April 2024

UN PRI: U.S. pension funds face ‘mixed signals’ on sustainability

A culture of “mixed signals” in U.S. politics has contributed to an uncertain environment for pension funds when it comes to sustainability, according to a report by the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment. The UN PRI report followed research from 2020 and 2021 that found “policy, structural and market barriers” to sustainability in the U.S., U.K., and Australia. The latest work identified 10 separate priorities these jurisdictions needed to address when it came to sustainability. The U.S. pension fund system...

US. People want pensions to make a comeback. Will they?

It’s financially challenging to comfortably retire in the U.S. and many Americans work, without necessarily “wanting” to, well into their golden years. Though not being able to save enough for a secure retirement isn’t a particularly new crisis, the struggle has become more widespread in recent decades. One of the factors fueling the problem is the mass decline of the traditional pension plan. Americans want pension plans to make a comeback. According to a recent report from the National Institute for Retirement Security, 83%...

U.S. private equity exit activity remains low

There were 201 private equity exits totaling $66.7 billion in the first quarter, according to data provided by PitchBook. That compares with 233 exits and $82.4 billion in volume for the fourth quarter. Exit volume was much higher in 2020 and 2021. In the second quarter of 2021, there were 431 exits and $263.3 billion in exit value. There were 65 private equity funds that raised $77.6 billion in during the first quarter. The average size was about $1.2 billion. For all...

US. As Gen Xers Inch Toward Retirement, They’re Considering Where to Live

When they were raising their four children, Billy and Erin Shipley had space for their family to grow: a two-story, five-bedroom house in Sugar Land, Texas, with a large yard and a pool. But as the children became adults and moved out, the second floor was deserted and maintaining the lawn and pool became a burden. Like many members of Generation X facing an empty nest, the Shipleys decided to look for a home better suited to their needs where...

2023 Corporate Pension Funding Study

By Zorast Wadia, Alan H. Perry & Richard J. Botelli Jr The 2023 edition of the Milliman Corporate Pension Funding Study (PFS) is our 23rd annual analysis of the financial disclosures of the 100 U.S. public companies sponsoring the largest defined benefit (DB) pension plans. These 100 companies are ranked highest to lowest by the value of their pension assets as of the end of fiscal year (FY) 2022. These values have been reported to the public, to shareholders, and to...

U.S. corporate pension fund surpluses climb higher in March — 3 reports

U.S. corporate pension fund surpluses continued to climb in March, according to three new reports. Wilshire Advisors estimated the aggregate funding ratio of U.S. corporate plans reached 110.1% as of March 31, an increase of a full percentage point above the 109.1% funding ratio estimated as of Feb. 29. "March's increase in funded status was driven by the continued increase in asset value with most asset classes posting positive monthly performances, highlighted by the FT Wilshire 5000 index, which has now...

53% of Americans surveyed feel they are behind on retirement planning and savings, CNBC poll finds

CNBC's International Your Money Financial Security Survey polled about 500 people each in nine countries. Of the 498 people surveyed in the U.S., more than half (53%) said they're behind schedule in retirement planning and savings. The poll was conducted by SurveyMonkey. "I think most Americans do struggle to save enough for retirement," said David Blanchett, a certified financial planner and head of retirement research for PGIM, a money manager. As part of its National Financial Literacy Month efforts, CNBC will...

Insurance executives mixed on recession outlook — GSAM survey

Half of insurance company executives see the U.S. entering a recession in the next two to three years and credit quality deteriorating, but they still have a zeal to increase credit risk, according to Goldman Sachs Asset Management's 13th annual global insurance investment survey. The survey of 359 global senior investment and finance professionals in the insurance industry shows 50% believe the U.S. will enter a recession in the next two or three years, although that sentiment varies by region....

US. Unisys Announces $200M Pension Risk Transfer

IT technology company Unisys Corp. announced Monday it has closed an agreement with F&G Annuities & Life Inc. to purchase group annuity contracts. The agreement, which closed on March 28, will see Unisys transfer $200 million in pension liabilities from its U.S. defined benefit plan to the insurer. F&G will assume responsibility for paying out pension benefits to 3,800 Unisys retirees and beneficiaries. Notably, this is the sixth Unisys pension risk transfer transaction since January 2021, and it has contracted...

March 2024

Autonomy or Delegation, Libertarianism or Paternalism: What I Like for Myself and What I Like for Others on Pension Savings

By Carmen Sainz Villalba By using an online survey conducted with Bilendi&Respondi, we correlate the variables of people’s perception of howdifferent they are from others with respect to their pension plan preferences, how informed they are about financial matters in general, and what are their preferences toward the government intervention of savings plans. The empirical approach is inspired by theory results of Konrad (2023). His game-theory analysis suggest that two factors increase the citizen’s desire for autonomous economic decision-making: eccentricity...