January 2020

03Jan

Pension Actuarial Mathematics

By Philip Martin McCaulay This 40-page publication on pension actuarial mathematics covers topics such as (I) interest and mortality, (II) cost methods, (III) amortization and contributions, and (IV) Duration and Convexity. Part I on interest and mortality includes mortality rates and survival functions, the theory of interest, commutation functions, and life annuity factors. Part II on cost methods includes the Unit Credit (UC) Cost Method, the Projected Unit Credit (PUC) Cost Method, the Entry Age Normal (EAN) Cost Method,...

January 3, 2020
Books, Investment, Pension design, Savings,
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03Jan

Ghana. SSNIT To Pay ¢243m Pension In 2020

The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has announced it will pay pensions in excess of GH¢ 243 million this yearp. The amount represents an indexation rate of 11℅ for the year under review. Chief Actuary of SSNIT, Stephen Yeboah, made this known at a press conference on Thursday, January 2, 2020, in Accra. Read also Africa’s Biggest Fund Manager Needs CEO for $150 Billion Assets According to him, the 2020 indexation rate was determined using the percentage change...

January 3, 2020
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December 2019

18Dec

Pension Schemes in EU Show Big Shortfalls in Stress Test

A stress test of pension schemes across the European Union wiped out 270 billion euros ($298 billion) or almost a quarter of investments at funds that took part, the EU's insurance and pensions watchdog said on Tuesday. Many of the schemes were also not considering the impact of environmental, climate and social risks on their investment decisions, the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) said in a statement. Investments by the tested schemes in shares also showed a...

December 18, 2019
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10Dec

Asset & Wealth management Revolution

By PwC The world’s Asset & Wealth Management (AWM) industry has turned its eyes to the Latin American (LatAm) region, with many fund managers looking for growth in the burgeoning market. However, the fabric underlying the industry is set to be upended in the coming years as new clients enter the space and the existing, bank dominated, distribution model begins to face challenges as clients look for new, and cheaper, ways of buying products. While economic uncertainty in the region is...

December 10, 2019
Books, Investing, Pension Management, Reports, ,
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10Dec

Canada’s second largest pension fund gets deadly serious about climate crisis

As world leaders converge at this week’s climate summit in Madrid to debate how best to shift to a net zero-economy, Michael Sabia is leaving the helm of Canada’s second-largest pension plan having firmly placed Quebec’s retirement savings at the forefront of the global movement for low-carbon investing. Sabia, who recently announced he’s stepping down from the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) in early 2020, ushered in a fundamental change in how the $326 billion Quebec...

December 10, 2019
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10Dec

UK. What does 2020 hold for pensions?

By Andrew Tully Many changes will be taking place in the world of pensions as we move towards the end of 2019 and into 2020. Ongoing regulatory developments seem inevitable, but nonetheless it is important for firms to be aware of what changes are due and what they will mean to clients. Wake-up packs New requirements to provide wake-up packs to clients were introduced on 1 November. Traditionally, these packs were issued between four and six months before the selected...

December 10, 2019
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09Dec

KPMG agrees to management buy-out of UK pensions division

KPMG has agreed a deal for the buy-out of its UK pensions division, which will continue to serve clients under the ownership of its current management team. The management buy-out is understood to have been backed by Exponent Private Equity, the private equity firm which entered into exclusive talks with KPMG for the purchase in October. In recent months, KPMG has been conducting a continuous restructuring of its UK operations. The Big Four firm sunk a £45 million investment...

December 9, 2019
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02Dec

US. Washington state pension fund’s lawsuit against corrupt Brazilian conglomerate allowed to proceed

The Washington State Investment Board, which oversees $141.8 billion for 17 state retirement plans, can move forward with a lawsuit that seeks to recover millions of dollars from a soured investment in a Brazilian conglomerate that was discovered to be engaged in an international bribery scandal of unprecedented scale. The company, Odebrecht, was the target of a fraud probe by the Department of Justice that resulted in a $4.5 billion plea deal in 2016. The feds found Odebrecht created...

December 2, 2019
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November 2019

29Nov

South Africa: Ex-Mineworkers Dig Against the Odds for Their Unpaid Pensions

The leaders of an ex-mineworkers association in Khayelitsha have spent the past decade trying to track down the unpaid pension benefits deducted from their wages without their knowledge or consent. While the mining companies sit pretty , ex-mineworkers continue to live hand to mouth with painful memories of a life made invisible. Now, they demand to be seen by a government they feel has betrayed them. Every Friday for the past decade, Sphiwo William Casiwe has made his...

November 29, 2019
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27Nov

US. Federal Pension Balks at Bill Banning China Investments

The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board (FRTIB), which administers a defined contribution plan for US federal employees, has balked at proposed legislation that would prevent the fund from holding direct or indirect investments in China-based companies. The FRTIB oversees the Thrift Savings Plan, a tax-deferred defined contribution plan for federal employees that had approximately $560 billon in net assets as of the end of 2018. According to a letter seen by Reuters, the FRTIB said the proposed legislation “discriminates...

November 27, 2019
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