December 2025
10Dec

Bulgaria: Over 2 Million Retirees to See Pension Increase in 2026

Pension insurance contributions will not increase in 2026, while pensions themselves will be updated from 1 July under the Swiss indexation formula, resulting in an expected rise of 7–8%. These measures are part of the revised 2026 State Social Security (SSS) budget, approved at first reading by the parliamentary budget committee. Minimum Wage Set at €620.20 From 1 January 2026, the national minimum wage will be €620.20. The minimum insurance threshold for self-employed persons will match this amount, also rising to €620.20. The maximum insurance income will be €2300, a slight decrease compared to the earlier draft...

December 10, 2025
News, Op-Ed,
Read more...
05Dec

Adequacy and Sustainability of Pensions

By Commission European Pensions are the main source of income for older people in Europe, coming mostly from 'pay-as-you-go' public schemes. Retired people drawing a pension are a significant and — due to demographic ageing — a growing part of the EU population (about 124 million, or a quarter of the total population1). European pension systems are facing the dual challenge of remaining financially sustainable and being able to provide Europeans with an adequate income in retirement. The key purpose of...

December 5, 2025
Adequacy, Books, Books, Reports, , , ,
Read more...
01Dec

US. Nearly 30,000 Chicago teachers are caught in pension trap

Chicago teacher pensions leave nearly 30,000 teachers without access to benefits and the Illinois General Assembly’s solutions not only won’t help, they’ll likely make things worse. What most retirees really need is flexibility. The Public School Teachers’ Pension and Retirement Fund of Chicago recently released its annual actuarial report. It highlights why pensioners need more flexibility – not boosted benefits – to secure their retirements. 1) Nearly 30,000 former teachers aren’t eligible for retirement benefits By nature, a pension fund is designed to serve career...

December 1, 2025
News,
Read more...

November 2025
28Nov

PPI Digest: Autumn Budget 2025

By Pensions Policy Institute Clearly, very difficult choices have had to be made in the Budget today. It was always unlikely that pensions would escape completely from this, even though both the Pensions Schemes Bill and the new Pensions Commission are seeking ways to increase the amount of money that future generations will have to support themselves in retirement. The introduction of a contributions cap of £2,000 on salary sacrificed pension contributions from 2029 will not affect many of those who...

November 28, 2025
Books, Books, Reports, System Sustainability, , , ,
Read more...
28Nov

Pensions at a Glance 2025: OECD and G20 Indicators

By Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development The 2025 edition of Pensions at a Glance highlights the pension reforms undertaken by OECD countries over the last two years. It includes a special chapter focusing on pension differences between men and women. It shows recent and projected trends in the pensions of women relative to those of men in OECD countries, analyses the key drivers of the gender pension gap, and reviews the pension rules that directly or indirectly affect gender disparities in...

November 28, 2025
Books, Books, Reports, System Characterization, , , ,
Read more...
24Nov

Belgium braced for three-day national strike over budget cuts

Belgium on Monday braced for three days of nationwide strikes called by unions to protest the government's proposed budget cuts and reforms to the pension system. The strikes are taking place in three waves. Trains and public transport begin striking Monday, with national railroad company SNCB expecting to run two out of three trains, or just one out of three on some lines. Several Eurostars linking Brussels to Paris have been cancelled. On Tuesday, public services such as schools, creches, and hospitals join the...

November 24, 2025
News, ,
Read more...

October 2025
31Oct

US. Uncertainty about retirement growing increasingly

Americans are growing increasingly uncertain about their retirement plans amid persistent inflation and mounting concerns about the future of Social Security. In a trio of recent surveys from Charles Schwab, Fidelity, and Northwestern Mutual, Americans' confidence in their ability to retire, retire comfortably, and the exact age at which different generations expect to retire varied widely. And in both the Schwab and Fidelity surveys, the number of Americans who said they're confident in their retirement plans fell from the same surveys conducted last...

October 31, 2025
News, , ,
Read more...
29Oct

Pensions UK calls for triple lock review amid rising state pension cost

Pensions UK has proposed replacing the triple lock with a more sustainable uprating mechanism once the state pension reaches a “clear adequacy benchmark”, ensuring it provides minimum income standards for a decent retirement. In its response to the government’s third state pension age (SPA) review, the trade body acknowledged the triple lock’s role in protecting pensioners’ incomes in real terms - particularly given ongoing concerns about the adequacy of retirement outcomes from defined contribution (DC) schemes. However, Pensions UK pointed to Office...

October 29, 2025
News, ,
Read more...
17Oct

Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index 2025

By Tim Jenkins, Nicola Mc Garel & Sarah Hudson The Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index benchmarks 52 retirement income systems worldwide, spotlighting both challenges and opportunities for policymakers and investors. This year’s index expands with Kuwait, Namibia, Oman, and Panama added, incorporates updated OECD data, and introduces new integrity measures for sharper insights. Systems are assessed across three pillars, adequacy, sustainability, and integrity, using more than 50 indicators. In 2025, the Netherlands, Iceland, Denmark, Singapore and Israel all achieved...

October 17, 2025
Adequacy, Books, Books, Reports, Sustainability, , , ,
Read more...
15Oct

Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index 2025 released.

The retirement systems of the Netherlands, Iceland and Denmark once again are the top three systems worldwide, according to the 2025 Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index. The same three topped Mercer’s 2024 report. For the first time in the 17-year history of the index, Singapore’s retirement system also received an A, the only country in Asia to achieve a rating at that level and the No. 5 system overall. Israel ranked fourth for the second consecutive year. A-grade countries offer...

October 15, 2025
News, , ,
Read more...