August 2026
13Aug

U.S. DC pension plan sponsors enhancing support for members, but gaps remain: survey

The survey, which polled more than 500 DC plan sponsors, found employers are asking their DC plans to deliver more than ever, including enhancing the employee experience (69 per cent) and improving retirement outcomes (63 per cent). Three in four ranked retirement savings as a core or top priority within total rewards. However, the survey found many plans are still measured, governed and delivered for a different era, leaving a gap between what employers expect and what their plans are...

August 13, 2026
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12Aug

US. NYC Aging Releases “What the Data Demands” Report on Affordability, Highlighting Economic Challenges Facing Older New Yorkers

The NYC Department for the Aging (NYC Aging) today released What the Data Demands: Findings from Older New Yorkers’ Financial Security, the latest issue paper in a series building on findings from The State of Older New Yorkers, which provides an in-depth examination of the affordability challenges confronting older New Yorkers, including financial insecurity, food insecurity, housing instability, and employment barriers. Drawing on responses from nearly 9,000 older New Yorkers who participated in the City's comprehensive Service Needs Assessment, the...

August 12, 2026
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10Aug

U.S. Social Security funding crisis sharpens as insolvency risk nears

As reported by Financial Times, the U.S. social security system is approaching a critical funding point as lawmakers weigh politically difficult changes to avoid automatic benefit cuts. The article says a bipartisan path remains possible, with proposals centred on higher revenue, lower payouts and changes to investment strategy. One option is to raise or remove the payroll tax cap, under which income above $184,500 is exempt from social security tax. Support for lifting the cap exists across party lines in...

August 10, 2026
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07Aug

State of Pensions 2026: 7th Annual Edition

By Equable Institute State of Pensions is Equable Institute’s annual report on the status of statewide public pension systems, put into a historic context. Governments face a wide range of challenges in general – and some of the largest are growing, and often unpredictable, pension costs. State of Pensions analyzes trends in public pension funding, investments, contributions, cash flows, and benefits for 253 of the largest statewide and municipal retirement systems in all 50 states to illuminate the scale and...

August 7, 2026
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06Aug

US. Large pension funds oppose SEC climate rule rescission

Several large public pension funds filed comments opposing the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) proposal to rescind its 2024 climate-risk disclosure rule. They wrote that eliminating standardized greenhouse gas emissions reporting would increase costs for investors and reduce the quality of information available for investment decisions. The SEC proposed rescinding the rule on May 29, 2026, and the public comment period ended on Aug. 3. SEC Chair Paul Atkins said the rule was "a dramatic overreach of the Commission's statutory...

August 6, 2026
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06Aug

Retirement Planning for Couples​​ Without Children

Key Takeaways for Couples Without Children Planning Retirement Consider a flexible withdrawal strategy. Align your portfolio with your goals. Make a long-term-care and estate plan. Plan ahead for aging in place. Consider working with a financial advisor. Valentina Djeljosevic: Hi, I’m Valentina Djeljosevic with Morningstar. Welcome to Retirement Planning for Real Life. In today’s episode, we’ll talk about couples who don’t have children, and how they might plan for retirement differently. Christine Benz will tell us about the key issues to keep in mind, like long-term care, estate planning, and...

August 6, 2026
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05Aug

US pensions are better funded on average but high exposure to AI a concern

The Equable Institute’s 2026 survey of the 253 US state and local pension plans shows that their funded ratio has reached 85%, the best since hitting bottom during the 2008 global financial crisis.Their average return on investment was 9.4%, higher than the average target of 6.9%. Set against this strong performance, however, is the US$1.37 trillion in outstanding liabilities, higher than the institute’s $1.27 trillion prediction in January. The figure is “just $210 billion better than 2009’s $1.34 trillion gap...

August 5, 2026
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04Aug

US. Are Recession Fears Affecting Retirement Saving Approaches?

Are concerns about whether there will be a recession are arising among three quarters of non-retired investors affecting the approach some take to retirement saving and investing? A new study suggests that they are. In fact, the Nationwide Retirement Institute study found that more than three quarters (77%) of non-retired investors are concerned about a U.S. recession over the next 12 months. However, it also shows a shift from caution to action, as 1 in 3 (33%) non-retired investors say...

August 4, 2026
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July 2026
31Jul

US. Pension giants warn SEC climate rule rescission will cost investors

The SEC announced its rescission proposal in May, saying the rules exceed the scope of its statutory authority and are “unnecessary and inconsistent” with a registrant-specific, materiality-based approach to disclosure. In the proposal document, the US financial regulator also said it expects the market-driven flow of information to continue following a rescission of the rules. Several major pension funds have submitted responses in recent days, including US heavyweights CalPERs, and the New York City and Maryland comptrollers, as well as Sweden’s...

July 31, 2026
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30Jul

U.S. pension risk transfer costs decrease slightly in June: report

U.S. pension plan sponsors’ derisking costs decreased from 99.7 per cent to 99.6 per cent of accounting liabilities in June, according to a new report by Milliman Inc. It found the average annuity purchase cost across all insurers increased from 102.5 per cent to 102.6 per cent during the month. As of June 30, the competitive bidding process was estimated to save plan sponsors about three per cent on pension risk transfer buyout costs. “Competitive buyout costs remained below 100 per...

July 30, 2026
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