March 2024
08Mar

The gender pension gap: What does it tell us and what should be done about it?

By Miglena Abels, Loli Arribas-Banos & Gustavo Demarco Despite recent attention in the media, progress in closing the gender pension gap in most countries has halted. These sources point to a stark disparity in retirement outcomes, with women receiving pensions that are between 25% to 30% lower than those of men. Methodological differences to estimate the gap don’t make it less striking and are no excuse for inaction. Source World Bank

March 8, 2024
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05Mar

Switzerland votes against increasing the retirement age. What are the retirement ages around the world?

Swiss nationals have voted in favour of increasing their state pension by an extra month every year. The nationwide referendum saw Swiss voters take to the ballot box to discuss issues on living standards for the elderly. Around 60 per cent of the nation voted in favour of providing the additional payout each year, while simultaneously refusing to raise the retirement age from 65 to 66. At present, the maximum monthly state pension is €2,550 (£2,180; $2,760) but the cost of living in Switzerland has dramatically...

March 5, 2024
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February 2024
26Feb

World Bank Urges Malaysia to Mandate Retirement Savings for Digital Platform Workers

In a world where the gig economy is not just an option but a necessity for many, the World Bank has cast a spotlight on Malaysia, urging the government to adopt a pioneering approach to safeguard its informal workers.At the heart of this recommendation is a call for mandatory contributions to retirement savings for those earning through digital platforms. This suggestion comes at a critical juncture, as the gig economy's productivity in Malaysia soared to RM1.33 billion in the third...

February 26, 2024
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January 2024
30Jan

Where Pension Incentive Pay Makes Sense — and Doesn’t

By Girard Miller To continue a theme I introduced in my last column, the compensation structures for public pension professionals will need a tune-up if we expect them to deliver superior investment returns. The first steps toward performance improvement don’t require a lot of money — just a willingness to bump up the salaries of those with proven investment IQs as demonstrated through relevant credentialing programs. Beyond that, however, it gets much trickier for the plans seeking to deliver optimal performance in...

January 30, 2024
News, OP Ed, Op-Ed,
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25Jan

Savers at risk from UK’s pension ‘pot for life’ plan, industry leaders warn

Critics say government proposal for single, career-long retirement funds could leave individuals worse off A proposed shake-up of the UK’s pension market to give millions of workers the right to choose a retirement “pot for life” risks leaving savers worse off, industry leaders and unions have warned. In last year’s Autumn Statement economic plan, the government issued a call for evidence on a “lifetime provider” model, which would allow consumers to stick with one pension pot throughout their career. Currently employers are...

January 25, 2024
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24Jan

The Ins and Outs of Final Salary Pensions

How do you envision your golden years? For many, it means traveling or just relaxing on sun-kissed beaches, free of the daily grind. Financial security, however, is crucial to a truly idyllic retirement. The golden ticket to that blissful state used to be a final salary pension, but unfortunately, it no longer exists. Today, the pension landscape has radically changed. In place of final salary plans, defined contribution plans like 401(k)s have become more common. As of November 2023, 22% of non-retirees...

January 24, 2024
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19Jan

Occupations Shape Retirement Across Countries

By Philip Sauré, Arthur Seibold, Elizaveta Smorodenkova & Hosny Zoabi We study how occupations shape individual and aggregate retirement behavior. First, we document large differences in individual retirement ages across occupations in U.S. data. We then show that retirement behavior among European workers is strongly correlated with U.S. occupational retirement ages, indicating an inherent association between occupations and retirement that is present across institutional settings. Finally, we find that occupational composition is an important determinant of aggregate retirement behavior across...

January 19, 2024
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18Jan

They flocked to build China’s cities. Now builders are aging with little retirement

About 30 years ago, construction worker Song Aimin believed a lifetime of labor could earn him a spot among China's growing urban middle class. He left his village in the northern Hebei province and headed to Beijing. "Back then, all the people in the villages wanted to leave to go find work in the cities. Laboring in the cities meant that you always ate well — at least, better than you ate back home," says Song, now 64 years old....

January 18, 2024
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10Jan

UK. Morningstar expects up to 300 funds to opt for sustainability label

Up to 300 funds are expected to assign themselves a sustainability label this year, as part of new rules from the UK’s financial regulator. In November, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) unveiled a labelling regime for investment products wishing to market themselves as considering environmental and social issues. It identifies four legitimate approaches, including targeting real-world impact and supporting companies that are transitioning to more sustainable practices. A report published today by research house Morningstar predicts that “about 300 UK open-...

January 10, 2024
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10Jan

Why Retirement Gets Better With Annuities

Everyone aspires to have a steady source of income after retirement that replaces as much as possible of their pre-retirement earning. But for many people, one big challenge in saving for that goal is to find the right financial product that accommodates their specific requirements, such as when they want to retire or how much more they need over and above their Social Security benefits. A new research paper by experts at Wharton and elsewhere solves that challenge with a...

January 10, 2024
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