Best Pension Country 2009

There's a small country somewhere on this globe, called The Netherlands......

This small country does not only turns out to be the European and (probably) World Health Leader 2009, but - by the way - also happens to be the first Pension World Leader 2009, according to a new global research by Mercer.

You might wonder, who's the leader of that small country near the sea? His name is Mr. Jan Peter Balkenende. He's Prime minister for more than 7 years, is said to have no charisma and has proved to be able to lead a country that's loaded with hair-splitters and complaining people who disagree with each other on every possible subject.

Opposite to other European presidents like Sarkozy (France) or Berlusconi (Italy), who perform strongly on basis of their charisma and seem mainly interested in the fair sex, the Dutch Prime Minister Balkenende - just like the German Prime Minister Angela Merkel - is a modest no-nonsense leader, who walks his talk and gets the job done.

For sure he would be the best European President kandidate, to lead Europe through difficult times ahead on basis of dialog, respect and agreement.

Mercer Global Pension Index
Back to the Mercer Global Pension Index outcome.
The research is a first attempt to objectively compare the retirement income systems of eleven countries spread across the world.

Countries where rated in five grades:

Grade	Index value	Description
A	>80	A first class and robust retirement income system that delivers good benefits, is sustainable and has a high level of integrity
B	65–80	A system that has a sound structure, with many good features, but has some areas for improvement that differentiate it from an A-grade system.
C	50–65	A system that has some good features, but also has major risks and/or shortcomings that should be addressed. Without these improvements, its efficacy and/or long-term sustainability can be questioned.
D	35–50	A system that has some desirable features, but also has major weaknesses and/or omissions that need to be addressed. Without these improvements, its efficacy and sustainability are in doubt.
E	<35	A poor system that may be in the early stages of development or a non-existent system.

The overall index value for each country represents the weighted average of the three sub-indices. adequacy, sustainability and Integrity.


Pension Index Outcome 2009
The results of the pension research clearly appoint The Netherlands as the undisputed Pension leader.


Remarkable however, is that none of the participating countries were classified with an A-grade (index value > 80). This can be easily explained by the fact that no one system is strong enough to withstand the challenges of an aging population.

Want to know more? Than listen to to Dr David Knox (WWP Mercer) discussing the Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index




Or simply download the full report.

Interested in how The Netherlands 'did it'? Just contact Tim Burggraaf, one of the best worldwide consultants of Mercer in The Netherlands. Tim is a Master in Pensions and Life Assurance. No... he's not an actuary... but you wouldn't notice and moreover, he's one of the best interlocutors and speakers you can can get.

Sources :
- IPE
- Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index