...

August 2, 2021
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02Aug

UK. Pensions minister: Climate risk must be at the heart of pension decision making

By Guy Opperman Evidence of climate change is undeniable. If all the statistics currently making headlines aren’t enough, the considerable amount of extreme weather witnessed right across the globe, from soaring temperatures in Canada and the Pacific North West, to devastating flash flooding across Europe and China, is further proof of its impact. There are just under three months to go until the UK hosts the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, and we are accelerating...

August 2, 2021
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02Aug

US. Three NYPD execs drawing both pensions, salaries: payroll review

Three top NYPD execs are collecting hefty pensions from their time on the force in addition to six-figure salaries for their current civilian roles — including the man tasked with keeping cops honest, Internal Affairs boss Joseph Reznick, a Post review has found. And despite carrying the lofty title, the trio isn’t even technically deputy commissioners by the letter of the City Charter, which the department has apparently flouted for years to swell its well-compensated executive ranks. The Post uncovered the...

August 2, 2021
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July 2021
30Jul

Cliffwater: U.S. state pension plans’ 10-year returns drop in latest annual report

U.S. state pension plans saw average median returns of 8.6% and 5.8% for the 10 and 20 years ended June 30, 2020, respectively, said Cliffwater's most recent annual state pension performance report. State plans saw an average annualized return of 9.7% for the 10 years ended June 30, 2019. Pensions & Investments' Pension Fund Returns Tracker shows that the two top-performing state pension plans for the 10 years ended June 30, 2020, were the $22 billion Oklahoma Teachers' Retirement System, Oklahoma...

July 30, 2021
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