July 2022
04Jul

A bright future for pensions in Mexico. Interview with: David Razú Aznar, CEO, Afore XXI Banorte

Home to 130 million people and covering just shy of two million square kilometres, Mexico is a vast nation with tremendous economic potential. For decades, the country has been hotly tipped as an economy ready to boom, with experts predicting that Mexico could emerge as a global powerhouse as far back as the 1980s. Boasting abundant natural resources, a young labour force and enjoying a strategic location that is integrated with North America, Mexico is certainly ripe with economic...

July 4, 2022
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June 2022
28Jun

Large Dutch funds index pensions again

Several large Dutch pension funds, including civil service scheme ABP an healthcare fund PFZW, have increased pension for the first time since 2008. The pension funds can finally index again thanks to a steep rise in funding ratios this year and a relaxation of solvency rules. ABP will increase pensions by 2.39% as of 1 July, and will pay an additional 1.2% to pensioners to compensate for missed indexation during the first six months of this year. The increase has been...

June 28, 2022
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22Jun

Japanese corporate pension funds: risks growing for Asia’s emerging markets

Relying on high-growth markets is not showing the results it once did - and the current situation is posing more questions than answers, says one corporate pension fund manager. Corporate pension funds in Japan are struggling to identify the best allocation strategies as the knock-on from distruptive events globally is being felt in Asia's emerging markets, according to leading pension funds. With China’s economy challenged by lockdowns and general repercussions from the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as regulatory interventions that have...

June 22, 2022
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20Jun

U.S. high yield takes a fall

By Larry Rothman With high inflation persisting, the Federal Reserve recently raised short-term interest rates by 75 basis points, the largest one-time increase since 1994. As the Fed continues hiking rates, this raises the risk that the central bank will go too far in combating inflation and tip the U.S. economy into a recession. As a result, high-yield spreads could widen further than they already have this year since cash flow would come under pressure, raising the risk of financial...

June 20, 2022
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17Jun

Would the Securing a Strong Retirement Act Secure More Retirement Equity?

By Albert Feuer On March 29, 2022 the House approved H.R. 2954 that is titled the Securing a Strong Retirement Act of 2022 (the SECURE Act 2.0) by a vote of 414-5. On May 26, 2022, a discussion draft of the Retirement Improvement and Savings Enhancement to Supplement Healthy Investments for the Nest Egg (RISE & SHINE) Act of 2022 was released by the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chair Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), and Ranking Member Senator Richard...

June 17, 2022
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17Jun

US. Stock market’s fall has wiped out $3 trillion in retirement savings this year

The U.S. stock market rout that has put U.S. equities in a bear market isn't just reducing the net worth of billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. It's also taking a toll on Americans' retirement savings, wiping out trillions of dollars in value. The selloff has erased nearly $3 trillion from U.S. retirement accounts, according to Alicia Munnell, director of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. By her calculations, 401(k) plan participants have lost about $1.4 trillion...

June 17, 2022
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17Jun

US. Wall Street Secrets Pit $75 Billion Pension Plan Against Trustee Tasked With Protecting It

When State Senator Katie Muth joined the board of the Pennsylvania teachers’ pension fund last year, she knew she had a lot to learn: With a college degree in athletic training, her financial education consisted largely of paying off her student loans. But she saw the unpaid trustee position at the $75 billion Public School Employees’ Retirement System as a way to protect teachers and state taxpayers — and an extension of her job as a lawmaker. Little did the...

June 17, 2022
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16Jun

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...

June 16, 2022
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09Jun

Expert panel: Is risk management the new frontier in pension governance?

The importance of risk management isn’t new for the majority of defined benefit pension plan sponsors and administrators. The impact of long-term interest rates, market volatility, changing demographics and increasing longevity, inflation concerns, geopolitical events and other large economic, environmental and social factors are all contributing to the need to manage the financial risks associated with sponsoring and managing a pension plan. Pension regulators have increased their focus on risk management as a way to address investment risk and promote plan...

June 9, 2022
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08Jun

Nigeria. ‘Pension fund assets rise by N1.53 trillion in one year’

The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has released its First Quarter One 2022 Report, showing strong growth in pension fund assets and scheme memberships. The report shows that the total value of Pension Fund Assets under the management of Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) increased by N1.53 trillion yearly from N12.34 trillion recorded as of the end of Quarter One 2021 to N13.88 trillion as of the end of Quarter Two of 2022. Quarterly, total pension assets rose by N46 billion from the...

June 8, 2022
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