May 2024
20May

US. New York City Retirement Funds Sue Fox For “Disregarding Defamation Risk” In Election Coverage

A group of New York City pension funds, along with others from the state of Oregon, have sued Fox Corp. and its officers and directors for “consciously disregarding defamation risk.” Fox News 2020 election coverage promoted “political narratives without regard for whether the underlying factual assertions were true or based on sources worthy of credit,” opening the company to litigation. “The board of directors of a Delaware-incorporated media company cannot be indifferent to the existential threat of broadcasting or publishing...

May 20, 2024
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17May

ESG and sustainable finance – issues for pension schemes and their sponsors

By Travers Smith As understanding develops, pension schemes are being prompted to consider how ESG and wider sustainability factors may affect the financial performance of their investments, as well as their relationship with sponsoring employers.  In some cases, stakeholders are starting to enquire about levels of activism from their pension schemes in this area, often highlighting the wider economic and social role of pension funds as major asset owners.  Diversity and governance considerations are also attracting increasing focus. Get the report...

May 17, 2024
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17May

Green Pensions Guide. A short guide for organisations greening their money

By Make My Money Matter  All organisations from businesses to charities, from SMEs to global brands can play an important role in tackling the climate crisis. Sustainability policies have become an expected standard across all sectors and industries, yet one of the ways organisations can have the most impact is often missing from the picture. Their money. How our pensions are invested now will shape the future we’ll retire into. The companies causing irreversible climate damage like companies at the...

May 17, 2024
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17May

How Hidden Costs Undermine Public Pensions in the US

 By Richard Ennis Public pension plans in the US incur exorbitant asset management costs. Most spend a lot and get nothing for it. High cost has hindered efforts to realize their actuarial return requirement. It has resulted in poor performance pretty much across the board. And yet, very few plans provide a full accounting of the costs they incur. Some still fail to net all their investment expenses from the returns they report. High cost is the Achilles heel of...

May 17, 2024
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17May

US. Wisconsin pension fund now includes bitcoin

BY RICH KREMER   Wisconsin’s pension fund has added bitcoin to its balance sheets, buying more than $160 million worth of shares in two newly approved funds earlier this year. U.S. Securities and Exchange filings from the State of Wisconsin Investment Board show that between Jan. 1 and March 31, it bought just more than $99 million worth of shares in a bitcoin exchange-traded fund, or ETF, from investment juggernaut Blackrock. The Investment Board, known as SWIB, also bought about $64 million worth of another...

May 17, 2024
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13May

APG’s Singapore CEO: Sustainable investing is taking centre stage

Sustainability considerations are being increasingly integrated into APG Asset Management's investment approach, according to Eric Van der Maarel, chief executive officer of APG Asset Management's Singapore branch. Amid evolving market conditions and a shifting economic cycle, such integration will foster resilience and diversification, Van der Maarel said at a panel discussion at AsianInvestor’s Investment Strategy Summit on May 7 in Singapore. "What you've seen over the past two years is that our priority in terms of maximising returns, and having a real sustainability footprint as...

May 13, 2024
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09May

Kenya. Pension funds cut stock holdings to 11-year low of Sh145 billion

Pension funds cut their holdings in listed shares (equities) to an 11-year low of Sh145.1 billion in the year ended December 2023, signalling reduced allocation to this asset class besides the impact of lower stock prices in the review period. New data from the Retirement Benefits Authority (RBA) shows that retirement schemes' investment in the stock market fell from Sh215.24 billion a year earlier. The disclosure of the latest holdings marked the lowest level since 2012, coinciding with the continued bear...

May 9, 2024
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08May

Why Europe’s largest investors are building their defense war chests

As war rages on Europe’s doorstep and authorities across the region explicitly encourage institutional investors to support national security, some European pension funds are changing their investment policies to put more money to work in the defense industry. Last month, Danish pension funds told Pensions & Investments that the war in Ukraine had led to a rethink of allocations to defense assets. Some had already been investing — carefully and always with a responsible investment framework in mind — in defense and aerospace...

May 8, 2024
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06May

US. Prudential Survey Reveals Insights on Retirement Planning

Prudential conducted a survey of 198 financial advisors to gain insight on how they are investing and constructing portfolios for retirees. 80% use separate portfolios that are specifically designed for retirees. Additionally, the use of targeted portfolios was higher among advisors who were more knowledgeable about planning for retirement. Another takeaway from the survey is that 50% of retirees prefer to live off of income from their portfolios. Thus, advisors need to ensure that their portfolios generate income for clients while balancing...

May 6, 2024
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03May

The ‘father of the 401(k)’ talks about the death of pensions, the future of retirement, and what disturbs him about his own creation

Americans have a lot of anxiety around retirement. Many people are dipping into their nest eggs to make ends meet amid soaring inflation, some boomers aren’t prepared to leave the workforce as they enter their golden years, and people are increasingly working past the typical retirement age. The most popular method for workers to save for retirement is the 401(k), which allows employees without employer-backed pensions to independently contribute to their own retirement savings, often with employer matching. But it’s not right for everyone, and the man who...

May 3, 2024
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