Policy and Regulation
A kickstart for CIPRs: new rules for annuities
Expect Parliament to pass legislation making the means test more favourable for longevity products and speeds up development of CIPRs.
Elizabeth FryFebruary 12, 2019
David Knox
Investment Strategy
Australia’s retirement system slips in global rankings
Australia’s retirement income system has dropped from third to fourth place in the world rankings, attributed to a drop in "adequacy".
Alice UribeOctober 22, 2018
Post-Retirement
Time for longevity risk-pooling: Mercer
Mercer consultants told the PortfolioConstruction Forum Strategies Conference they must incorporate longevity risk-pooling into portfolios.
Nour AzharAugust 28, 2017
Investment Strategy
Australia’s retirement system ranks third globally, gets B+
The authors of the Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index have recommended Australia lift the superannuation guarantee rate and keep citizens working longer.
Sally RoseOctober 24, 2016
Post-Retirement
A global call for more equitable tax breaks in super
A wake-up call for governments worldwide on the need to tackle a looming shortfall in retirement savings has been made by the Global CFA Institute. Using research taken from the Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index, a CFA report entitled An Ideal Retirement System calls for a more sustainable and equitable distribution of tax breaks as […]
David RowleyOctober 6, 2015
Post-Retirement
Mercer launches game changer for annuity market
Mercer is applying for a global patent for a group self-annuitisation product that already has three major super funds signed up for launch in 2015. At a fee of 40bps the product is intended to provide better value for money than lifetime annuities where investment gains above the amount needed to meet guaranteed payments are […]
David RowleyOctober 30, 2014
Investment Strategy
Australia eyes global shift to collective defined contribution
The global shift towards collective defined contribution (CDC) has gathered momentum after the UK government announced its intention to remove legal impediments to their set up last week. In March, Unisuper asked the Financial System Inquiry to consider how the best features of pension systems in the Netherlands and Canada could be emulated in Australia, […]
David RowleyJune 10, 2014
Hedge Funds
Australia’s tax concessions rank low
New research from Mercer shows Australia’s after-tax retirement benefits are among the least generous when compared globally. The paper, Tax and Superannuation: Benchmarking Australia against the World’s Best Retirement Systems, also revealed that Australia’s concessional contribution caps, which Mercer says encourage long-term saving, are relatively low by global standards. The study, conducted from December 2012 […]
Amal AwadFebruary 11, 2013