September 2020

25Sep

Kenya. Workers can now access pensions to buy house

Workers can now access up to Sh7 million or a maximum of 40 percent of their retirement savings to buy their first residential house after Treasury Secretary Ukur Yatani signed the amended regulations. Pension schemes have until September 14, 2021 to amend their rules to allow their members early to access their savings for house purchase. The law is meant to boost home ownership in a market where most people employed in the formal sector are unable to raise...

September 25, 2020
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24Sep

The Role of IRAs in US Households’ Saving for Retirement, 2019

By Sarah Holden, Daniel Schrass This paper presents survey results on the incidence of IRA ownership in the United States and the activity of IRA-owning households. In mid-2019, 36 percent of US households owned individual retirement accounts (IRAs). More than eight in 10 IRA-owning households also had employer-sponsored retirement plan accumulations or had defined benefit plan coverage. All told, more than six in 10 US households had retirement plans through work or IRAs; three-quarters of near-retiree households did. In...

September 24, 2020
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09Sep

US. What has COVID-19 done to our retirement savings?

COVID-19 has disrupted life as we knew it, upending our daily lives, threatening the health of many, and exacerbating the financial stress already facing many families. The short-term impacts have been substantial and have received considerable attention, but we should not lose sight of the potential for long-term financial consequences, especially on retirement security. Read also US. DOL´S mixed message for plan sponsors Short-term relief, long-term consequences As millions of Americans found themselves out of work and many small businesses...

September 9, 2020
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07Sep

UK universities and staff face huge jump in pension contributions

UK universities and thousands of their staff face increased annual pension costs totalling billions of pounds under proposals to plug an estimated £18bn deficit in the sector’s main retirement scheme. Read also £15bn boost if UK scraps pensions triple-lock, says think tank The £67bn Universities Superannuation Scheme, the UK’s largest private-sector pension fund, will on Monday lay out a range of options to reduce the burgeoning deficit, which was £3.6bn in 2018. Read also US. The crisis of multiemployer pension...

September 7, 2020
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01Sep

Cayman. Government mulls pension holiday extension

Premier Alden McLaughlin has indicated that government is considering an extension of the current pension holiday. Implemented as a COVID-19-assistance measure, the moratorium is set to expire at the end of September. It follows legislative changes earlier this year granting workers access to their private-sector pensions as temporary economic relief in the aftermath of the closure of local borders and subsequent rise in unemployment. McLaughlin, when asked by the Cayman Compass last week about a possible extension, said at...

September 1, 2020
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August 2020

24Aug

UK. Why we’re largely a nation of ‘no clues’ on pensions

Alarm bells are ringing again after further dark news about pension saving in the UK. A lack of planning, a lack of knowledge, and just not getting around to thinking about pensions means that even those who are saving into a workplace or personal pension are still doing so passively. We save according to the legal minimums required, rather than asking ourselves the crucial question: how much will I need, and how much must I save right now,...

August 24, 2020
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21Aug

Make Pension Savings Mandatory For Jamaicans, Actuary Suggests

Chief actuary at Actman International Limited, St Elmo Whyte, says the Government should make pension contributions compulsory for Jamaicans as security in their retirement. Contributions to the national pension scheme is compulsory for employed persons, but compliance is below par, while private employers are not required to set up schemes for their workers. The actuary said at the Sterling Asset Management virtual investor forum, in which he was a panellist this week, that there must be a way to...

August 21, 2020
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20Aug

US. 27% of Savers Have Decreased or Stopped Retirement Plan Contributions Due to the Coronavirus

The coronavirus crisis has had a profound economic impact, and while some people have managed to coast through the past five months financially unscathed, others are truly struggling to make ends meet. It's not surprising, then, to learn that 27% of Americans have either stopped funding their retirement savings or have decreased their IRA or 401(k) contributions due to the pandemic, according to a new FinanceBuzz survey. If you've lost your job or taken a hit to your income in...

August 20, 2020
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06Aug

What Are The 5 Biggest Retirement Planning Mistakes?

Well, the biggest blunder is not saving enough money. No one wants to outlive their nest egg. The rest of the list is more subtle. According to Certified Financial Planner Darren Zaragola, common mistakes include: Mistake #1: Believing it is Too Late to Start Planning and Saving It is never too late to develop good habits and start saving for retirement. You do not have to “go without” to save. Every little bit helps, especially if you can take...

August 6, 2020
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03Aug

Ranked: The Best and Worst Pension Plans, by Country

The global population is aging—by 2050, one in six people will be over the age of 65. As our aging population nears retirement and gets closer to cashing in their pensions, countries need to ensure their pension systems can withstand the extra strain. This graphic uses data from the Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index (MMGPI) to showcase which countries are best equipped to support their older citizens, and which ones aren’t. The Breakdown Each country’s pension system has been shaped...

August 3, 2020
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