November 2020

09Nov

US. 5 Ways President Biden May Make Lasting Changes To Retirement

While President-elect Biden and a nation wait for President Trump to concede the election, focus turns to how a Biden administration will lead. Biden has put forth many policy initiatives, including significant changes to retirement savings and Social Security. His ability to implement his vision depends in large part on Georgia. Two Senate races are headed to run-off elections in January. It seems likely that at least one race will go to a Republican, giving the GOP a razor-thin...

November 9, 2020
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06Nov

US. 10 Ways to Close Public Pension Funding Gaps

The best way to close public pension funding gaps, according to the National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems (NCPERS), is to reform state and local revenue systems and close tax loopholes. “But that is a long road, and it is beyond the scope of responsibilities of pension trustees and administrators,” NCPERS said in a recent research paper called “Ten Ways to Close Public Pension Funding Gaps.” “However, we can help ensure that state and local governments are looking...

November 6, 2020
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03Nov

Retirement Saving Is Hard Even For Those Who Can Afford It

Covid-19 has thrown a wrench in retirement planning. Rising unemployment, a volatile stock market and economic uncertainty are jeopardizing the ability of many families to plan for the future. However, even before the pandemic, saving for retirement was not easy. According to a U.S. Federal Reserve report from 2018, one in four non-retired households had no retirement savings at all, and more than 40% of non-retired adults said their retirement savings were not on track. Even for those households...

November 3, 2020
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October 2020

29Oct

The Changing Nature of Work and Public Pension Coverage: Evidence from the US and Europe

By Axel H. Börsch-Supan, Courtney Coile, Jonathan Cribb, Carl Emmerson and Yuri Pettinicchi We examine non-standard work and its impact on pension coverage via a case study of the US, the UK, and Germany. We find that the share of workers engaged in non-standard work has changed only modestly over time in these three countries, despite the popular perception that a more significant transformation in the nature of work may be underway. We discuss how non-standard work may affect...

October 29, 2020
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29Oct

Pension fund of S.Africa’s Eskom to invest $170 mln in U.S. projects

The pension fund of South Africa's indebted power utility Eskom plans to invest $170 million in private equity, infrastructure and real estate projects in the United States, the U.S. embassy in South Africa said on Wednesday. Eskom Pension and Provident Fund (EPPF) will invest $100 million in private equity managed by AlpInvest and $30 million in real estate managed by Metropolitan. The two companies are owned by U.S. private equity firm Carlyle Group. The remaining $40 million infrastructure investment will be...

October 29, 2020
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29Oct

US. Most Workers Believe COVID-19 Will Affect Their Retirement Planning

Market volatility driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and a contentious U.S. presidential election have struck fear in pre-retirees about their ability to save for the future, according to new survey results.  Principal Financial Group’s quarterly Retirement Security Pulse Survey, which looks at consumer concerns surrounding their retirement savings, finds that nearly two-thirds of workers anticipate the pandemic will impact their path to retirement.  While most retirees feel they can live comfortably over the coming months, that confidence wanes when they think longer...

October 29, 2020
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28Oct

US. How to start defusing NYC’s pension bomb

Gotham’s public-health crisis risks becoming a financial crisis — including by ravaging the underfunded retirement systems promised to public workers. Four essential steps could avert catastrophe. Even before the crisis, the city had set aside just 2 percent of the savings needed to cover retiree health benefits for city workers, while its pension funds contained only 79 cents for every dollar needed to cover projected benefits. These fringe benefits consumed one-third of the city’s municipal payroll and one-tenth of...

October 28, 2020
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27Oct

US. Apollo Clients Await Inquiry’s Findings on Chief and Jeffrey Epstein

Leon Black helped start Apollo Global Management three decades ago out of the ashes of a junk-bond scandal and built a $400 billion private-equity powerhouse, handling the investments of institutions around the globe, from public pension systems in California to sovereign wealth funds controlled by foreign governments. But now some of his clients are asking pointed questions about his judgment, as his association with a notorious sex offender threatens to cloud his future. In the past two weeks —...

October 27, 2020
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27Oct

US. State Liability Burdens Fall to 5%; Five States Top 20% Driven by Pensions

Fitch Ratings-New York-26 October 2020: Long-term liabilities burdens fell for a fourth straight year for U.S. states and hit a notable threshold last fiscal year, according to Fitch Ratings in its latest annual survey of state direct debt and pension liabilities. Read also US. Most Workers Believe COVID-19 Will Affect Their Retirement Planning Long-term liabilities relative to personal income declined to 5% in fiscal 2019, from 6% in fiscal 2016. "The downward trend does not necessarily reflect an enduring...

October 27, 2020
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27Oct

US. IRS Announces 2021 Retirement Plan Contribution Limits For 401(k)s And More

How much can you save for retirement in 2021 in tax-advantaged accounts? How does $58,000 sound? The Treasury Department has announced inflation-adjusted figures for retirement account savings for 2021. The basic salary deferral amount for 401(k) and similar workplace plans remains flat at $19,500; the $6,500 catch-up amount if you’re 50 or older also remains the same; but the overall limit for these plans goes up from $57,000 to $58,000 in 2021. That helps workers whose employers allow...

October 27, 2020
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