June 2021

Sustainable Pensions, Democratic Governance, and EU Law

By Ewan McGaughey The quality of democracy in our economy depends on the governance of capital, but Europeans are still deprived of real voice over their retirement money: the single biggest source of capital in the 21st century. This paper outlines three major problems facing EU pensions: precarious retirement, escalating inequality, and mounting climate damage. These problems start with the places where we work, the institutions that control our retirement savings, and the votes on shares that come with them....

Chile. Cifras prepandemia: número de cotizantes en AFP se recupera durante abril

La Superintendencia de Pensiones registró, por primera vez desde que se inició la pandemia, un aumento en el número de cotizantes en las AFP, cifra que había venido a la baja desde la llegada del Covid-19. Leer también Presentan en Chile otra propuesta de retiro de 100% de fondos AFP Ya se veían atisbos de este aumento, ya que en marzo la variación fue plana (0,07%), pero en abril subió 1,9% año contra año. Leer también Chile. Coordinadora No + AFP exige...

US. The Death Of Public Pension Transparency

Forensic investigations reveal that public pensions in states such as Pennsylvania, California, Tennessee, Rhode Island, North Carolina, and, most recently, Ohio, have long abandoned transparency, choosing instead to collaborate with Wall Street firms to eviscerate state public records laws and avoid accountability to stakeholders. Read also US. Pension Worries Ease for States, Localities on Stimulus, Stocks Predictably, billions that could have been used to pay government workers retirement benefits have been squandered. Read also US. Despite Market Rebound, Rising Unemployment Hurt Public...

German Pensionskassen call for rule easing to improve outlook – WTW survey

German Pensionskassen are calling for more relaxed regulatory requirements with a view to a more optimistic outlook, taking into account the current challenging environment. Read also Air France–KLM Completes De-Risking of Pension Plans According to a survey conducted by Willis Towers Watson (WTW), 62% of surveyed Pensionskassen support regulatory changes to improve future prospects. Read also UK. Why investment pathways matter more than you think However, only 14% of the respondents consider Pensionskasse an “interesting way” to run company pension schemes, the survey...

Air France–KLM Completes De-Risking of Pension Plans

It has taken airline operator Air France–KLM several years, but it has finally completed the de-risking of its three main Dutch KLM pension plans in a move it says will create more predictable annual contributions and less balance sheet volatility. The airline reported late last week that it had reached an agreement with the five Dutch ground unions in KLM to convert the pension plan for its ground staff into a collective defined contribution (DC) plan. Under the terms of...

US. Despite Market Rebound, Rising Unemployment Hurt Public Pensions

Although cuts to state and local employment in response to the COVID-19 pandemic had only a minor impact on public pensions’ funded ratios, they did cause a rise in the required contribution rates, according to a recent report from the Center for Retirement Research (CRR) at Boston College. The report said that despite better-than-expected revenue for state and local governments during fiscal year 2020, a “dramatic reduction” in the size of the state and local workforce has negatively impacted public...

México. Los retiros por desempleo en las Afores aumentan 28% entre enero y mayo

En los primeros cinco meses de este año los mexicanos que se quedaron sin empleo han retirado 8,617.6 millones de pesos (mdp) de su Afore. Leer también México. La inclusión financiera, un viacrucis para las personas en movilidad El monto de retiros es 28.3% superior a lo registrado en el mismo periodo de 2020, el año de la pandemia por COVID-19, de acuerdo con información de la Comisión Nacional de Ahorro para el Retiro (Consar) dada a conocer este martes. Leer también...

Costa Rica. Régimen de pensiones voluntarias se recupera al superar los 63.000 cotizantes

La cantidad de personas que cotiza para un plan voluntario de pensiones se recupera después de haber sufrido una fuerte caída en los primeros años de la década pasada. Leer también Informalidad en los tiempos del COVID-19 en América Latina: implicaciones y opciones de amortiguamiento Para diciembre del 2020, el número de cotizantes era de 63.900, el punto más alto en los últimos 16 años. Leer también Costa Rica. ¿Eliminar pensiones de lujo y pagar deuda a la CCSS soluciona problema del...

​Pension investors press companies over Myanmar human rights risks

Swedish pension fund AP7, the Dutch architects’ pension fund, Velliv and other European pension funds have signed a joint declaration urging companies with business in Myanmar to take action, given the risk of human rights violations under the military dictatorship. Led by Norwegian asset manager Storebrand and three other organisations, the declaration called on firms to map their activities in Myanmar in this regard, and use their leverage in support of human rights – among other things. Kamil Zabielski, head of...

US. Pension Worries Ease for States, Localities on Stimulus, Stocks

Public pensions performed better than anticipated during the pandemic, easing the financial strain on state and local governments sponsoring the plans, thanks in part to U.S. aid and stock market gains. The massive federal stimulus has helped head off the dire revenue picture that many governments were facing early in the pandemic. At the same time, record stock market gains and past changes to public pension operations helped drive funded levels higher and push pension management down the list of...