September 2025
24Sep

US. House Oversight probes whether American retirees’ pension funds are being weaponized: ‘Progressive playbook’

The House Oversight Committee is setting its sights on insurance companies that may have discriminated against entities with right-wing views. The committee is also looking into whether retirees' pension accounts were being used to invest in progressive policies they may not necessarily agree with, Fox News Digital has learned. "The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is investigating improper restrictions on access to capital and capital markets of individuals and entities based on political viewpoints or involvement in certain industries (such...

September 24, 2025
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23Sep

US. Pension Risk Transfer drops in first half

For the second consecutive quarter, activity in the pension risk transfer (PRT) market declined, resulting in sales of $11.5 billion through 2Q, a 56% decrease year-over-year, according to LIMRA’s U.S. Group Annuity Risk Transfer Survey. While the industry is off to a slower start compared to the last few years, which was widely anticipated by most industry insiders, Nationwide’s head of PRT, Paula Cole expects marketplace activity to pick up in the second half of the year. Despite this...

September 23, 2025
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22Sep

Aging in the U.S. and Korea: Same Sphere, Different Realities

Both the United States and South Korea are experiencing rapid population aging, but the patterns and social responses differ greatly. The U.S., already moving beyond an “aged society” into a “super-aged society,” is turning this change into a field of opportunity. Korea, meanwhile, is aging at the fastest pace in the world, but its institutions and perceptions still lag behind. In particular, when we look at five areas where the U.S. has shown distinctive developments—△labor market △long-term care & healthcare...

September 22, 2025
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22Sep

US. Strength in numbers: Why scale is reshaping the future of retirement plans

For CFOs and finance team leaders, the pressure to deliver more value with fewer resources is relentless. Retirement plan management—often a top-three employee benefit—has become a focal point, as organizations navigate rising costs, complex compliance, and growing expectations from employees and regulators alike. Many employers still manage their 401(k) plans in isolation, bearing the full weight of administration and risk without the advantages of scale. Today, as regulatory scrutiny and litigation intensify, and employees demand stronger retirement security, the...

September 22, 2025
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19Sep

65-year-old retirees in France now have higher incomes than working-age adults—meanwhile, American boomers can’t even afford to retire

French retirees officially bring in more income than their working-aged counterparts, as Americans are struggling to find the funds to retire and support their post-employment lifestyle. Due to France’s relatively young retirement age, lofty governmental spending on pensions, and high wage replacement rate, they’re now out-earning citizens with jobs as the country’s officials try and make unpopular changes. While boomers in the U.S. and UK are being forced to go back to work because they can’t afford to retire in...

September 19, 2025
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18Sep

US. Rethinking Retirement A Four-Pillar Framework for Security and Sustainability

America’s retirement system needs an overhaul. Many retirees face inadequate income and persistent uncertainty. On the bright side, however, most Americans do have more money than ever before to finance their retirement. Thus, reforming our retirement system will not require significant government resources. But it will require a fundamentally new approach that considers all potential sources of retirement income. One key feature of our retirement system, the 401(k), was designed to generate wealth that supplements income from Social Security and...

September 18, 2025
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18Sep

For Pension Funds and Other Asset Owners, Trade Wars, AI, and Sustainability Are Financially Relevant

In my more than three decades working with the institutional investor community—is it really that long?!—I’ve learned that setting up consistent listening points is a good way to better understand what causes people pain. This is particularly true with the asset owner community, an influential and powerful group of investors whose opinions are sometimes held close but always insightful. These are the investment professionals who oversee significant pools of capital for the largest global public and corporate pension plans. They...

September 18, 2025
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17Sep

US. IRS finalizes Roth catch-up contribution rules, clarifies SECURE 2.0 provisions

The Internal Revenue Service has finalized regulations implementing key provisions of the SECURE 2.0 Act, including new requirements for catch-up contributions in workplace retirement plans. The rules, announced Monday, set out how plan sponsors and administrators must handle after-tax Roth catch-up contributions for higher-earning participants, as well as increased contribution limits for certain age groups. "The final regulations provide guidance for plan administrators to implement and comply with the new Roth catch-up rule and reflect comments received in response to the...

September 17, 2025
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12Sep

US. Worker Optimism About Retirement Rises, Actual Savings Contributions Fall

Nearly two-thirds (64%) of workers feel on track with their retirement savings, but there is a record gap between their confidence level and that of their employers, according to BlackRock’s 2025 Read on Retirement survey, published Monday. Only 38% of employers surveyed reported they believe at least 60% of their employees are on track with their retirement savings, a record low since BlackRock began its survey in 2016. Meanwhile, savers’ confidence is up 23% over the same period. “A decade of...

September 12, 2025
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11Sep

US. Frozen Pensions Are Sitting on Billions. Sponsors Want Access.

With billions of dollars locked in overfunded U.S. corporate pensions, the companies sponsoring these plans are actively exploring ways to unlock that capital (albeit at different rates of speed). Investment consulting giants are seeing strategies that range from funding lump-sum payouts to pursuing full plan terminations. As the average pension plan has crept into overfunded territory, Matt Maloney, a senior partner at Aon Wealth, sees sponsors taking three approaches: holding the surplus as a buffer, funding partial lift-outs or a...

September 11, 2025
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