May 2025

Annual survey on financial incentives for retirement savings. Country profiles 2024

By Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Countries provide financial incentives to encourage individuals to save for retirement in asset-backed pension plans. Financial incentives for retirement savings can take the form of tax incentives, which are indirect subsidies through the tax code, or non-tax incentives, which are direct government payments into pension accounts. This annual survey provides an overview of the tax treatment of retirement savings and covers non-tax incentives to promote retirement savings in OECD countries and four accession...

US. PensionBee Launches SEP IRAs To Include Non-Traditional Retirement Savers

PensionBee, a leading online retirement provider, announced today the launch of Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) IRAs in its digital platform. This offering provides a best-in-class retirement solution designed for self-employed individuals. Self-employed Americans consistently report lower levels of retirement preparedness. Only about 13% of self-employed individuals in single-person businesses participate in retirement plans, compared to nearly 72% of traditional employees. The launch comes at a critical time as the gig economy continues its rapid expansion. By 2025, gig workers are expected...

US. Bill Would Lower Retirement Plan Eligibility Age to 18

Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA.) and Tim Kaine (D-VA.) have re-introduced the Helping Young Americans Save for Retirement Act. The bill was previously introduced last Congress in November 2023. Much like last time, the bill would reduce the participation age in ERISA-governed plans, currently set at 21 years old, to 18 years old. The purpose of the bill is to expand retirement savings to younger workers. ERISA plans would still be permitted to set a minimum age that is younger than 18. Employees...

UK. Pension savers urged not to panic despite potential impact of volatility on DC savings

Defined contribution (DC) pension savers could see their potential retirement income fall by up to 20 per cent as a result of market volatility seen following the introduction of US tariffs, although those in defined benefit (DB) schemes are unlikely to be affected, research from the Society of Pension Professionals has revealed. The SPP acknowledged that, in the wake of US President, Donald Trump, announcing new import taxes on goods from almost every country, the economic turbulence felt across the...

UK. State pension top-up payments ‘could take months’ to reach pensioners

Pensioners who have topped up their National Insurance records have been issued a warning as they could potentially face a months-long wait for their state pension increases. The surge in state pension top-ups has reportedly resulted in a six to eight-month delay in processing payments. This year marked the final deadline for topping up state pension payments through voluntary National Insurance contributions. Under existing rules, you require 35 qualifying years on your National Insurance record - some individuals may need more...

April 2025

96% of Ghanaian pensioners live on GH¢5,000 or less monthly – Paul Kofi Mante

At the 2025 edition of the Money Summit organized by the Business and Financial Times (B&FT), Paul Kofi Mante, Managing Director of EDC Investment Limited, raised urgent concerns about the state of pensions in Ghana, revealing that a staggering 96% of pensioners receive GH¢5,000 or less per month. Speaking as a panelist during a session focused on investment and retirement planning, Mr. Mante described the current pension reality as deeply worrying. He disclosed that out of the over 2 million Ghanaians aged 60 and above, fewer than 300,000 are enrolled on...

UK pension system is at a tipping point

The UK faces a pensions time bomb that could detonate within a generation. Unlike all good suspense movies, there is not going to be a cutting of the red or blue wire in the final seconds of a digital countdown; solutions are complex, multi-faceted and wide reaching. For decades, the UK pension system has been regarded as a stable safety net, ensuring workers can retire with dignity. But beneath this illusion of security lies a crisis in the making. The combined pressures of...

US. Benefits Cuts on the Table in House Budget Legislation

Cuts to federal employees’ benefits are being pitched in budget legislation scheduled to be marked up in the House of Representatives this week. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer (R-KY) announced that the Committee will mark up budget legislation on Wednesday, April 30 at 10:00 AM ET as part of the Trump administration’s plan to reduce federal spending to combat the growing debt which currently stands at about $36 trillion. Items Under Consideration The items to be considered would have...

Finland. More than half of working-age people save for retirement, especially young people

Private savings for retirement have increased significantly over the past decade. According to a comprehensive survey by the Finnish Centre for Pensions, more than half of people aged 25–67 are saving or have saved for retirement in 2024. According to the study, the most common pension savers are the self-employed, people with above-average incomes and Finns close to retirement age. Savings rates among people under 30 have increased compared to previous similar surveys. In 2024, 45 per cent of the under-30-year-olds...

US. More and more Americans are draining their 401(k)s to survive — with ‘hardship withdrawals’ at 15%-20% above normal.

More Americans are tapping into their 401(k) to make ends meet — treating it more like an emergency fund than a retirement savings plan. Hardship withdrawals are running 15% to 20% above the historical norm, Empower CEO Ed Murphy told Bloomberg TV. Empower is the second-largest retirement plan (by number of participants) in the U.S. While new rules make it easier to withdraw funds, some people may be turning to their retirement savings as prices on consumer goods — from groceries to...