July 2017

07Jul

Japan. World’s Biggest Pension Fund Has Best Performance in 2 Years

The world’s biggest pension fund posted its best annual gain in two years, as Japanese and overseas stocks rose while government bonds slid. The Government Pension Investment Fund returned 5.9 percent, or 7.9 trillion yen ($70 billion), in the year ended March 31, increasing assets to a record 144.9 trillion yen, it said in Tokyo on Friday. That’s the biggest advance since the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015, when it had its best annual performance on record. Domestic equities...

July 7, 2017
News, Slider
Read more...
07Jul

UK. Anti-smoking council has £85m invested in tobacco companies

Millions of pounds is invested in tobacco companies by the councils responsible for public health, the Post can reveal. The pension fund, which is administered by Nottinghamshire County Council and used by several other organisations throughout the county, has £85,728,471 currently invested in tobacco companies. It has £18,270,051 worth of shares in Imperial Tobacco, £57,062,838 in British American Tobacco, £4,731,484 in Philip Morris, £1,671,729 in Japan Tobacco and £3,992,369 in Altria, the parent company of Philip Morris according to the latest...

July 7, 2017
News, Slider
Read more...
06Jul

UK. Thousands of savers to unlock smallest pensions without paying fees

Thousands of pensioners with the smallest pots will no longer have to pay for advice to transfer out of their scheme, the Government has announced. New rules which will be laid out in Parliament today will exempt thousands of people from rip-off advice fees which can reach more than £1,000. Savers with "guaranteed annuity rate" pensions worth less than £30,000 will be given a simple valuation of their pension and will be able to transfer out without receiving advice. Around 1.5m savers...

July 6, 2017
News, Slider
Read more...
06Jul

Ghana. Government should address Tier Two Pension issues – Forum

The forum for Public Sector Registered Pension Schemes has given the Government up to the end of July to resolve outstanding issues regarding the Tier Two Pension Scheme. Mr Isaac Bampoe Addo, the Chairman of the forum, at a news conference in Accra, said since 2010 when the scheme commenced, goverment had about 80 months' arrears of their five per cent monthly deductions to be paid to their respective custodian fund managers. The forum the Government should transfer all contributions deducted...

July 6, 2017
News, Slider
Read more...
06Jul

Canada. Executive shakeup at CPPIB reveals apparent change of heart about risk management

The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, which stood apart from other major pension plans and Canadian financial institutions because it didn’t have a chief risk officer, appears to have had a change of heart. Neil Beaumont, who was most recently vice-president of Finance Minerals America for BHP Billiton, will become chief financial and risk officer at CPPIB on July 24. Beaumont will take over some functions from Benita Warmbold, who is retiring, but adds duties to reflect the pension fund’s “continued...

July 6, 2017
News, Slider
Read more...
06Jul

Why Uganda should continue with pension sector reform

  The roadmap for reform of Uganda’s pension sector was drawn more than a decade ago. In 2003, the Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development constituted the Stakeholders Transition Group (STG) to assist the Government with the development of a comprehensive legal, regulatory and financing framework for social security reforms. Following the STG recommendations another taskforce was established, the Pension Sector Reform Task Force, Chaired by Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MOFPED). The main role of this task...

July 6, 2017
News, OP Ed, Slider
Read more...
06Jul

UK’s Ageing population ‘as big an issue as climate change’

The UK’s ageing population is ‘as big an issue as climate change’ according to John Cridland. Former CBI director general Cridland was appointed to review the state pension age (SPA) by the government. He published his report earlier this year. It made a number of recommendations to help the UK deal with the UK's growing pensioner population, including increasing the SPA to 68 quicker than planned. Speaking at an insurance industry conference, Cridland warned more needed to be done to address problems...

July 6, 2017
News, OP Ed, Slider
Read more...
05Jul

US. How rising healthcare costs are changing the retirement landscape

It’s hard enough getting employees to save for their retirement. It’s even harder to get them to think about how much they need to save for medical expenses in retirement. “Most Americans don’t think about what the medical component will be for them,” says Robert Grubka, president of employee benefits at New York-based Voya Financial. “They often think that Medicare and government-provided healthcare is enough and what people quickly find out is, it is helpful but it doesn’t mean it’s...

July 5, 2017
News, Slider
Read more...
05Jul

Ireland. Public-sector pensions worth millions, new figures show

Public-service pensions paid to TDs, doctors and judges would cost private-sector workers between €2.4 million and €3.7 million if they were to seek the same retirement benefits, new figures show. The State uses taxes to fund the guaranteed pensions paid to its civil and public servants, including the €378,000 lump sum and €326,000 a year that former taoiseach Enda Kenny is receiving. The full value of this in private-sector terms is €5.17 million. Calculations by the Association of Pension Trustees of...

July 5, 2017
News, Slider
Read more...
05Jul

India. Penniless KSRTC fails to pay salary, pension

The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is running from pillar to post to mobilise Rs. 300 crore needed to pay this month’s salary and wages of employees and empanelled staff and three-and-a-half months’ pension arrears to retirees. With the government not coming forward to bail out the ailing corporation with a further loan to pay the salary and pension, the management of the transport utility is groping in the dark to mobilise funds. Though the KSRTC approached the Kerala...

July 5, 2017
News, Slider
Read more...