July 2021
01Jul

Germany. Pension increase rolls out in July

Just in time before the grand coalition government ends for this legislative period, one of its prestige projects is reaching citizens, or more precisely pensioners. According to estimates by the Federal Ministry of Labor, around 1.3 million retirees will receive a supplement to their pensions at taxpayer expense. In the face of opposition from the CDU/CSU, the SPD pushed through the basic pension last year, which is intended to recognize the lifetime achievements of people who have worked all...

July 1, 2021
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01Jul

US. Now Is The Time To Re-Think Retirement Plan Conventional Wisdom

Retirement plan design can make or break an employee’s ability to maintain their standard of living in retirement. Over the past several decades, many private sector companies implemented a complete overhaul in retirement plan design, shifting from defined benefit pensions to 401(k)-style defined contribution accounts. Originally designed to supplement rather than replace pensions, 401(k) plans have become the primary employer-sponsored plan for many U.S. workers. This transition meant sacrificing a number of important features of pension plans and economic efficiencies....

July 1, 2021
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June 2021
25Jun

UK. TPR outlines inclusive culture and equality ambitions

The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has outlined plans to “lead by example” on equality and diversity and pave the way for a more inclusive culture across the pensions industry. TPR's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy - published today (24 June) - sets out how the regulator plans to embed diversity and inclusion throughout the organisation and support the regulated community to make similar moves. The regulator said the strategy's five-year roadmap will place equality, diversity and inclusion "at the heart" of its...

June 25, 2021
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25Jun

US. American Express boosts auto-enrollment contribution rate to 6% for 401(k) plan

American Express Co., New York, is increasing the amount of automatic enrollment for participants in its 401(k) plan to a before-tax contribution of 6% of total pay, effective Jan. 1, 2022. The company will continue its current policy of an automatic escalation rate of 1% each year until the employee contribution hits 10% of pay, it disclosed in an 11-K filing Wednesday with the SEC. Currently, eligible employees are automatically enrolled to make before-tax contributions of 3% of total pay. The company's...

June 25, 2021
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25Jun

German fintech rivals Deposit Solutions and Raisin merge to form Raisin DS – a European champion with global ambitions

The two German FinTech giants Deposit Solutions and Raisin have just announced the completion of their merger. After over a year of preparation, the two companies are forming Raisin DS, a pioneer in the savings and investment market, servicing banks and consumers on both sides of the Atlantic. Founded in 2011, Deposit Solutions is the leading B2B Open Banking platform in the savings deposit space. The Hamburg-based company operates deposit marketplaces for over 150 partners, including large institutions such as...

June 25, 2021
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25Jun

US. Secure Act 2.0 Is Popular, but Not Perfect, Retirement Experts Say

The Secure Act 2.0 provides important benefits to help boost Americans’ retirement savings, but the huge retirement bill does have drawbacks, retirement experts told House lawmakers. Secure Act 2.0 — officially, the Securing a Strong Retirement Act — was part of a review of the nation’s retirement system during a hearing held Wednesday by the House Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee. On May 5, the House Ways and Means Committee passed the Secure Act 2.0, which raises the required minimum...

June 25, 2021
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24Jun

Kuwait’s $134 Billion Pension Fund Has Record Gain in Turnaround

Kuwait’s Public Institution for Social Security had its best ever annual performance, emerging as a new regional investment powerhouse despite political deadlock in the country. The $134 billion pension fund, which owns a quarter of U.S. private equity firm Stone Point Capital LLC, recorded 20.9% growth in assets in the year ended March 31, according to a statement on Wednesday. A new management team was brought into the fund in 2017 to transform the state-owned institution after its former head was...

June 24, 2021
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24Jun

These public pension systems used to have too much money. Now they’re in crisis. What happened?

In 2001, some of the country’s biggest public pension systems were flush. The plan serving Kentucky state workers, for example, was 125.8% funded, meaning it had 25.8% more money on hand to pay all of what it owed current retirees and workers expected to retire for the next 30 years. But not even two decades later, Kentucky’s pensions, and some other previously over-funded plans, were in crisis. What happened? In Kentucky, lawmakers approved extra benefits for plan participants — even making them...

June 24, 2021
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24Jun

US. Pandemic Magnifies Demand for Retirement Income

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased demand among retirees for retirement income solutions, according to BlackRock’s annual “DC Pulse” survey, which also found that nearly half of defined contribution (DC) plan participants’ finances were negatively impacted by the pandemic. “Workers saving for retirement today are concerned that they are going to outlive their savings, or that they may not enjoy the same kind of comfortable retirement previous generations did,” the report stated. “Plan participants, plan sponsors, and retirees alike all emerge...

June 24, 2021
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24Jun

How flexible working could affect pension savings

As the UK continues to ease Covid-19 lockdown restrictions and more employees return to work, the debate about the future of work goes on. If the move to more flexible arrangements continues, the impact on retirement planning could be greater than expected. The most obvious point is that if people work fewer hours – because they choose to shift to part-time working, for example – they will almost certainly be paying less into their pension. Under the auto-enrolment pensions system,...

June 24, 2021
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