October 2025

Top U.S. union warns Senate crypto bill could threaten workers and pensions

The nation’s biggest labour federation, the AFL-CIO, has come out against the Senate’s crypto regulation proposal, arguing that the measure lacks sufficient worker protections and could endanger financial stability. AFL-CIO director Jody Calemine wrote, referring to the RFIA bill, “This bill’s treatment of crypto assets poses risks to both retirement funds and to the overall financial stability of the U.S. economy. As drafted, this bill will enable the crypto industry to operate in wider and deeper ways in our financial...

Macroeconomic Conditions Continue to Drive Pension Risk Transfer

Amid ongoing market conditions and economic uncertainty, U.S. plan sponsors are moving decisively to reduce pension risk. According to the newly released MetLife’s 2025 Pension Risk Transfer (PRT) Poll, a record 94% of defined benefit (DB) pension plan sponsors with de-risking goals intend to fully divest their pension liabilities with 80% planning to do so within five years. The company’s latest research shows market volatility is driving plan sponsors to de-risk, which, coupled with economic trends and stronger plan funding, is...

Part-Time Penalties and Heterogeneous Retirement Decisions

By Kanta Ogawa Older male workers exhibit diverse retirement behaviors across occupations and respond differently to policy changes, influenced significantly by the part-time penalty—wage reduction faced by part-time workers compared to their full-time counterparts. Many older individuals reduce their working hours, and in occupations with high part-time penalties, they tend to retire earlier, as observed in data from Japan and the United States. This study develops a general equilibrium model that incorporates occupational choices, endogenous labor supply, highlighting that the...

US. Amid Higher Funded Status, Pension Plans Consider Their Options

The assets of the 100 largest corporate defined benefit pension plans rose by $8 billion in August to $1.29 trillion, and the funded ratio of DB plans increased for the fifth consecutive month to 106.2%, according to data from Milliman. “[The current level of funding] is a significant milestone in the DB space, as the surplus funding gives plan sponsors more options for how to proceed with their plan, whether they want to continue operating their plan on a [liability-driven investment]...

US. How Government Shutdown affects benefits & retirement

With a possible government shutdown looming, federal employees and retirees are asking questions of how it affects their pay, leave and annuity payments. Below are a some frequently asked questions from the Office of Personnel Management’s most recent Guidance for Shutdown Furloughs. Federal Benefits 1. What happens if agency employees responsible for processing Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) or Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) transactions are furloughed? A. Agencies will continue to process FEHB and FEGLI transactions during a lapse in appropriations....

US. Gig economy helps power economy, but its workers can’t retire

America is fast approaching a historic milestone. By 2027, freelancers will make up more than 50 percent of the workforce, marking a fundamental shift in the U.S. labor market. Yet many of these workers will have no retirement plan. According to the Pew Research Center, only 13 percent of single-person business owners are saving for retirement compared to almost three-fourths of Americans in traditional jobs. That leaves tens of millions of freelancers and independent workers at risk, just as other...

September 2025

Cómo manejar tu AFORE desde Estados Unidos: guía completa para mexicanos

Si eres mexicano y vives en Estados Unidos, tu AFORE sigue siendo tuya. En esta guía práctica te explicamos cómo localizarla, hacer aportaciones voluntarias, seguir cotizando al IMSS y cobrar tu pensión desde el extranjero, paso a paso y con teléfonos útiles. ¿Qué es un AFORE y por qué importa desde el extranjero? Un AFORE es una Administradora de Fondos para el Retiro. Ahí se deposita el dinero que aportan tu empleador, el gobierno y tú mismo mientras trabajas en México. CONSAR...

US. New Government Research Finds Strong Private Sector Retirement Plan Coverage

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has released its latest monthly report on employee benefits in the United States, and retirement benefit coverage for workers specifically. As of March 2025, the latest month for which measurable results are available, the Bureau found that retirement benefits were available to 72 percent of private industry workers. Notably, 70 percent of private sector workers had access to defined contribution plans, and 14 percent had access to defined benefit plans. Among private sector workers, the research found that 59...

US. Fewer people counting on a ‘miracle’ to retire comfortably

Americans are feeling more optimistic about their chances of a secure retirement — a lot more. A new study from Natixis Investment Managers shows the number of U.S. investors who believe it will “take a miracle” to achieve retirement security dropped to 21% in 2025, a major change from 39% in 2023 This big swing in attitude is largely attributed to the excellent performance of the stock market lately. The S&P 500 has delivered two back-to-back years of returns over 20%,...

US. Why Corporate Pensions Are Acting Like Bond Traders

The corporate pension de-risking market has hit the brakes after a record-breaking run. More than $14 billion in pension risk transfers were executed YTD through Q3 2024—the highest level in over 16 years. Yet YTD Q2 2025, volume had dropped 64% year-over-year. What’s driving this sharp reversal? Increasingly, it appears that corporate plan sponsors are behaving like bond traders—actively timing their de-risking strategies around rate moves and market conditions. Pension liabilities are highly sensitive to long-term interest rates. When rates rise, the present value of...