April 2024

Job losses has Nigerians turn to pensions for lifeline

Pension savings have become an immediate lifeline for Nigerians as rising unemployment forced more people to draw on their balances for day-to-day expenses. This development has seen workers in both the public and private sectors who lost their jobs fall back on pension savings to survive current economic hardships. Data from the National Pension Commission shows that at the end of the fourth quarter of 2023, a total 10,307 Retirement Savings Account (RSA) holders, otherwise called contributors, requested to access 25 percent of their balances...

Only 26pc Of Kenyans In Employment Save For Retirement

Kenyans in the labour force have been urged to join pension schemes and start their contributions, which would enable them to have a stable future once they exit their employments. According to the Retirement Benefits Authority (RBA), only 26 per cent of people in the labour market were saving for retirement, meaning that in every 10 Kenyans in the labour service, 7 were likely to live in poverty after retirement because the appreciation of saving for retirement is not well...

Americans think they need almost $1.5 million to retire. Experts say to focus on another number instead

When it comes to retirement, Americans have a new number in mind — $1.46 million — for how much they think they will need to live comfortably, according to new research from Northwestern Mutual. That estimate is up 53% since 2020, when Americans said they would need $951,000, as the cost of living has surged in recent years. It is also up 15% from last year, when respondents said they would need $1.27 million. For many savers, that goal may sound daunting, particularly as...

The Race/Ethnicity Gap in Retirement Plan Participation: More than Just Demographics

By David Blanchett American companies have been actively shifting away from defined benefit (DB) plans towards defined contribution (DC) plans for decades. This shift places more burden on workers to make decisions like whether to participate in the retirement plan, how much to save, and how to invest those savings. This analysis explores how participation in a workforce retirement plan varies by race and ethnicity leveraging data from the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) to the 2023 Current Population...

Retirement insecurity 2024 americans’ views of retirement

By Dan Doonan & Kelly Kenneally T he ground is shifting when it comes to retirement. Most Americans are experiencing increased financial pressures "I am scared to be broke." Dream. Eighty-three percent of Americans say that all workers should have a pension so they can be and low levels of retirement savings. Amid growing concerns about Americans’ retirement readiness, policymakers recently enacted measures to help address the grave savings shortfall. On the federal level, Congress passed important retirement legislation in...

US. People Are Worried About Retirement Savings, And They Should Be

This week is America Saves Week, a time to focus on actions Americans can take to successfully save. When it comes to saving for retirement, Americans are feeling pessimistic. In a recent nationwide survey of working age Americans, 79% agree that the nation faces a retirement savings crisis, up from 67% in 2020. And more than half of Americans (55%) are concerned that they cannot achieve financial security in retirement. But is this worry about retirement savings warranted? After all, people worry about many things,...

UK. Cover story: Pensions are on life support – but how do we save them?

We are in the midst of a pensions crisis. For a long time, experts have warned that UK adults aren’t saving anywhere near enough money to ensure a comfortable, or even moderate, retirement. But now it feels as though we’ve reached breaking point. If pensions were a person, it’s probably safe to say they’d be on life support. Let’s take a quick look at the facts. Around a fifth of working-age private-sector employees — approximately 3.5 million people — do not pay anything...

China’s Young People Are Giving Up on Saving for Retirement

China wants young people to put money away for retirement. Tao Swift, an unemployed 30-year-old, is not interested in hearing it. “Retire with a pension?” he asked. “I don’t hold much hope that I can definitely get my hands on it.” Mr. Tao, who lives in the southern city of Chengdu, is not alone in thinking this way. On social media forums and among friends, young people are questioning whether to save for old age. Some are opting out, citing the...

53% of Americans surveyed feel they are behind on retirement planning and savings, CNBC poll finds

CNBC's International Your Money Financial Security Survey polled about 500 people each in nine countries. Of the 498 people surveyed in the U.S., more than half (53%) said they're behind schedule in retirement planning and savings. The poll was conducted by SurveyMonkey. "I think most Americans do struggle to save enough for retirement," said David Blanchett, a certified financial planner and head of retirement research for PGIM, a money manager. As part of its National Financial Literacy Month efforts, CNBC will...

Serbian voluntary pension funds’ assets rise 11.5% y/y at end-2023

The net assets held by voluntary pension funds (VPFs) in Serbia rose 11.5% on the year to 53.8 billion dinars ($495 million/461 million euro) at the end of 2023, the country's central bank, NBS, said. The volume of net assets was up 2.7% compared to the end of September, NBS said in a statement on Monday. At the close of December, the majority of VPF assets were allocated to government securities, comprising 70%, with balances in custody accounts and bank time...