January 2026

Mexico. 38 Billion Pesos Withdrawn from AFORE Accounts Due to Unemployment

At the close of 2025, unemployment withdrawals from retirement savings accounts (AFOREs) broke records and climbed to 38 billion 882 million pesos , the highest level since 2005, the year up to which the National Commission of the Retirement Savings System (CONSAR) has records. According to data from the regulator, around 1.94 million people requested this withdrawal from their retirement savings account, which represented an increase of 227,400 compared to 2024. “This reflects that more people are turning to this type...

UK savers need extra £23bn a year to hit 12% pension target, says Bowmore

New research from Bowmore Financial Planning, part of Bowmore Wealth Group, has indicated that UK savers are falling short of recommended pension contributions. Bowmore’s analysis of HMRC data for 2022–23 suggests savers would need to contribute 12% of their annual salary to meet guidance from Pensions UK. However, the company estimates that reaching this level would require around £23bn in additional pension contributions each year. Bowmore Wealth Group’s review of HMRC data on incomes and pension contributions shows that private sector workers...

Most Americans surveyed cut or stopped retirement savings due to the current economy

Recent data from Allianz Life’s Q4 2025 Quarterly Market Perception study found that more than half of Americans (51%) have either stopped or reduced their retirement savings in the past six months due to the current economic environment. Two in three (66%) say they have not been able to contribute to their savings as much in the past six months due to the current economic environment. Concerns about the cost of health care is a contributing factor, according to the study....

Underpensioned: Analysis of Pensions Wealth data

By Pensions Policy Institute This Technical Report provides details of analysis undertaken for now:pensions as part of the Underpensioned Series of reports. John Adams, Senior Policy Analyst, at the Pensions Policy Institute (PPI), carried out the modelling and produced this report published in November 2025. The PPI is grateful for the input from Samantha Gould of now: pensions, in the production of this paper. Editing decisions remains with the author, who takes responsibility for any remaining errors or omissions. Sponsorship...

Pension Wealth and the Timing of Retirement

By Jonas Maibom, Torben M. Andersen & Anne Katrine Borgbjerg We analyze how pension wealth influences retirement timing using 25 years of Danish administrative panel data on wealth and labor market status. Exploiting early-career variation in firm-specific mandatory pension contribution rates, we study labor supply decisions from age 55 onward. Greater pension wealth accelerates labor market exit: at age 63, the elasticity is about 0.3 — an additional 100,000 DKK (15,000 USD) at age 55 reduces earnings by 1% at...

UK. DWP pension error leaves thousands at risk of Universal Credit underpayments

A Department for Work and Pensions administrative error may have left many thousands of Universal Credit recipients out of pocket, with those affected potentially entitled to both increased payments and backdated arrears. The blunder, brought to light by pensions expert Steve Webb, centres on claimants who contribute to pension schemes while receiving Universal Credit.   Multiple benefit recipients came forward after discovering that DWP staff had incorrectly declined to subtract their pension payments from earnings when calculating their Universal Credit entitlement. Under the...

US. For 2026, these 401(k) details ‘matter more than ever,’ advisor says. What you need to know

As more older Americans near retirement, many are eager to boost 401(k) savings to combat the rising cost of health care and other day-to-day expenses. And for 2026, there are key 401(k) changes that investors need to know, financial experts say. This year, “small 401(k) details matter more than ever,” said certified financial planner Joon Um with Secure Tax and Accounting in Hayward, California. For 2026, you can defer up to $24,500 into your 401(k) plan, up from $23,500 in 2025. The full plan limit, which includes employer matches, profit sharing and...

Pension Economics

By Torben M Andersen A coherent introduction to the economics of pensions is provided to give the reader insights in the many objectives addressed by pension systems and the design possibilities available. The text offers an in-depth overview of the literature and its main insights and conclusions with sufficient rigor to understand the basic mechanisms, but without excessive technical details, focusing on the intuition and implications of the results. The pros and cons of different pension schemes are discussed from...

US. What Retirement Savings Look Like for People Under 35

How Many People Under 35 Have Any Retirement Savings If you're in your 20s or early 30s, you may not be thinking much about retirement. Only about half of U.S. households with a reference person under age 35 had any money in retirement accounts in 2022, according to the latest available data from the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances. That makes young adults the working-age group that's the least likely to have dedicated retirement savings.1 This makes sense, of...

December 2025

Over half of UK savers relying on non-pension assets for retirement

Over half (57 per cent) of UK pension savers are building up retirement savings outside of their pension, with a heavy reliance on cash, raising concerns about long-term outcomes, research from Interactive Investor has revealed. The investment platform found that adults were saving for retirement outside of a pension, using a mix of cash savings, stocks and shares ISAs, buy-to-let property and other investments to build long-term wealth. While the trend points to broader engagement with retirement saving, the findings highlighted...