September 2019

03Sep

UK. New £8 million research centre to explore how digital technology will impact future of work

A major new research centre exploring how digital technologies are changing the world of work is to launch at the start of 2020. The Digital Futures at Work Research Centre (Digit Centre) will operate from the business schools of the universities of Sussex and Leeds and aim to provide a compelling empirical base for policy makers beyond current levels of speculation as to the impact of new technologies on jobs and workers. The centre, which includes Eversheds Sutherland, Marks...

September 3, 2019
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02Sep

Government branded immoral over pensions of UK citizens in EU

The government will not give a lifetime guarantee to index-link the pensions of British nationals who have retired in the EU if there is a no-deal Brexit, a decision that has been described as “immoral” by campaigners. The government currently continually increases the payout of the basic state pension by either 2.5%, average wage growth or by the consumer price index, whichever is higher, on a reciprocal basis under EU regulations, a practice known as uprating. The government has...

September 2, 2019
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02Sep

US. Don’t cut Social Security. Expand its benefits.

The premise and conclusion of Robert J. Samuelson’s Aug. 27 op-ed, “The elderly aren’t so poor after all,” were misleading and dangerous. With 10,000 Americans turning 65 every day, we should look for ways to ensure their financial security during retirement, not pull the carpet out from under them. By Mr. Samuelson’s own account, 23 percent of retirees ages 65 to 80 say they don’t have enough money to live comfortably. The evidence supports their concern. According to the...

September 2, 2019
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02Sep

Great Brexit Insurance Migration Shifts $75 Billion From London

London’s outsized role in the global insurance industry is being whittled down by Brexit. As much as 61 billion pounds ($75 billion) of business is shifting to rival financial centers in the European Union as a consequence of Britain’s vote to leave the bloc. And it’s happening regardless of the divorce terms. The EU’s insurance and pensions regulator has ordered every U.K.-based underwriter to transfer policies held by European clients to units on the continent. While the bulk of...

September 2, 2019
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02Sep

Ukraine to help with pension benefits for Israelis with Ukrainian roots

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday said his government will help paying pensions to Israelis born in the Eastern European country. "Ukraine does not refuse pension benefits to Ukrainians who left for permanent residence in Israel and promises to facilitate the preparation of relevant documentation and examination by the Ukrainian parliament," the president's office said in a statement. Read more @ynetnews

September 2, 2019
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August 2019

30Aug

The Disruptive Impact of FinTech on Retirement Systems

By Julie Agnew, Olivia S. Mitchell Many people need help planning for retirement, saving, investing, and decumulating their assets, yet financial advice is often complex, potentially conflicted, and expensive. The advent of computerized financial advice offers huge promise to make accessible a more coherent approach to financial management, one that takes into account not only clients' financial assets but also human capital, home values, and retirement pensions. Robo-advisors, or automated on-line services that use computer algorithms to provide...

August 30, 2019
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30Aug

The Impact of Governmental Accounting Standards on Public-Sector Pension Funding

By Divya Anantharaman, Elizabeth Chuk The funding policy for defined benefit pension plans covering government employees represents an important decision for government entities sponsoring those plans. In recent years, a number of state and local governments have experienced extreme funding shortfalls (e.g., New Jersey, Illinois, and Detroit), raising concerns about whether government entities are contributing enough to their pensions. Governmental Accounting Standards Board Statements Number 67/68 (hereafter, “GASB 67/68”) fundamentally alter the financial reporting of pension liabilities, by (i)...

August 30, 2019
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30Aug

Why is Inequality Higher Among the Old? Evidence from China

By Katja Hanewald, Ruo Jia, Zining Liu This paper studies income inequality in old age and its development over the life cycle. We develop a theoretical framework and a new empirical method to show that income is more unequally distributed in old age than in working age. We combine the regression-based inequality decomposition method and the three-step mediating effect test to analyze the transmission of income inequality from initial socioeconomic differences to income inequality in old age. Our study...

August 30, 2019
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30Aug

Singapore. Pension reforms can boost equity market, bridge wealth gap

FUNDAMENTAL reforms to Singapore's pension system can serve to bridge income inequality as well as revive its public equities market. Continued lack of reforms will worsen the wealth gap and the retirement adequacy of its ageing population, as well as ability to sustain itself as a financial and commercial centre. Singapore's equity markets are somewhat dysfunctional relative to international best practices - pension assets are not deployed to support local capital markets but often invested abroad via GIC. Through...

August 30, 2019
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30Aug

Prudential Financial announces leadership succession for U.S. Businesses

Andrew Sullivan to lead growth-oriented and purpose-driven U.S. leadership team focused on accelerating financial wellness strategy Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) today announced that Andrew Sullivan will succeed Stephen Pelletier as executive vice president and head of U.S. Businesses, reporting to Chairman and CEO Charles Lowrey, effective December 1. Pelletier will retire following an extraordinary 27-year career with the company, in which he led Group Insurance and Prudential Annuities, and founded Prudential’s international asset management businesses, now PGIM Global Partners....

August 30, 2019
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