April 2021
07Apr

Australia. Dutch pension giant boosts local exposure with $350m EG investment

Dutch pension giant PGGM doubled down on its investment in Australian commercial real estate, putting $350 million into a diversified fund managed by EG less than six months after entering into an $800 million partnership with Charter Hall. PGGM joins four other investors in the open-ended diversified EG Australian Core Enhanced Fund (ACE) which in the past two years has spent $234 million on three industrial properties, a Bunnings near Sydney Airport and a Perth office tower. Read more @Financial Review 551...

April 7, 2021
News, Slider, , , , ,
Read more...
07Apr

UK. Pension communications ‘failing to engage’ more women than men

The FCA's Financial Lives research revealed 60% of women are unaware of the charges on their defined contribution (DC) pension compared to 44% of men, while 57% of women have not reviewed how much their pension is worth in the last 12 months compared to 46% of men. Additionally, 14% of women admitted they do not read their annual statement, more than double the 6% of men who do not read it. More than half of women (53%) did not choose...

April 7, 2021
News, Slider, , ,
Read more...
06Apr

Japan approves law raising retirement age to 70

By Charles Chau The move is part of an effort to address the country’s falling birthrate and an ageing population, and the consequent labour shortage and rising cost of pensions. Read also New GPIF Board Head Says Fund Isn’t Distorting Japan Stocks The bills give companies five options for retaining older workers: Raising the retirement age. Abolishing the retirement age. Allowing employees to work beyond the age limit. Outsourcing work to retirees as freelancers. Supporting employees who move on to work for non-profits and other entities that...

April 6, 2021
News, Slider, , ,
Read more...
06Apr

US. At what age should you stop saving for retirement?

It’s that time of year. My accountant sent my husband and me a note yesterday asking how much we planned to contribute to our retirement accounts for 2020. Obviously, that makes a difference in our pending tax bill. I sighed. Our contributions are fully deductible since neither of us has an employer-provided plan. But last year was a rocky one for self-employed workers like us, and our budget has been tight. My speaking business came to a screeching halt in...

April 6, 2021
News, Slider, ,
Read more...
05Apr

India. PFRDA revises Investment Management Fees to be charged by pension funds in NPS – Check details

Investment Management Fees charged by pension funds in the National Pension System (NPS) have been increased by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) effective April 1, 2021. The fund management fees which were 0.01 per cent of the asset will now stand increased but will be capped at 0.09 per cent depending on the total asset under management of the pension fund. The revised revenue structure for the pension funds will be a staggered based model, under...

April 5, 2021
News, Slider,
Read more...
05Apr

US. New PEPs targeting firms without retirement plans

As providers of pooled employer plans scramble to attract sponsors of small- and midsize 401(k)s into their new pooled plans, at least two are taking a different tack. Rather than pursuing employers already offering workers a retirement plan, they're chasing those not offering one at all. Payroll provider Paychex Inc. has already signed up 1,000 such employers into its PEP — a milestone it hit in February, a month after its launch on Jan. 1, said Michael Majors, senior director...

April 5, 2021
News, Slider, ,
Read more...
05Apr

US. If You Sell a House These Days, the Buyer Might Be a Pension Fund

A bidding war broke out this winter at a new subdivision north of Houston. But the prize this time was the entire subdivision, not just a single suburban house, illustrating the rise of big investors as a potent new force in the U.S. housing market. D.R. Horton Inc. built 124 houses in Conroe, Texas, rented them out and then put the whole community, Amber Pines at Fosters Ridge, on the block. A Who’s Who of investors and home-rental firms flocked...

April 5, 2021
News, Slider, ,
Read more...
01Apr

Europe’s New ESG Rules Create an Opportunity for US Investors

By Hari Bhambra American asset managers with little connection to Europe might dismiss the European Union (EU)’s new sustainable finance regulations as irrelevant to their business. They would be mistaken to do so, however. The regulations will have a tremendous impact on asset managers and firms operating outside the bloc. The EU might be the first to move on sustainable finance regulations, but its objectives are a harbinger of things to come around the globe. To stay competitive in today’s borderless financial...

April 1, 2021
News, OP Ed, Slider, , , ,
Read more...
01Apr

Mercer commits to net zero by 2050 in UK, Europe and Asia

Mercer has targeted net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 for UK, European and Asian clients with discretionary portfolios and the majority of its multi-client, multi asset funds domiciled in Ireland. The company said this represented a combined total of £31.5bn in assets under management as of 31 December 2020, adding that it would seek to achieve its net-zero goal by reducing portfolio relative carbon emissions by at least 45 per cent from 2019 baseline levels by 2030. Following the creation of a...

April 1, 2021
News, Slider, , , , ,
Read more...
01Apr

Ireland. Pensions complaints process needs more teeth

Have a complaint about an investment? You can bring it to the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO) and potentially benefit from compensation of up to €500,000. Have such concerns about a pension, however, and you can bring it to the same office, but don’t expect a windfall, even if you should be due one. Yes, it’s a curious state of affairs that the FSPO has greater oversight to award compensation against a wide range of financial services providers, including...

April 1, 2021
News, Slider, ,
Read more...