June 2026
01Jun

Spain. AIReF confirms that the pension reform does not guarantee sustainability

The Independent Authority for Fiscal Responsibility (AIReF) maintains that the approved pension reform does not guarantee long-term financial viability. The system survives now, but the future is uncertain and the economic situation is becoming more complicated. The new AIReF report, presented on May 30, 2026, updates forecasts for the 2022-2050 period and confirms that the deficit and public debt will increase due to the impact of an aging population and insufficient measures. Formal compliance with the spending rule but with red flags The...

June 1, 2026
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May 2026
29May

Should Malaysia expand its social pension? Global evidence, design issues and options

By World Bank Group This study examines whether Malaysia should expand its social pension coverage and adequacy by drawing on global experiences and comparing them to the Malaysian context. It explores the impacts of social pensions on various social indicators and addresses key design issues for expansion. The paper concludes with recommendations for reforms, emphasizing the need to balance welfare and equity impacts with fiscal considerations. Get the report here

May 29, 2026
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April 2026
27Apr

Analysis-Brazil shackles public pension funds after Banco Master meltdown

Brazil’s biggest bank failure in recent history has led to an aggressive crackdown on public pension funds, which were among its creditors, limiting their portfolios in ways that could make it harder to hit their long-term targets. The new restraints for public pension funds, which manage some $73 billion in Brazil, are part of the widening fallout from the liquidation of Banco Master, with consequences for politicians, a state-run lender and even central bankers. Although Master was not considered a systemic...

April 27, 2026
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14Apr

Pension Eras: From ‘Deterioration’ to Funding Surplus

The times they are a changin’. Corporate pensions were king; however, additional means to save for retirement were developed and grew at the expense of their preeminence. But pension plans’ vitality is rebounding in some ways, and an expert panel recently discussed their pullback from the brink to being flush with cash. Aon figures Matt Maloney, Senior Partner, U.S. Wealth Solutions Innovation Leader; Mark Tavares, Partner, Corporate Defined Benefit Solutions Leader; and Megan Nichols, Partner, Head of Pension Settlement Solutions,...

April 14, 2026
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10Apr

Cash-strapped US Postal Service suspends contributions to pension plan

The U.S. Postal Service said Thursday it will temporarily suspend employer payments for a ​federal pension program to conserve cash amid a severe financial crisis. USPS ‌told the White House Office of Personnel Management that effective Friday it will stop making $200 million payments every other week for its employer contributions for the defined ​benefit portion of the Federal Employees Retirement System. USPS warned Thursday ​that without reforms it could run out of cash as ⁠soon as February. USPS estimated it...

April 10, 2026
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March 2026
20Mar

Mexico, how are we doing on retirement savings?

By México, ¿cómo vamos? Mexico is a country where half of the population is under 35 years old, 8 out of 10 people use the internet, and almost all of them connect through their cell phones. It's no surprise that the use of digital accounts has tripled in the last three years, opening up unprecedented potential for savings within the financial system. However, 54-5% of the employed population works in the informal sector, without access to social security or automatic...

March 20, 2026
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20Mar

The Retirement System Is Breaking – 8 Risks Most Investors Still Ignore

In recent weeks, I have put a lot more focus on actionable ideas, including higher-yielding stocks (see this article). However, that’s just the start. Especially for income-focused investors, I want to provide more food for thought. That’s based on various reasons, including these ones: Many of my readers are retired or getting close to retirement. Heck, even many of my younger followers are looking to add some income to their portfolios. I believe that “value” stocks are a great place to...

March 20, 2026
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19Mar

Risks, returns and realism: Mapping the future of pension investment

By Nicolas Firzli and Nick Sherry  Former Australian pensions minister Nick Sherry and World Pensions Forum director M Nicolas J Firzli explain their new model for visualising the future of asset allocation as interest in private markets and productive finance increases. We are living in the Age of Geo-Economics – defined by the second Trump presidency, the accelerating Sino-American technological rivalry, and the weaponisation of trade, finance and central banking – shaping the Fifth Industrial Revolution – bringing us artificial intelligence, advanced...

March 19, 2026
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13Mar

Why Social Security Is Essential to Measuring Wealth Inequality

By Knowledge at Wharton Staff In this Q&A, professor Sylvain Catherine discusses why including Social Security fundamentally changes how we measure wealth inequality. His paper “Social Security and Trends in Wealth Inequality” was co-authored by Max Miller and Natasha Sarin and recently won the Dimensional Fund Advisors First Prize from the American Finance Association. The paper was previously awarded the Marshall Blume Prize in Financial Research from Wharton’s Rodney L. White Center for Financial Research, given annually to the best...

March 13, 2026
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13Mar

It’s thanks to Social Security wealth inequality isn’t even worse, Wharton economist says. Trump’s policies will push it to insolvency in 6 years

America’s debt burden is caught in a death loop, and President Donald Trump’s policy agenda has accelerated that spiral. Among other consequences, the country’s race towards fiscal chaos might also plunge Social Security into insolvency, potentially erasing a $40 trillion buffer that has helped moderate wealth inequality over the past few decades. Modern-day America’s chasm between the ultra-rich and the rest of the country hasn’t been this wide since the Gilded Age, when the wealthiest 5% held a third of...

March 13, 2026
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