February 2022
25Feb

Retirees Depleting Retirement Plan Lump Sums Faster than Five Years Ago

When approaching retirement, employees are faced with a decision that can have lifelong implications: take a lump sum payment or a guaranteed monthly annuity from their employer-sponsored defined contribution (DC) plan. According to MetLife’s 2022 Paycheck or Pot of Gold Study℠, a growing proportion of retirees are depleting their lump sums at faster rates than previously seen. The full report is available at metlife.com/paycheckgoldstudy. Today, one in three retirees (34%) who took a lump sum from their DC plan, depleted...

February 25, 2022
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Overpaying and Undersaving? Correlated Mistakes in Retirement Saving and Health Insurance Choices
24Feb

Overpaying and Undersaving? Correlated Mistakes in Retirement Saving and Health Insurance Choices

By Leora Friedberg & Adam Leive Not everyone makes wise financial choices. A large body of research documents behavior inconsistent with well-informed consumers maximizing their expected utility of consumption. It remains unknown, however, whether such behavior is correlated across domains. This paper uses two novel datasets to test whether the quality of health insurance and retirement saving decisions are correlated. Using administrative panel data from a large employer, we find that people who overpay for health insurance by choosing a...

February 24, 2022
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How the Pandemic Altered Americans’ Debt Burden and Retirement Readiness
24Feb

How the Pandemic Altered Americans’ Debt Burden and Retirement Readiness

By Andrea Hasler, Annamaria Lusardi & Olivia S. Mitchell This paper analyzes Americans’ perceptions of being debt constrained. We focus on which population subgroups reported feeling most debt constrained, how this perception was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and how it relates to financial literacy and retirement readiness. To this end, we analyze two datasets, namely the 2020 and 2021 TIAA Institute-GFLEC Personal Finance Index files (P-Fin Index). The evidence shows that, prior to and during the pandemic, one in...

February 24, 2022
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24Feb

Investors, governments act on Russia’s escalation in Ukraine

AkademikerPension, Gentofte, Denmark, is halting some Russian investments as the situation with Ukraine escalates, the pension fund said in a statement Tuesday. The evolving situation in Ukraine prompted several government moves. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson informed Parliament Tuesday that sanctions will be imposed on five Russian banks and three high-net-wealth individuals. Mr. Johnson described it as "the first tranche" of sanctions. U.S. President Joe Biden announced Tuesday the U.S. is imposing sanctions targeting Russia’s sale of sovereign debt abroad...

February 24, 2022
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24Feb

UK. Auto-enrolment contribution rates need to rise to 12%, expert tells MPs

Auto-enrolment contributions need to rise to 12 per cent of earnings from the current 8 per cent, but this change should not be rushed through, MPs have been told. Speaking to the work and pensions committee this morning (February 23), Nigel Peaple, director of policy and advocacy at the Pension and Lifetime Savings Association, said auto-enrolment pensions “work really well”, while the voluntary saving side simply “hasn't come through”. “We believe the answer is to increase the automatic enrolment contributions,” said...

February 24, 2022
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24Feb

China starts nationwide pooling of basic pension funds

China has started nationwide pooling of basic pension funds since Jan. 1 this year, Vice Minister of Finance Yu Weiping said Tuesday. Read also China to allow more pension providers The move will allow pension funds to be transfered from regions with surplus to regions with deficit, Yu said at a press conference, adding the ministry is drawing up related documents and will strengthen guidance to localities. Read also China releases 5-year plan for elderly care services Qi Tao, an official from the...

February 24, 2022
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España. El Gobierno aprueba el fondo público de pensiones, que pasará al Congreso sin el aval de los agentes sociales
24Feb

España. El Gobierno aprueba el fondo público de pensiones, que pasará al Congreso sin el aval de los agentes sociales

El Consejo de Ministros ha aprobado este martes el proyecto de ley de Regulación para el Impulso de los Planes de Pensiones de Empleo, el conocido como fondo público de pensiones, que tiene como objetivo fomentar el ahorro complementario a la pensión de jubilación de los trabajadores de rentas medias y bajas, los autónomos y las pequeñas y medianas empresas (pymes), y lo ha remitido a las Cortes Generales para su tramitación parlamentaria. La norma ya recibió el visto bueno...

February 24, 2022
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24Feb

Kenya. Gov’t Urged To Make Retirement Scheme Mandatory

The Association of Pension Trustee and Administrators of Kenya (APTAK) wants the government to make pension schemes mandatory for all Kenyans to encourage the culture of saving. Speaking during the 1st annual International APTAK conference on Wednesday, President of the Association Hosea Kili said that many Kenyans face poverty upon retirement as they fall short of adequate savings. Kili said the social security fund should be made a mandatory requirement by urging Kenyans to save just as the government did with...

February 24, 2022
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México. Analiza el gobierno crear un fondo para la salud y la pensión de periodistas
24Feb

México. Analiza el gobierno crear un fondo para la salud y la pensión de periodistas

Frente a las dificultades económicas y salariales de la mayoría de los reporteros en el país, el presidente Andrés Manuel López Obrador estudia destinar un porcentaje del gasto de publicidad gubernamental para integrar un fondo “que permita a los periodistas tener garantizado el derecho a la salud y a su pensión”. En su conferencia matutina, el mandatario expuso que enfrenta una campaña mediática de fondo, “ni siquiera es un asunto personal o periodístico, es una disputa por la nación. Es...

February 24, 2022
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24Feb

South Africa. Pension funds may now invest up to 45% of their capital offshore

During his budget address to parliament, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said amendments to Regulation 28 would be published in March. Regulation 28 sets out the criteria and maximum limits of where and in which asset classes retirement funds may invest. The Budget Review document announced that local pension and savings funds may invest up to 45% of their capital offshore. This is inclusive of the 10% allowance for investments into other African countries. The proposed amendments have been through two rounds...

February 24, 2022
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