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Netherlands Ranked First for Pensions

This put the two nations way ahead of the average score of 60.5 and, of course, of the last placed nation, Argentina, which scored only 39.2.

David Knox, who authored the Mercer report said it highlighted the difficulty in finding a balance between “what you offer and how long you can offer it”.

This is certainly true of most nations’ mainstream private pensions, with many predicting that they will struggle to maintain the balance over the long-term in the face of ageing populations and other economic pressures.

Italy, Austria and Spain — all of which scored high for adequacy but low for sustainability – are among the nations most likely to feel the pressure soon.

The study defined “adequacy” as being based on the level of tax flexibility, benefits, growth assets, system design and savings provided by a pension. “Sustainability” was defined on the basis of factors such as coverage, contributions, growth and debt. “Integrity” was defined on the basis of measures including regulation, costs, governance, protection and communication.

And this is not the first time that the Netherlands has topped the list – it ranked no. 1 seven years ago.

The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index is published by the Australian Centre for Financial Studies in collaboration with Mercer and the State Government of Victoria. The UK’s pension system was ranked in 15th place.

Blacktower, For Help with Your Expat Pension Planning

Blacktower Financial Management provides specialist expat pension advice from its offices across Europe, including the Netherlands and Denmark.

Our service is based on expertise, strong relationships, broad and forensic knowledge of the market and a close understanding of our clients and their investment objectives. For more information about how we can help you successfully manage your wealth and expat pensions, contact us today.

Other News

Dealing with scams

Blacktower Financial Management

You may have seen emails alerting you to a new fraud specific to the financial services advice industry. We are not aware of any of our clients having been targeted in the way described below, but it is our responsibility at Blacktower to do everything we can to educate our clients about these scams to avoid any harm coming to them.

The fraudsters claim to be from the Financial Conduct Authority or local law enforcement and are targeting clients of investment management firms. They are advising clients that the investment manager, adviser or firm is under investigation. The fraudster specifically asks the client not to speak to their investment manager, adviser or firm, or even close connections, claiming this would be considered tipping off. The client is then advised to encash their portfolio and move the cash to the client’s bank account. Once this is done, the fraudster then ‘recommends’ an investment which is actually a scam.

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Gibraltar Annex to Withdrawal Agreement

Gibraltar flagAnyone with Gibraltar wealth management concerns will almost certainly be dipping into the very depths of their patience presently as they await resolution of their status during the protracted and uncertain times of Brexit negotiation.

The British Overseas Territory on the south coast of Spain, affectionately referred to as “the Rock”, has long been both an idyllic international outpost and a source of contention between the UK and Spain. This fact has been somewhat compounded by Brexit, with Spain using talks as an opportunity to lay down new demands over the headland’s status.

While Spain has agreed that it will not seek to push for full sovereignty over the territory during negotiations, the latest development concerns Spain’s desire to have the EU make specific provision for the future status of Gibraltar as part of the Withdrawal Agreement.

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