March 2020

16Mar

Coronavirus pushes big Dutch funds back toward pension cuts

The fall in interest rates caused by the global coronavirus outbreak has pushed the Dutch pension fund system back into crisis, with the largest fund, ABP, warning on Monday it would have to cut pensions in 2021 at current solvency levels. ABP, which holds 459 billion euros ($513 billion) in assets for civil servants, said its coverage ratio of assets to liabilities slid to 88.7% in February from 94.1% in January. Read also Dutch pension funds receive billions as additional collateral Lower...

March 16, 2020
News, Slider,
Read more...
12Mar

Dutch pension funds stick to rebalancing policy

Dutch pension funds and their asset managers are sticking to their rebalancing policies within their strategic asset allocations, despite market volatility and falling interest rates. Many schemes will buy additional shares if equity markets remain at the current low level, several asset managers and pension providers have said. However, pension providers are keeping their cards close to their chest as they try to keep other market players in the dark about their intentions. “Making statements could unnecessarily inform the...

March 12, 2020
News, Slider, , , , ,
Read more...
07Mar

Continuing Care Retirement Communities (B2B Procurement) in the Netherlands: B2B Purchasing + Procurement Values

By Editorial DataGroup Europe The Continuing Care Retirement Communities (B2B Procurement) Netherlands eBook Report gives data on the Purchases of 41 Raw Materials, Semi-Finished, Finished Products, plus all other business-to-business Purchases and Expenses by the Companies and Entities in the Continuing care retirement communities sector. The Continuing Care Retirement Communities (B2B Procurement) Netherlands eBook provides 14 years Historic and Forecast data on the Business to Business Purchasing and Procurement in the Continuing care retirement communities sector businesses and organisations...

March 7, 2020
Aging, Books, ,
Read more...

February 2020

27Feb

The Netherlands: Pensions funds will change risk-free rate – Rabobank

The Dutch newspaper Telegraaf reported this morning that all parties involved in the pension reform discussion agreed on changing the risk-free rate term structure for Dutch pension funds. The pension agreement has been redefined and only one new pension contract remains. Bas van Zanden, Senior Pension Analyst at Rabobank, expects a decrease in demand for hedging by Dutch pension funds. Key quotes “The pension contract will split up all pension funds into an: Accrual phase – Every...

February 27, 2020
News, Slider, , ,
Read more...
12Feb

ABP: accelerating sustainability with investments

Dutch pension fund Stichting Pensioenfonds ABP has expressed a desire to break away from ‘dirty’ investments and focus on sustainability instead. In a press release on the company’s website, ABP set out its goal to reduce its investment portfolio in high CO2 emitting industries (coal mines and tar sands) by 40% by 2025. Concurrently, the company intends to invest €15bn in sustainable energy instead. With an overall strategy aimed at gradually weaning off companies that use fossil fuels to...

February 12, 2020
News, Slider, , ,
Read more...
03Feb

Netherlands’ $515 billion pension fund to accelerate cuts to fossil fuel investments

The Netherlands’ biggest pension fund, ABP, said on Monday it aims to reduce the carbon footprint of its asset portfolio by 40% from 2015 levels by 2025. ABP, which already set a target to cut the carbon footprint of its assets by 25% from 2015 levels by this year, follows moves by other leading funds - notably Norway’s $1.1 trillion sovereign wealth fund - to divest heavy polluting energy companies from its portfolio. ABP manages 465 billion euros ($515 billion) in...

February 3, 2020
News, Slider, ,
Read more...

January 2020

30Jan

Dutch sector schemes active on online comms to cut costs

Several large Dutch sector schemes are actively trying to persuade their participants to pass on their email addresses in order to save on communication costs and for sustainability reasons. They are finding, however, that the process is laborious, and that they have a long way to go before they no longer need the postman and can save millions of euros through digital correspondence. Although most schemes already have an online platform and prefer digital communication, the main hurdle is...

January 30, 2020
News, Slider, , ,
Read more...

October 2019

18Oct

Dutch pension pots stand out among global retirement funds

The world’s rich nations face a double-whammy, with ageing populations meaning more retirees — just as low and negative interest rates make it harder for pension funds to secure the investment returns needed to fill up their coffers. Read also PLSA 2019: Fintech could play key role in decumulation phase Pensions typically have three pillars: a basic state payout designed to prevent people falling into poverty once they stop work; a larger slice related to lifetime earnings; and voluntary top-ups...

October 18, 2019
News, Slider, ,
Read more...

September 2019

20Sep

Family and Government Insurance: Wage, Earnings, and Income Risks in the Netherlands and the U.S.

By Mariacristina De Nardi Giulio, Fella Marike Knoef, Gonzalo Paz-Pardo Raun Van Ooijen We document new facts on the distributions of male wages, male earnings, and household earnings and income (before and after taxes) in the Netherlands and the United States. We find that, in both countries, wages display rich dynamics, including substantial asymmetries and nonlinearities by age and previous earnings levels. Individual-level male wage and earnings risk is relatively high for younger and older people, and for...

September 20, 2019
Articles, Pension design, System Sustainability, , , ,
Read more...

June 2019

10Jun

Netherlands. What does the new pension agreement really mean?

Agreement on reforming the Dutch pension system has been 10 years in the making, and still needs fleshing out in detail – a process which is likely to take several more years at least. Social affairs minister Wouter Koolmees has said the plan for the transition to a new pensions system should be completed by the end of 2020 and that the cabinet aims to complete the legal framework for system reform by the start of 2022. However, there...

June 10, 2019
News, Slider,
Read more...