September 2025
10Sep

How Crypto and Private Equity Are Rewriting Risks of US Retirement Savings

America’s nest eggs are taking a risky turn. For the first time, ordinary Americans’ 401(k) plans—the backbone of retirement security for more than 60 million people—are being open to bitcoin and private equity. Introduction 401k plans are one of the most popular ways working Americans save for retirement, giving them option to invest some of their salaries in publicly traded securities tax-free. Since May 2025, US retirement plans are opening the door to private markets and cryptocurrency investments, with some 401(k)...

September 10, 2025
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10Sep

Shell outsources pension investment to Goldman in $40bn multi-country deal

Goldman Sachs Asset Management has landed one of the biggest fiduciary management mandates in a multi-country deal with oil giant Shell. The company has agreed to take over the management of approximately $40bn (£29.5bn) of assets, including the main UK defined benefit scheme, the £11.1bn Shell Contributory Pension Plan. The total consists of separate awards from Shell pension entities in six different jurisdictions, including the UK, Germany, and North America, according to a press release from Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM)....

September 10, 2025
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10Sep

Why some of Canada’s biggest pensions are slamming the brakes on U.S. real estate investment

Two of Canada’s largest pension funds say it is getting harder to justify investing in real estate south of the border, but the enormity of the market keeps the United States on their radar. Real estate executives from the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) and Alberta Investment Management Corp. (AIMCo), members of Canada’s Maple Eight with close to $300 billion in assets between them at year-end, told a real estate conference run by NAIOP, known as the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, that they...

September 10, 2025
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09Sep

Swiss pension funds warned on equity, bond concentration risks

Swiss pension funds are facing rising concentration risks in domestic and global equities, bonds, and regional exposures, particularly the US, according to the Pensionskassen-Jahrbuch 2025 report published by consultancy PPCmetrics. The study shows that around two-thirds (67.5%) of total pension assets of CHF859bn (€921bn) are invested in bonds and equities. The remaining 32.5% is allocated to real estate, alternatives and infrastructure. Within fixed income, an average 24.2% of total assets are invested in bonds denominated in Swiss francs, and just under 12% in...

September 9, 2025
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08Sep

US. Investors bet on gold’s glitter as US jobs data falters

Gold surged to a record high near US$3,600 per ounce on Friday, as speculation mounted that the US Federal Reserve could deliver a significant interest rate cut at its next meeting, following weaker-than-expected US job growth in August, according to Reuters. Investors responded to the jobs data by doubling down on bets that the Fed might cut rates by as much as 50 basis points, a move that sent Treasury yields tumbling and the US dollar lower, while boosting gold’s appeal. Nonfarm...

September 8, 2025
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05Sep

The Need For Regulation Of Private Equity: Evidence From De-Spac Transactions

By Sureyya Burcu Avci, Cindy A. Schipani & H. Nejat Seyhun In this Article, we examine whether regulation is needed to protect investors in private equity. We do this by analyzing the performance of de-SPAC transactions that solicited private investment. These private investments in public equity are known as PIPEs. Because PIPE returns are publicly available, we are empirically able to determine whether the limited PIPE investors are getting a fair deal in these investments. We find that de-SPAC investors...

September 5, 2025
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05Sep

Integrating Risk Management into Personal Financial Decisions

By Navin Kumar Effective personal financial planning demands navigating a landscape of uncertainty. This chapter explores how integrating risk management practices into personal finance decisions empowers individuals to achieve their financial goals. We begin by outlining the contemporary challenges individuals face and the importance of proactive planning. The chapter then delves into the concept of risk in personal finance, categorizing potential threats and their impact on financial stability. We highlight the benefits of a risk management approach, emphasizing its role...

September 5, 2025
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04Sep

Dutch fund PFZW reduces BlackRock ties over clash on sustainability

Dutch pension fund PFZW has stopped investing in stock funds managed by BlackRock, in part because of concerns over the U.S. firm's voting record on sustainability issues, its lead asset manager PGGM said on Wednesday. The move comes amid a wider activist campaign in the Netherlands to push the country's large pension schemes to drop managers that have reduced support for climate change-linked resolutions at company meetings. While some companies have scaled back the importance they attach to sustainability since the...

September 4, 2025
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02Sep

UK. ​Schemes urged to probe asset managers’ net zero commitments

Pension schemes and institutional investors should look beyond industry pledges when assessing whether their asset managers are genuinely committed to net zero, consultancy LCP has said. The warning follows recent changes and an ongoing review of the Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative. While such pledges provide a useful indication of intent, including target setting and progress reporting, LCP said pension schemes must scrutinise managers’ actions more closely to ensure climate goals are credible. LCP has suggested four questions for pension schemes...

September 2, 2025
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02Sep

US. Big Change To Workplace Investing

Ordinary Americans are about to see the biggest change to retirement investing perhaps since 401(k) plans replaced traditional pension plans. President Trump’s executive order permitting private equity and private credit plans, presumably along with crypto investments, to be included in qualified plans will democratize the investing world—at least in theory. For at least a decade, prominent people like former Blackstone No. 2 executive Hamilton James have made this argument: that since 401(k) investors in their 20s and 30s were locking...

September 2, 2025
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