May 2023

U.S. Corporate pension plans stay at or near 100% funded in April

U.S. corporate pension plans remained at or near 100% funded in April after slightly positive returns and slightly falling discount rates kept the numbers from moving too much, according to three new monthly reports. Legal & General Investment Management America estimated the average funding ratio of the typical U.S. corporate pension plan was 100.5% as of April 30, up from 100.3% a month earlier. In its latest monthly Pension Solutions Monitor, LGIMA said the estimated average funding ratio rose in April...

U.K. Pension funds plan more infrastructure investments

A majority of U.K. pension funds (62%) expect to increase investment in British infrastructure over the next 12 months and prioritize it over overseas markets, according to a survey conducted for alternative investment fund GLIL Infrastructure. GLIL is a partnership of U.K. pension funds managed by Local Pensions Partnership Investments. The survey of executives at 300 pension funds, including private and local government funds, was conducted by Censuswide for GLIL Infrastructure in February. It found that for 36% of respondents, the...

Ghana. Govt urged to establish Financial Literacy Education Secretariat

The government has been urged to establish a Financial Literacy Education Secretariat to continuously educate the public on financial literacy issues. This proposal is contained in Ghana Financial Literacy Strategy (2021-2025), which was prepared by Asamoah and Williams Consulting and Trans-media Network as part of the Financial Literacy Education Project (FLEP) under the Ghana Financial Sector Development Project (GFSDP), funded by the World Bank. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Asamoah and Williams Consulting, Mr Mawuko Williams, who made the call...

Studies on Aging and Late-Life Functioning Given Policy Impact Award

The National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) and National Study of Caregiving (NSOC) have been awarded the 2023 Policy Impact Award by the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR). According to AAPOR, the award recognizes "outstanding research that has had a clear impact on improving policy decisions, practice and discourse, either in the public or private sectors." NHATS is designed to support policy-relevant demographic research investigating trends, trajectories, and consequences of late-life disability for individuals and families. NHATS...

Pensions and the metaverse

The metaverse offers pensions schemes exciting new opportunities. It could provide new ways for members to engage with their pension schemes, the way their funds are invested, and their retirement options. Better engagement should lead to better decision making and outcomes for pension scheme members, but low levels of engagement and understanding, particularly younger members, is a persistent issue for the pensions industry. Recent UK Government research found that attitudes to pensions were ‘characterised by detachment, fear and complacency’. Reducing feelings of...

Mèxico. Iván Pliego Moreno deja la Consar

Iván Pliego Moreno dejó la presidencia de la Comisión Nacional del Sistema del Ahorro para el Retiro (Consar) después de 1 año y 8 meses al frente del organismo descentralizado de la Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público, confirmó una fuente a El Economista. Iván Pliego se unirá al equipo del secretario de Hacienda, Rogelio Ramírez de la O, sin embargo la información aún no es confirmada por la SHCP, quien lo informará en su momento. Tampoco se ha dicho...

Colombianos podrán cotizar sus pensiones en 14 países, la OISS firmó convenio con el Gobierno Nacional

El presidente de la República, Gustavo Petro, la ministra de Trabajo, Gloria Inés Ramírez y la Organización Iberoamericana de Seguridad Social (OISS) firmaron este martes 2 de mayo un convenio para que colombianos puedan cotizar para pensión en 14 países. El Convenio fue aprobado por la V Conferencia de Ministros y Máximos Responsables de Seguridad Social de los países de Iberoamérica, celebrada en Segovia, España. “Esto ha sido un avance significativo, la ministra del Trabajo ha estado muy comprometida con este...

Preocupa al mercado eventual sexto retiro pensional en Chile

Un creciente número de operadores de renta fija en Chile ve atractivo en los bonos en pesos a medida que bajan las presiones inflacionarias, pero el espectro de un sexto retiro de los fondos de pensiones oscurece el panorama, según una encuesta de Bloomberg News. Casi dos tercios de 14 operadores de renta fija encuestados citaron los proyectos de retiros de las AFP como el principal motor de las tasas este mes. Es el porcentaje más alto en la encuesta...

Panamá. IVM debe ser un tema crítico en la contienda electoral 2024

La crisis del programa de Vejez, Invalidez y Muerte (IVM) de la Caja de Seguro Social (CSS) y sus posibles soluciones debe ser un tema crítico a tratar en la contienda electoral del 2024, señaló el presidente electo de la Cámara de Comercio, Industrias y Agricultura de Panamá (CCIAP), Adolfo Fábrega García de Paredes. El IVM debe subsistir y ser autosostenido con los cotizantes que ya tiene, agregó Fábrega García de Paredes. En septiembre del años pasado, la Organización Internacional de...

US. DeSantis signs anti-ESG bill one day after state clean-energy investment

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a likely 2024 Republican presidential candidate, signed a bill Tuesday he touted as the latest salvo in his war against ESG investing, one day after the state's investment office announced a significant investment in clean energy. The law requires the Florida State Board of Administration, Tallahassee, to make investment decisions based "solely on pecuniary factors" and not include environmental, social and governance considerations. The board, which consists of Mr. DeSantis, Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, and...