December 2024

Rising Pension Poverty in Germany: A Growing Number Below Minimum Living Standards

The issue of pension poverty is increasingly prevalent in Germany, with a significant portion of the elderly population receiving pensions that fall below the established minimum living standard. Recent statistics reveal that the situation is worsening, as more seniors struggle to meet their basic needs. As of the end of 2023, the minimum living standard for pensioners, as defined by the basic security benefits in old age, was set at 942 euros per month. Approximately 7.9 million individuals in Germany...

How Far $750K Plus Social Security Goes in Retirement in Every US Region

A recent study by GOBankingRates broke down just how far $750,000 in combined savings and Social Security would last for someone’s retirement in each state of the union, considering such factors as housing markets, healthcare costs and varied cost of living expenses across America. Such a list, though, can be a bit overwhelming at first, especially for someone just in the beginning stages of planning their retirement, and where to experience it. With that in mind, GOBankingRates has condensed that deep-dive...

OECD Pensions Outlook 2024: Improving Asset-backed Pensions for Better Retirement Outcomes and More Resilient Pension Systems

By Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Over the past two decades, asset-backed pensions have become a key pillar of retirement systems, with assets more than tripling to over USD 56 trillion in 2023. These pensions diversify resources for financing retirement and complement pay-as-you-go systems, enhancing resilience to economic shocks and demographic challenges. Their robust design, regulation, and supervision are important for delivering strong retirement outcomes. The 2024 OECD Pensions Outlook provides a valuable resource for policymakers, regulators, and stakeholders, providing comprehensive analysis...

November 2024

Extra pension increase passes in Portuguese parliament

The Portuguese parliament approved an additional 1.25% increase in pensions, which will be added to the regular annual increase, on Thursday during the specialised votes on the State Budget for 2025. The Socialist Party (PS) proposal was carried by a majority of votes from opposition parties, with the PCP, BE, Livre, and PAN voting in favour. The PSD, CDS-PP, and Liberal Initiative voted against. The PS has estimated that its proposal has a budgetary impact of €265 million. However, a study of the measure's impact, requested by...

Are You One of 38 Million Seniors Who Fear Your Retirement Income Won’t Be Enough? You’re Not Alone.

Social Security is one of the most crucial functions of the U.S. government. Last year, the program paid roughly $1.5 trillion to 68 million Americans, 51 million of whom were retired. Many of these retired Americans rely on the program for a significant portion of their incomes. Originally intended as one of three income sources for retirees along with employer pensions and personal savings, Social Security's role has grown as pensions have become rare for most. Many lower-income earners are unable...

UK. Household Support Fund extended

The UK Government’s Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) recently announced an extension of the Household Support Fund (HSF) until 31 March 2025. The fund will offer critical support and advice for struggling households across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) throughout the winter period, who are finding it difficult to pay for household essentials including food and energy. Local councils are responsible for administering the fund in their area, with BCP Council being allocated £2.65 million of the £421 million national...

UK. Pensioners Affected by Winter Fuel Payment Changes Prompt Union’s Legal Challenge

The UK government's plan to scrap universal Winter Fuel Payment for around 12.7 million pensioners has prompted trade union Unite to threaten legal action. In a bid to save money, the Labour government has said that only people over the age of 66 and in receipt of means-tested benefits such as Pension Credit would be eligible, meaning that around 10 million pensioners will no longer receive this one-off annual payment of up to £300. Implications for Pensioners and Government Justifications Ministers claimed...

UK. Former miners celebrate ‘hard-fought’ win in pension scandal

Former miners have said they are delighted their “hard-fought campaign has finally paid off” after the government said it would end the pension scandal that left many of them “dying in abject poverty”. In her first budget on Wednesday, Rachel Reeves announced the £1.5bn mineworkers’ pension fund would be handed over in its entirety to ex-miners and their families, after years of campaigning on an unjust agreement that allowed the government to take half of their pension surplus. The pensions...

October 2024

UK. DWP to give £812 to some benefit claimants

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is providing a new loan scheme that offers people on benefits an additional £812 boost. This measure, launched by the government department, is designed to further support benefit claimants throughout this year. According to the DWP, recipients of the loan are not required to pay back the sum immediately. The Department has stated, "A Budgeting Loan is interest-free so you only pay back what you borrow. The repayments will be taken automatically from...

The Impact of Lump-Sum Retirement Withdrawals on Labor Supply: Evidence from Peru

By Carla Moreno & Sita Slavov  We examine the labor supply impact of a 2016 policy that allows retirementeligible individuals covered by Peru’s private pension system to receive retirement benefits as a lump sum rather than as an annuity. We present a theoretical model predicting that, for liquidity constrained workers, the lump sum option makes formal employment (requiring pension participation) more attractive relative to informal employment (not requiring pension participation); it also encourages early retirement. Using household panel data, we...