News

PENSION schemes are the most popular employee benefit an employer can offer staff, a National Association of Pension Funds survey reveals.

THE government has launched a £12m generic financial advice pilot scheme following the publication of the final report of the Thoresen Review today

In January 2008, Global Pensions launched the inaugural New York Transition Management Forum New York. It was attended by pension fund managers, asset controllers and industry professionals from all over the US. Reporting by Elizabeth Pfeuti

US - Pension funds have started seeking compensation for losses they suffered during the sub-prime crisis by suing financial institutions which took a hit to their share price as result of their investments.

AUSTRALIA - The creation of a bonds fund, supported by deferred payments from the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS), would provide a secure long term asset for superannuation funds, according to Universities Australia.

NEW ZEALAND - New Zealanders who rushed to join the KiwiSaver scheme may find recent market volatility hard to cope with, the country's retirement commissioner Diana Crossan has warned.

SWITZERLAND - The majority of Swiss pension schemes failed to meet the 2.5% minimum guaranteed interest rate last year, exposing flaws in the Swiss system, according to Watson Wyatt.

MIDDLE EAST - SEI has opened an office in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) to provide investment solutions to clients in the Middle East.

GLOBAL - The real estate market is offering great rewards to those who get the timing right, but pension funds tempted to make large allocations to the sector have been warned the market may not yet have bottomed out.

UK- The number of pension funds seeking advice due to financially 'stressed' or 'distressed' sponsors is growing, a partner at specialist risk management consultancy Kroll has stated.