Meanwhile, a longer-term problem is being stored up. Many companies have abandoned final-salary or defined-benefit (DB) pensions for new staff and switched to defined-contribution (DC) schemes, in large part because of the high cost of the former. These place the investment risk firmly on the employee.
Low real interest rates imply that workers should save a bigger sum for their old age in order to generate their desired income. But currently payments into British DC schemes, from both employer and employee, are just 8.9% of salary (the American contribution numbers are similar). According to the Pensions Corporation, another consultancy, a 35-year-old who funds a DC scheme at such a level will retire on just 8% of his final salary if interest rates are low. To earn the equivalent of a DB pension worth half their final pay-cheque, they or their employer would have to contribute 55% of their salary.
That might sound a tall order. But funnily enough, the Bank of England contributes 56.4% of its payroll to its DB scheme, which is almost entirely invested in inflation-linked bonds. It is a nice irony that the bank, which has done so much to discourage saving, is one of the most prudent savers of all.
(via The Economist)
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