August 2020

Nearly 1 in 5 Americans Is Delaying Retirement Due to COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge financial impact since cases first started multiplying rapidly back in March. Now, almost five months later, unemployment is still rampant and the economy is stuck deep in recession territory. Read aslo US. Beleaguered Public Pension Funds Make Record Gains in Second Quarter All of this is causing Americans to rethink their near-term and long-term financial plans, so it's not surprising to learn that 19% of U.S. adults now intend to push back their...

July 2020

UK. Pension savers remain cautious during Coronavirus pandemic

The number of pension savers choosing to drawdown money from their pension fell by 42% in April 2020 compared to the same month last year. The latest data published by trade body the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has also shown the number of people taking a tax-free lump from their pension more than halved (-53%), while those withdrawing their entire pension fell by 30%. Figures for March 2020 had already started to show this cautious trend, as 15%...

Covid-19: Don’t Mess With My Retirement

We’ve heard a lot lately about how the Covid-19 pandemic is dramatically disrupting the retirement preparations of tens of millions of working Americans. Being furloughed from work or having your small business fail is causing people to dip into savings and interrupts putting money aside toward retirement. Those closest to retiring can be in the biggest bind, and many are choosing to delay retirement to fill their growing financial gap. But how is the pandemic affecting folks who are...

June 2020

US. Coronavirus puts company match under pressure

For the employers that suspended or reduced their matches in defined contribution plans, the coronavirus — which caused the economic havoc leading to cost-cutting — also looms over their efforts to reinstate these benefits. "If companies can bring back the match, they will," said Gregg Levinson, the Philadelphia-based senior director of retirement at Willis Towers Watson PLC. However, a new survey by his firm, conducted during the first half of June, shows that bringing back the match could take...

Increasing compulsory superannuation would crush consumer spending

The Grattan Institute has attacked the legislated lift in the superannuation guarantee (SG) to 12%, claiming it would “leave an enormous hole in economic activity”: Legislated plans to increase the rate of compulsory superannuation contributions incrementally to 12 per cent of wages between 2021 and July 2025 would also exacerbate the economic problems caused by COVID-19, and should be abandoned. At least 80 per cent of the cost of higher compulsory super contributions comes at the cost of lower...

‘Alarming number’: Boomers struggle to save enough for retirement, survey finds

Many baby boomers don’t have nearly enough money to retire. The median amount they have saved for retirement is $144,000, according to a recent survey from Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, a figure that should be a “call to action” for boomers, said one financial expert. “When we think about it, $144,000 to last in retirement that could be 20 or 30 years just isn’t going to go very far,” said Catherine Collinson, CEO and president of the Transamerica...

Global pension assets rose to $32 trillion in 2019

According to information and data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD, pension fund assets rose to $32 trillion in OECD area and $0.7 trillion in 29 other selected (non-OECD) reporting jurisdictions in 2019. A country by country analysis shows that the United States of America has the largest amount of pension fund assets in the amount of $18.8 trillion. The US is followed by the United Kingdom with pension assets of $3.6 trillion, Australia, $1.8 trillion,...

May 2020

South Africa. Odds stacked against investment industry as Covid-19 hits pension contributions

The investment industry could face one of its toughest years to date in 2020 as people are losing their jobs and cashing out their pensions to survive, while companies are giving those who remain employed options to save less for retirement. One of SA's biggest asset managers, Coronation Fund Managers, said while it is still early to assess the impact of coronavirus-related job losses on the industry, it is safe to expect that less money will be coming in....

The Shifting Ground of Pension Design: Reflections on Risks and Reporting

By Robert D. Baldwin Debates about the relative merits of defined-benefit (DB) and defined-contribution (DC) pension plans have been a prominent part of pension discourse over the past forty years. The intensity of the debate has ebbed and flowed over the years but has been more intense in recent years as there has been a shift from DB to DC plans in Canada. This shift has left the remaining members of DB plans feeling threatened and, for many, the...

How to Motivate Young Workers to Save For Retirement

For most young workers, planning for retirement typically isn’t a priority. But as the nation’s fiscal outlook darkens, the likelihood that Congress will scale back Social Security benefits in the coming years only grows. Without early planning, most simply won’t be able to maintain the standard of living they expect in retirement.  Whether you want to educate your young employees about planning for retirement or ensure a secure future for your child, here are four tips to help you...