October 2025

2025 Global Retirement Index

By Dave Goodsell Norway has regained the top position in the 2025 Natixis Global Retirement Index, driven by its strong performance in health outcomes, low unemployment and high-income equality. Ireland surges to second place, thanks to improvements in inflation and an economic environment that supports retirement security. Since its launch in 2012, the Natixis Global Retirement Index has offered a comparative assessment of retirement security in 44 developed countries. The index evaluated 18 key indicators grouped into four subindexes: Finances in...

September 2025

UK. Gen Z need £3m plus for comfortable retirement

Young people typically now in their 20s, known as Generation Z, are likely to need at least £3 million to retire comfortably due to the erosive impact of inflation, according to new analysis by Rathbones Group, one of the UK’s leading wealth management firms. The calculations, based on the amount needed for a ‘comfortable’ retirement as defined by the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA), show that a 25-year-old today would need a pension pot of £3.1 million to retire at age...

65-year-old retirees in France now have higher incomes than working-age adults—meanwhile, American boomers can’t even afford to retire

French retirees officially bring in more income than their working-aged counterparts, as Americans are struggling to find the funds to retire and support their post-employment lifestyle. Due to France’s relatively young retirement age, lofty governmental spending on pensions, and high wage replacement rate, they’re now out-earning citizens with jobs as the country’s officials try and make unpopular changes. While boomers in the U.S. and UK are being forced to go back to work because they can’t afford to retire in...

UK. All generations expect to fall short of a comfortable retirement

Most UK pension savers believe they will fall short of a comfortable retirement, with rising debt, delayed retirement and low levels of financial knowledge fuelling concerns across all generations, according to Interactive Investor’s sixth Great British Retirement Survey. The research, conducted with Opinium Research and based on responses from 9,000 people, found that six in 10 savers expect retirement wealth of less than £300,000, well below the £330,000 benchmark estimated by the Pensions UK Retirement Living Standards (RLS) for a moderate...

August 2025

Nigeria’s wage and pension crisis

By Shu’aibu Usman Leman   Earlier this month, the United States government released a sobering assessment of Nigeria’s human rights record in its 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. Among the stark revelations was the shamefully low national minimum wage of ₦70,000—a figure described as “woefully inadequate” amid rising inflation, a weakened naira, and an ever-worsening cost of living. At just $47.90 per month by current exchange rates, this wage is not merely insufficient—it is an affront to human dignity. In...

IORPs in Focus Report 2024

By European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority This report outlines the latest market developments in the occupational pensions sector, with a focus on IORPs and their cross-border arrangements. A factsheet summarizing the key findings accompanies the publication, providing a visual overview of the main trends in Europe's IORP sector for interested readers. Get the report here

Reforming the Pension System in Nepal: Sustainability, Adequacy, and Coverage

By Dilip Raj Paudel Pension systems ensure financial security during retirement, especially in developing countries like Nepal. The sustainability, adequacy, and coverage of pension systems are critical for ensuring social security after retirement, particularly in developing countries like Nepal. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of Nepal's pension framework, examining contributory and non-contributory schemes to identify their strengths, limitations, and areas for reform. Utilizing a mixed-method approach, primary data from 384 respondents and secondary sources, including reports from international organizations,...

Pensioners on the frontline of Argentina’s fiery politics

For sure, these veteran "militants" are vocal. Sometimes they are even feisty. But they are also gray-haired, wrinkled and at times struggle to keep their balance. "For God's sake!" 87-year-old Ricardo Migliavacca shouted during a recent police advance that nearly toppled him. "How disgraceful!" He recovered only with the help of his sturdy blue Zimmer frame. Migliavacca is just one of hundreds of pensioners who have taken part in weekly protests against Argentina's right-wing President Javier Milei. They want a pension increase to soften...

One in Three Older Households Is Cost Burdened

The recently released State of the Nation’s Housing 2025 report highlights worrying trends in housing affordability for older households (those led by someone age 65 or over). In 2023, over a third (34 percent) of older households were cost burdened, paying more than 30 percent of their income for housing. This represents a new high of over 12.4 million households and an increase of nearly 2.3 million households just since 2019. More than half of these households, 6.7 million, pay over...

Boosting Retirement Income through Dynamic Withdrawals

By Ravi Saraogi Dynamic withdrawal strategies, extensively researched internationally, remain underexplored in India. This paper bridges this significant research gap by rigorously evaluating popular dynamic withdrawal methods using Indian data. Employing simulations based on historical equity, debt and inflation data from the Indian market, we compare 10 different adaptive and dynamic withdrawal strategies. The study demonstrates that dynamic strategies can improve withdrawals and sustainability compared to static withdrawal methods. However, this improvement comes at a significant cost of volatility in...