Season’s Greetings!

I wish you all a prosperous 2023

Dear readers, this is my last message of 2022 and I will post the next one on 3rd January, 2023. These last 4 months have been very rewarding — dedicating time to what I enjoy, exhaustive research, spreading knowledge and experience, in order to be able to comment on items in the news regarding economics and finances, investments, markets, pensions and insurance.

I have said before that it is inacceptable that the second most important country in terms of volume of assets in private pension funds should be in the news on a daily basis in all the international media, as far as its pensioners and also its current scheme members are concerned, regarding its lack of understanding of how its accumulation schemes work in order to pay benefits.

As a matter of fact, the work of actuaries and their social responsibility, along with other professionals connected to the sector of insurance and pension schemes, is to provide security and peace of mind to all companies and entities, all their administrators, executives and employees, as well as the general public, by ensuring that the pension scheme system functions not only well but also efficiently.

Spain is far from the United Kingdom but the basis should be the same. Financial culture will be greater and will help to reach Spanish society’s objectives of paying public and private benefits, to cover the contingencies of retirement, death and disabilities of varying kinds, with the growth of the pension scheme industry, both in terms of fund management and economic solutions which are of use to the whole population.

The wealth of a country is strongly linked to its capacity for life-planning. Planning and organisation, both public and private, in our Western democracies. Providing studies for children and young people. Providing work, housing and leisure during people’s working lives. But also providing resources so that they can continue living when retirement and other contingencies arrive. Poor countries live on a day-to-day basis. Rich countries organise the provision of solutions for several generations. So that all of us can receive, we should collaborate and compete in order to reach greater levels of individual and collective well-being.

I thank each of you for dedicating your time to reading these posts, and especially all of those who have contributed their ideas, knowledge, experience and, moreover, supported me privately and/or publicly.

I wish you all a prosperous 2023.

Season’s Greetings!

Jaume Quibus

The actuary and economist Jaume Quibus holds a master’s degree in Financial Economics and Accounting, a degree in Actuarial and Financial Sciences, a degree in Economic and Business Studies from the University of Barcelona and has completed the Management Development Programme at the IESE Business School of the University of Navarra. He is a full member of the following associations: the Catalan Actuarial Association, the Spanish Actuarial Association, the Catalan Economists Association, the International Actuarial Association, the Catalan Association of Accounting and Management and also a member of the IESE Business School Alumni. He was a founding partner in 1998 of the actuarial company Quibus, and is corporate member number 6 in the Catalan Actuarial Association.