July 2022

YuLife picks up $120M at an $800M valuation for gamified, wellness-focused life insurance

YuLife originally made a name for itself in its home market of the U.K. for its new approach to the provisioning of life insurance: yes, sell a policy that provides financial security to your people in the event of your death; but do so with a focus on improving the policyholder’s current life with wellness opportunities, and encourage use of that with gamification — a model that not only is aimed at benefitting the policyholders more, but increases engagement...

Over 2,000 Retired Nigerian Workers Were Cut Off from Monthly Pension

Some Nigerian workers will have to live by what they have saved as their pension account failed to meet the regulatory standard The number of workers according to the National Pension Commission is over 2,000 from both the public and private There are currently over 9.67 million pension accounts in the country with a pension fund value at N34.11 trillion More than 2,084 retirees who can no longer receive monthly pension payments and who left the Contributory Pension Scheme in the first...

June 2022

US. Younger Boomers May Outlive Their 401(k) Savings

Baby boomers are not renowned for their frugality, having grown up in an era of rapid economic growth, mass consumerism and a feeling that the money faucet will never turn off. In retirement, however, the money can run out — a risk some boomers face as they spend their way too quickly through their retirement accounts, according to a new study from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. That risk is particularly big for younger boomers whose careers...

How to improve long-term planning for pension funds

The most difficult task for pension fund managers is to properly calibrate risk and return to make sure that pensioners earn a steady income after retirement. Today, this tradeoff is harder than ever. Since 1980, the average person’s life expectancy at retirement has increased by about four years, or one year per decade. This has resulted in greater liabilities for pension funds. In addition, bond yields have decreased to rock-bottom levels, which means that the dollars we save no...

Investment Choice in Collectivised Pensions

By John Armstrong & Cristin Buescu Investment choice is a central theme of UK pension policy. This paper shows how a collective pension fund can be managed in a manner that allows individuals to choose how their pension is invested and their schedule of pension payments. The potential benefit to investors of such a fund is quantified on the assumption that they choose to invest optimally. For our indicative choice of individual we find that they would need to invest...

UK. Women Need Extra 18 Years of Work to Equal Pension Savings as Male Peers, Survey Finds

Women would need to work an additional 18 years full-time to save the same amounts of money into their pensions as men, research suggests. Women aged 65 will typically have accumulated £69,000 in private pension wealth, compared with average men's savings of £205,800, according to workplace pension provider Now: Pensions and the Pensions Policy Institute (PPI). With women living on average four years longer than men, they need to save more throughout their lifetime to accommodate longer periods in retirement, the...

How the U.S. retirement system shortchanges the middle class

America has a vast and elaborate system of public policies supposedly designed to help us all save for retirement and avoid the catastrophe of a penurious and poverty-stricken old age. But does this system end up shortchanging the middle class that is the backbone of the country and the economy? That’s the accusation of a new report from the National Institute for Retirement Security, a nonpartisan think-tank. It’s hard to argue they’re wrong. Read also Governance Issues Loom Over US Pension...

May 2022

India. Donate-a-pension retirement plan finds few takers

The government's Donate-a-Pension initiative to build up a retirement kitty for unorganised workers, including domestic helps, has failed to garner enough responses. The number of beneficiaries enrolled under the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan (PM-SYM) scheme has slowed considerably in fiscal year 2022-23, strengthening the case for a major revamp of the initiative. Only 14,518 unorganised workers enrolled under the scheme between April 1 and May 25, government data showed, bringing average enrolment in a month to a little over 7,000....

Why are LGBTQ+ investors different?

Why are LGBTQ+ investors different?

By Matthew Carter &  Paul Donovan The obvious question when writing about LGBTQ+ investment is why the LGBTQ+ community would need to invest differently from the cis-gendered heterosexual community? The answer is that full legal and social equality does not exist anywhere in the world. When different groups face different social or legal environments, they need to invest differently to deal with the challenges that they face. While the main concerns of investors are the same, regardless of gender or sexual...

The National Landscape of State Retirement Benefits. How Good Are Public Retirement Systems at Putting Employees on a Path to Retirement Income Security?

By Jonathan Moody & Anthony Randazzo  Retirement security is ultimately about retirement income. Families and individuals want to know that during their retirement years they will have enough weekly, monthly, or annual income to live comfortably and meet their basic needs. Of course, many people aspire to more than just the basics. Ask even a handful of individuals about how they want to live in retirement, and you’ll hear a wide range of preferences. Expenses can vary from family-to-family, too,...