November 2022

U.S. Allianz Life Launches Income Annuity for Use in DC Plans

Allianz finds growing numbers of U.S. workers want guaranteed income options in their employer-sponsored retirement plan. Allianz Life Insurance North America launched the Lifetime Income+ Annuity, an in-plan guaranteed lifetime income option for defined contribution plans. The Allianz Life fixed index annuity is now available to any plan sponsor connected to the iJoin/IPX Retirement network of recordkeepers, a spokesperson said in an email. “We designed this product to be personalized, flexible, and portable for users,” said...

US. Some workers halt 401(k) plan contributions to cope with inflation

More than half of American workers have cut or stopped contributing to their retirement savings plans to cope with soaring prices and 40-year-high inflation rates. The findings come from a third-quarter market perceptions study by Allianz Life Insurance of North America. The September survey of 1,004 workers found that 54% halted or reduced their 401k and other retirement savings between July and September. Perhaps more alarming, 43% admitted dipping into retirement nest eggs to cope with the higher cost of gas, utilities,...

October 2022

US. SECURE 2.0 could pass before new Congress

The upcoming midterm elections could change the trajectory on many congressional priorities, but strengthening retirement security has remained a bipartisan issue. Congressional leaders and their staffs are currently working to pass another retirement security package, referred to as SECURE 2.0, that could pass before a new Congress starts. There are three bipartisan bills that House and Senate members are discussing behind the scenes, attempting to reconcile any differences between the bills and put forth a package aimed at bolstering Americans' retirement...

US. Faculty Wants Pensions Out of Fossil Fuels

Student activists have been demanding that higher education institutions divest their endowments from fossil fuel companies for over a decade. Now, as more institutions move toward sustainable investment, a group of faculty is calling on its pension fund to go green. About 300 clients of the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America–College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA), which hundreds of higher education institutions use to invest faculty members’ pensions, are calling on the fund to divest from companies they say...

The American healthcare system is broken, here’s what we can do to fix it

The United States is amid a major demographic shift that is testing the limits of an already strained healthcare system, with Americans living longer and requiring more extensive healthcare services than past generations. Improving access to primary care is a clear way to improve outcomes in our aging population, which is expected to reach nearly 84 million by 2050. Yet, despite this, primary care continues to be deeply undervalued — accounting for just 5% to 7% of total healthcare...

In the U.S., Income and Wealth are Concentrated at the Top. Where Does This Leave Older Americans?

Disparities in income and wealth among older Americans have widened in recent decades. Higher income and wealth are both associated with better prospects for living a long life. So where does this leave older Americans? Today’s WatchBlog post looks at our new report on these trends with older Americans and retirement, as well as what we can see happening in three other countries with large economies—Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom. How does the U.S. compare? In some ways, we are similar to...

US. Early retirement took off during the pandemic

Even as many Americans have returned to work over the past year, making up for most of the pandemic losses in the labor force, a sizable number of older workers are choosing to remain on the sidelines. In September, the share of people 55 and older who were working or looking for work was down 1.5 percentage points as compared with February 2020, according to the Labor Department. (For comparison, prime-age workers, or those 25 to 54 years old, are...

US. IRA Limits Are Rising in 2023. Here’s What Retirement Savers Need to Know.

You have an even greater opportunity to build yourself a strong nest egg. Building a nest egg is an important thing to do if you want to retire in a comfortable manner. Sure, you can tell yourself you'll just fall back on Social Security -- but doing so might lead to a serious income shortfall down the line. Now when it comes to saving for retirement, you have options. If your employer sponsors a 401(k) plan, it could pay to contribute....

P&I Research Center. Pension Risk Transfer

By Valerie Ge Over the past 12 months through June, $57.4 billion in liabilities were involved in pension risk transfer deals. Pension buyout transactions reached $25.3 billion, or 44.1% of the total, followed by buy-ins of $23.2 billion, 40.4%, and longevity swaps of $7.5 billion, or 13.1% of the total. Buyout transactions increased 93.3% from $2.9 billion in the fi rst quarter but buy-in transactions declined to $2.4 billion from $7.3 billion. Source: @s3 prod pionline 601 views

Older Workers’ Employment and Social Security Spillovers through the Second Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic

By Gopi Shah Goda, Emilie Jackson, Lauren Hersch Nicholas & Sarah Stith The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a large and immediate drop in employment among US workers, along with major expansions of unemployment insurance and work from home. We use Current Population Survey and Social Security application data to study employment among older adults and their participation in disability and retirement insurance programs through the second year of the pandemic. We find ongoing improvements in employment outcomes among older workers in...