Fieke van der Lecq is resigning as the chair of the Editorial Board effective January 1, 2022. Andries de Grip has been appointed as the new chair as of that date.               Fieke van der Lecq                                           Andries de…

“Numbers lack meaning out of context” Pension participants face complex decisions. Presenting participants with correct facts and figures is sometimes not enough for participants to choose the optimal alternative. If they succeed in determining the gist of the decision, people tend to make choices that are more in line with their values and preferences. This study identifies how participants make pension decisions and what…

“Clear interest in options other than default constant payout pattern” In the debate about the new Dutch pension system, much attention has been paid to increasing participants’ choices. The default pension payout is a lifelong flat monthly rate (constant payout pattern). However, other options are (becoming) available such as a high/low annuity based profile or a partial lump sum at retirement with a lower…

“Tighter borrowing restrictions in the mortgage market do not crowd out additional pension saving for self-employed” Tightened borrowing restrictions, such as lower macroprudential limits on the loan-tovalue ratio or the debt-service-to-income ratio, make it relatively harder for many Dutch households to obtain a mortgage in recent years. We find no contradiction to the current policy aim of increasing pension saving of self-employed individuals. Whereas…

“Equal fluctuations in pension payments implementable in new Dutch pension scheme” Pension funds may find it desirable that fluctuations in pension payments are equal for all retirees independent of their age. Moreover, in view of habit-formation preferences, they may wish to allocate returns in a smoothed way. We propose a concrete allocation mechanism that achieves both goals and satisfies the requirement that ex-ante redistributions…

“Government’s current picture of older worker’s health is not that reliable” As the state pension age rises, the proportion of older workers experiencing non-fatal health problems that influence their ability to work might increase despite an overall improvement in the general population’s health. However, obtaining an accurate picture of the situation is difficult because the outcomes observed are influenced by the health indicators used…

“Do unemployed people self-insure their loss of income?” Unemployment often has major consequences for income and pension accrual. To what extent can unemployed people absorb this income drop by increased home production? And do younger and older workers differ in this regard? Knowing the answers to these questions is important for determining the optimal risky share of pension wealth over the life cycle. That…

“Minder risicomijdende beleggingsstrategieën verbeteren het herstel in ongunstige scenario’s” Pensioenfondsen hebben de ambitie om deelnemers na pensionering een inkomen te bieden dat hun levensstandaard in reële termen handhaaft. Door de lage rente sinds 2008 is het voor pensioenfondsen moeilijker geworden om deze reële ambitie voor hun deelnemers waar te maken. In reële termen gemeten (dus inclusief prijsindexatie) zijn Nederlandse pensioenfondsen ernstig onder-gefinancierd. In dit…

“Ex post controls through solidarity reserve have no added value” The solidarity reserve is a new element in the Dutch pension agreement. This reserve may be used towards intergenerational risk sharing. We have drawn on the academic literature to identify how the solidarity reserve can contribute to risk-sharing between generations and what the implications are for the solidarity reserve’s setup. The Explanatory Memorandum of…

Onze podcastserie Pensioen & Duurzaam beleggen is vorige week van start gegaan. Deel I over Risico, rendement en het gebruik van data was de aftrap van dit drieluik. Een wetenschapper en iemand uit de praktijk gaan onder leiding van Oscar van Zadelhoff van BeFrank het gesprek aan. Iedere week praat Oscar met nieuwe gasten over dit thema met iedere keer een ander aandachtsgebied. In…