April 2024
26Apr

An Assessment of the 2019 and 2020 Pension Reforms in Mexico

By Boele Bonthuis In recent years the Mexican pension system has changed significantly. In 2019 the existing means-tested social pension was made universal – covering everyone over the age of 65 – and the benefit level increased. In 2020, the main regime of the private sector was substantially reformed, increasing contribution rates for the funded defined contribution system, lowering the minimum years of contributions needed to receive an earnings-related pension, and increasing minimum pensions. This paper tries to assess the...

April 26, 2024
Articles, System Characterization, , , ,
Read more...

March 2024
06Mar

Expert panel: How DC plan members can hedge longevity risk for more effective decumulation

Retiring baby boomers are in an era of decumulation anxiety, as they convert their pension assets into income that they fear won’t hold up over the entirety of their retirement. The decumulation problem is complex for defined contribution pension plan sponsors because it involves transferring lump sum pension assets to retirees who may lack investment expertise and who may not know how to distribute their savings to cover their entire retirement horizon. It’s not obvious how to calibrate between having the desired...

March 6, 2024
News, , ,
Read more...

December 2023
15Dec

The Shift that Redefined Retirement Security

By Shashwat Vidhu Sher Retirement plans have been a standard feature of public and private sector employers in the United States since the early 1900s. Although Defined Benefit plans were the mainstay of most pensions plans for much of the twentieth century, there was a massive shift in the 1980s, mainly in the private sector, towards Defined Contribution plans like 401(k). The paper argues that government policies for the private sector, new employer-employee relationship, job-switching, and familiarity with the financial...

December 15, 2023
Articles, Pension design, , , ,
Read more...

November 2023
29Nov

UK. Hopes and fears for pensions in 2024

Aon has set out its “hopes and fears” for pensions in 2024. After a year in which UK pension schemes digested the events of 2022 and adjusted themselves to new circumstances, Matthew Arends, partner and head of UK retirement policy at Aon, looks at what the pension industry may have on its mind as it goes into 2024. “All those involved in running pension schemes may have mixed feelings as they face the New Year" There have been improvements in...

November 29, 2023
News, , ,
Read more...
02Nov

UK must seize DC pension learning opportunities to address decumulation challenges

Defined contribution (DC) pensions provide new opportunities to address retirement income challenges, but the UK can take lessons from countries with more developed DC pension systems to improve member outcomes, according to a Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) report. The PPI’s latest research report noted that while the UK had the second largest stock of pension assets in 2021, it was some way behind Australia, the US and Canada on the path to a fully formed DC system. It also warned that...

November 2, 2023
News,
Read more...

October 2023
23Oct

Europe’s defined contribution market poised for a boom

The defined contribution market in Europe is poised for significant growth, fueled by government reforms, growing importance of ESG for participants and increasing acceptance by stakeholders for DC to serve as a sustainable retirement solution. Figures released in June by the European Central Bank showed defined contribution plans making up 24.7% of retirement assets, at €646 billion ($680 billion). Cerulli Associates in 2022 projected compound annual growth rate of 9.6% for defined contribution in Europe over the next five years,...

October 23, 2023
News, ,
Read more...

September 2023
29Sep

Best Practices for Defined Contribution Plans

By Nicole M. Boyson This paper provides operational and investment recommendations for ERISA 403(b) plans. Based on a review of academic literature and an empirical analysis, I recommend that plan investment menus include mostly passive index funds covering key investment categories, a full suite of index-based target date funds as the auto-enroll qualified default investment alternative, and a self-directed brokerage option. I also recommend that plan sponsors adhere to and regularly review the plan’s Investment Policy Statement, that the Retirement...

September 29, 2023
Articles, System Characterization, , , ,
Read more...
21Sep

Higher fees for inclusion of ESG and private markets a ‘real barrier’ for DC schemes

The higher charges for incorporating environmental, social and governance (ESG) and private market investments is a “real barrier” for defined contribution (DC) schemes, which are reluctant to reverse the fall in charges seen over the past decade, according to WTW.The consultancy’s latest DC Pensions and Savings report found that average charges for DC schemes in the UK had fallen by 20 per cent, from 41 basis points in 2014 to 33 basis points in 2023.It noted that this was...

September 21, 2023
News, , ,
Read more...

June 2023
30Jun

Linear Risk Sharing in Intergenerational Pension

By Michail Anthropelos, An Chen, Steven Vanduffel & Morten Wilke  We introduce and analyze a novel collective defined contribution plan (CDC) which guarantees upon retirement at least a target benefit as a lump sum. The guarantee is provided by the remaining working generations under a pre-determined linear intergenerational risk sharing (IRS) rule. Through a simulation-based study, we show that the CDC scheme consistently outperforms the comparable individual DC scheme in terms of risk-adjusted performance. An extensive sensitivity analysis indicates that this...

June 30, 2023
Articles, Pension design, ,
Read more...
12Jun

US. Social Security’s woes highlight need for holistic plan

Given Social Security's uncertain future, defined contribution executives say that it's important for plan sponsors to offer participants holistic retirement planning and encourage additional savings. The Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund, which covers retirees and their families, is now set to reach depletion in 2033, according to an April report from the Social Security Board of Trustees. If that happens, the trust's income would be able to pay 77% of its scheduled benefits, the report states. A reduction in Social...

June 12, 2023
News, ,
Read more...