September 2024

US. Annuities gain traction with middle-market consumers

Middle-income Americans will have a more difficult time managing their longevity risk in retirement now that fewer of them have defined benefit plans. Making matters more complicated is that many of these middle-market investors may have saved thousands of dollars throughout their careers in their employer-sponsored defined contribution plans but may not know how they can be certain their money lasts throughout the retirement. LIMRA’s Retirement Investor Study, published earlier this year, examined middle-income investors’ views of their retirement risks...

The Average Retirement Age in 2024: US vs. UK

With recent economic challenges and rising costs of living, retirement is on many Americans’ minds. You may be wondering: Is the state of retirement in the U.S. worse than in other countries? That depends on which country you’re talking about. Read on to learn about the average retirement age in the U.S. and UK, plus current retirement processes, to compare the difference.   Earning passive income doesn't need to be difficult. You can start this week. What Is the Average Retirement Age in the US? According to...

August 2024

US. Texas is sued over anti-ESG law

 Texas was sued on Thursday by a nonprofit whose members support environmentally-friendly policies, and which seeks to block a state law targeting businesses that support reduced reliance on fossil fuels. The American Sustainable Business Council said the 2021 law known as Senate Bill 13 violates members' free speech rights by banning Texas from investing in or contracting with businesses that, in the state's view, "boycott" the oil and gas industry. Texas is the largest and among the most prominent Republican-led states...

US. Prudential to Complete Industry’s 1st Multiemployer Pension Risk Transfer

In what is thought to be an industry first, Sound Retirement Trust, a multiemployer pension plan based in Seattle, has selected the Prudential Insurance Co. of America to complete a pension risk transfer—the first PRT to involve a multiemployer plan. The $221 million transaction will provide pension benefits for approximately 8,700 retirees and beneficiaries. Sound Retirement Trust is a joint labor-management board of trustees that provides retirement benefits to grocery workers of contributing employers across Washington. Multiemployer pension plans are retirement programs...

US. How Are Employees Responding to State-Run Retirement Plans?

Practice Management State-run auto-IRA plans affect private-sector employers but are most of all intended to benefit their employees. How are those employees responding to them? Overall Positive Effects There is research indicating that these plans, in which employers are required register if they do not already offer retirement coverage to their employees, have a variety of positive effects. A number of researchers report that state auto-IRA programs increase coverage by serving as a catalyst to private-sector employers to establish plans of their own. In the...

US. National Center to Reframe Aging partners with SAGE USA to enhance advocacy for LGBTQ+ elders

The National Center to Reframe Aging — which provides expertise in effective communication strategies surrounding aging issues — has established a strategic partnership with SAGE USA. This collaboration aims to educate SAGE leadership and the SAGE National Resource Center (NRC) on LGBTQ+ Aging on the principles of reframing aging. The National Center to Reframe Aging will be a strategic partner supporting the SAGE National Resource Center on LGBTQ+ in their efforts to reframe their education and advocacy communications on aging. The team will provide...

The Average Retirement Age in 2024: US vs. France

Do Americans really work themselves to death, as the media so often portrays? Likewise, do Europeans really avoid work like the plague? Of course not — but that doesn’t mean the retirement looks identical in countries like the US and France. While the average retirement age differs, so too do the benefit systems in each country. Consider the following facts as you compare retirement in the US to France, before booking a one-way ticket to the Continent. Also check out these reasons for using a financial advisor...

U.S. asset managers worried about interest rate uncertainty, cautious on AI

While worries about inflation have subsided, asset managers in the U.S. are concerned about uncertainties surrounding interest rates, capital funding and how generative artificial intelligence will play out across the industry over the long term, according to the latest “Asset Management Industry Pulse” survey from KPMG. The survey found that almost two-thirds (63%) of asset managers expect the Federal Reserve will commence cutting interest rates in the second half of 2024, while the remaining 37% think the central bank will hold...

US. Reduction in Pension Benefits Leads to Wider Income Inequality, Study Finds

The continuing decline of the number of defined benefit pension participants in the U.S. is widening America’s income equality gap, which in turn is stunting economic growth, according to a recent study from the National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems. The study also found that public policies aimed at cutting public costs by reducing pension benefits or switching to defined contribution plans may actually increase the need for public spending due to “the dynamic interrelationship between pension reforms, income inequality, the...

US. Few Plans for Retirement Are Weatherproofed for Extreme Events

Most Americans are fretting over the risks extreme weather events can pose to their plans for retirement, according to Allianz Life Insurance’s annual retirement study. “As natural disasters become more frequent, more intense and more costly, Americans are waking up to how this could pose a risk to their retirement nest egg,” said Lorinda Niemeyer, Allianz Life’s head of sustainability, in a statement. “For many, extreme weather is increasing daily costs of living, insurance costs and other ongoing expenses. And those...