August 2021

Chile. ¿Quién paga el cuarto retiro? Economistas advierten sobre los efectos de un nuevo giro desde las cuentas de AFP

Primero fue el Banco Central, a través de su presidente, Mario Marcel, que señaló que la aprobación de un cuarto retiro desde las cuentas de capitalización individual puede causar un impacto profundo no solo en las pensiones futuras, sino en toda la economía en el corto plazo. “Si no tomamos en cuenta los riesgos a los que estamos exponiendo al país, en un momento en el cual la economía está saliendo de una crisis y entrando en una fase de...

Plan for early pension access in South Africa could do more harm than good, authorities warn

Financial authorities have warned that the proposed Pensions Funds Amendment Bill could have a harmful impact on financial savings in South Africa. The bill, which was tabled by the opposition Democratic Alliance, will allow retirement fund members to access a portion of their savings in cash before retirement as a guarantee for a loan. The bill makes provision for this by amending the current Pension Funds Act to allow pension fund members to obtain a loan, secured by a guarantee from...

UK. Govt encouraged to make CDC pensions more flexible to improve take-up

The government should make the framework for collective defined contribution (CDC) schemes more flexible to encourage take-up and make it fairer for younger members, according to LCP. The firm’s response to the government consultation on CDC regulations said further flexibility was needed due to the framework having been drafted with the Royal Mail scheme in mind, leaving sponsors who may wish to explore different benefit structures facing limited options. Read also UK’s biggest pension scheme set to screen investments based on...

Students demand that teacher pension fund revoke fossil-fuel investments

US. Students demand that teacher pension fund revoke fossil-fuel investments

More than 500 Bay Area high school students gathered outside the San Francisco Federal Building on 7th Street Friday before marching down Market Street to City Hall, calling on the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, the state’s pension fund for California public school teachers, to divest its investment holdings in fossil fuel companies. They pointed out that that California’s wildfires demonstrate the need to reduce emissions. “This climate strike has been going on for years, but we’re feeling the effects of climate...

UK. 10m pensioners risk running out of money — poll

Nearly 10m British pension savers risk running out of money in retirement because they do not know how to make their savings last, according to new analysis which sheds fresh light on the complex choices facing retirees. In 2015, big changes to tax rules handed millions aged 55 and over full control over how they access their retirement cash, including spending the fund in one go. But a new study has found that faced with this increased choice, large numbers of...

Chile. Senador Bianchi presenta reforma para obligar a las AFP a responder ante la rentabilidad negativa de los fondos

Mientras todas las miradas están puestas en la tramitación del polémico cuarto retiro desde las AFP, estas últimas siguen en la mira de algunos parlamentarios, particularmente luego de que estos meses los fondos más conservadores han resultado con rentabilidad negativa, lo que perjudica directamente a los afiliados. Justamente es debido a ello que el senador independiente por Magallanes Carlos Bianchi presentó una reforma constitucional que obliga a las administradoras de fondos a asumir la responsabilidad de estas pérdidas. La iniciativa...

US. How to Plan for Retirement in a Gig Economy

Being your own boss. Making your own schedule. Taking control of your career. Those perks and others—including not worrying about being downsized by your company—drive professionals into self-employment all the time. In fact, the gig economy keeps growing year after year. How big is the gig? Pretty enormous. The month before the 2020 pandemic exploded, CNBC reported that independent contractors made up anywhere from 10% to a third of workers. Then, Covid hit, and though some freelancers lost their work,...

Canada. Union Files Legal Challenge Over OMERS’ Early Retirement Policy

A Canadian union has filed a legal challenge with Ontario’s independent pension regulator over the $82.4 billion Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS)’s policy for paramedic plan members’ access to early retirement options. According to the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), OMERS has two classifications for its members: normal retirement age 65 (NRA 65) and normal retirement age 60 (NRA 60). NRA 65 members can retire with an unreduced pension at the age of 65 at the earliest, or...

UK. Do CDCs offer the best of both?

The DWP recently launched its consultation on draft collective defined contribution pensions scheme regulations, which is due to close on 31 August. Once these regulations are firmed up, by the end of this year in all probability, single or connected employers will be able to open collective defined contribution schemes for their employees. The Royal Mail, in a show of unity between employer and trades union, will be the first to do so. We will have to wait until early...

African Pension Funds Report 2020

By AMETrade AMETrade hosts the annual Pension Funds and Alternative Investment Africa Conference (PI Africa). It is the leading forum on the continent gathering institutional investors and alternative investments representatives, examining new opportunities to diversify their portfolios to maximise returns. The conference has served as arguably the biggest networking and information sharing platform for the pension funds and alternative investment community, including leading pension funds, SWF, fund managers, asset managers & regulatory and administration heads. This report provides an overview of...