December 2022

Are Retirement Planning Tools Substitutes or Complements to Financial Capability?

By Gopi Goda, Matthew Levy, Colleen Flaherty Manchester, Aaron Sojourner, Joshua Tasoff & Jiusi Xiao We conduct a randomized controlled trial to understand how a web-based retirement saving calculator affects workers' retirement-savings decisions. In both conditions, the calculator projects workers' retirement income goal. In the treatment condition, it also projects retirement income based on defined-contribution savings, prominently displays the gap between projected goal and actual retirement income, and allows users to interactively explore how alternative, future contribution choices would affect...

November 2022

How technology can support pensions for the underserved

New technologies, including central bank digital currencies, can help to better distribute and protect wealth PROVIDING pension support for workers in the informal sector has always been a challenge. At a recent Green Shoots session held at Prudential Singapore’s office, panellists discussed how the use of technology and digital tokens can help facilitate the distribution of micro pensions, and what challenges remain. Micro pensions refer to small sums of money saved by self-employed individuals, that are then invested to yield...

FCA extends pensions dashboard deadline by two months

FCA regulated pension providers have been given an extra two months to comply with the regulator's pensions dashboard rules. In the final rules for the regulations published today (November 1), the Financial Conduct Authority said providers will now have until August 31 for implementation, to align with the government’s extension to a deadline on occupational pension schemes. The FCA has also extended the connection deadline for providers with fewer than 5,000 pots in accumulation and who rely on a third-party integrated...

UK. Pension dashboards near live testing stage

The Pensions Dashboards Programme has moved into the testing of digital architecture phase, with more than 20 organisations taking part as early participants, programme principal Chris Curry has said. The next stage of the process will see early participants, including pension providers, schemes and integrated service providers, connecting to the “dashboards ecosystem”. In an update report on the programme, Curry said the central digital architecture has been completed and testing is now underway alongside the development of operational and technical standards. “Over...

October 2022

Nigeria. How data analytics, artificial intelligence will help PFAs enhance customer service

The importance of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Analytics and Big Data in helping business drive transformation and customer management has attracted the attention of Pension Fund Administrators(PFAs) and players in the pension industry. According them, these have a key role to play in shaping how industries evolve, and has become a massive force driving the transformation of all businesses in today’s world. With this in mind the Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria (PenOp) recently put together a seminar for the...

Ghana. SSNIT adopts mobile money services next week

The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) will, from next week, adopt mobile money services as part of measures to enhance service delivery of the Trust. This was made known by the Director-General of SSNIT, Dr. John Ofori-Tenkorang, at the launch of the Trust’s annual Mobile Service Week at Ho in the Volta Region. With the new services, members can pay their contributions via MoMo, and retirees can choose to receive their pensions via MoMo. “I am happy to announce that...

September 2022

US. Florida Retirement System returns -6.3% for fiscal year

Florida Retirement System, Tallahassee, returned a net -6.3% for the fiscal year ended June 30. The $180 billion pension fund's return exceeded the benchmark return of -9.1% for the period, according to a performance report on the website of the Florida State Board of Administration, which oversees the pension fund's investments. For the three, five and 10 years ended June 30, the pension fund returned an annualized net 7.7%, 7.7% and 8.6%, respectively, above the respective benchmarks of 5.7%, 6.2% and...

U.S. corporate pension buyouts hit record $12.3 billion in Q2 – LIMRA

U.S. corporate pension plan buyout sales totaled $12.31 billion in the quarter ended June 30, the highest volume for a second quarter ever recorded, a LIMRA survey found. The second-quarter total in buyout sales represented an increase of 148% from the year-over-year quarter, which saw a total of $4.97 billion in combined buyout and buy-in sales during the three months ended June 30, 2021. The exceptionally high volume in the second quarter of this year is especially significant since the vast...

UK. Pensions dashboards standards need ‘extensive user testing’

Respondents to the pensions dashboards standards consultation have warned that user testing and experience will be required before a full assessment can be provided. The Department for Work and Pensions intends for the dashboards’ legislative framework to come into force from April 2023. The Pensions Dashboards Programme’s consultation, launched on July 19, sought input from the pensions industry on areas including operational, security and design standards. The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association and the Society of Pension Professionals were among respondents...

August 2022

Technology can turn Asia’s ageing population problem into a longevity dividend

The Covid-19 pandemic has prompted a fundamental shift in attitudes towards technology in the workplace. Concerns that computers would render workers obsolete are giving way to the appreciation that technology could free humanity from mundane tasks and enable more flexible ways of working and interaction. Crucially, digital technology will help keep older workers in employment and bring retirees back by permitting more flexible work arrangements and reducing the physical or cognitive demands of certain jobs. If mindsets can change, these...