It has been more than a year ago that the Netherlands was hit with the first wave of Covid-19 infections. Once it became clear all over the world that lockdowns were inevitable, the stock markets took a turn for the worse and interest rates declined due to the support from the central banks worldwide. This could only result in a considerable decline in the value of the investments, especially those in the ASP. We must remember to see this from a long-term perspective, however, because you don't invest for the short term. You can expect the markets to recover again at a certain point so that, on average, good returns will be earned in the long term. And, this has actually already happened in 2020, above all expectations. Particularly in the fourth quarter, when the good news about vaccinations was announced, we started seeing a strong recovery. Financial markets recovered so quickly that the combined ASP investments increased by more than 10%.

That result, combined with good long-term results and the relatively high graduated contribution that Mars uses, means we can expect solid pension outcomes. Please note that I refer to expected pension outcomes because in the ARP/ASP plan, we rely on historic as well as future proceeds. The estimates made are based on the so-called scenario set of De Nederlandsche Bank. This set of assumptions concerning the returns and interest rate developments is also used as a basis for the calculations in the Uniform Pension Overview (UPO) that we send every year in the beginning of autumn.

De Nederlandsche Bank has recently lowered this scenario set in order to achieve better alignment with the current yield curve. That the calculations are more cautious does not necessarily mean that your pension will be lower. These are, after all, only estimates. But, we can say that the combination of historic returns on investment, the graduated contribution and the expected outcomes according to the scenario set of De Nederlandsche Bank will result in pension outcomes that are in line with our expectations.

Lastly, I am happy to report that despite the Covid-19 crisis, the work activities of Mars Pensioenfonds and all of its external parties have continued as ‘normal’ and without any interruption. I think the entire organisation deserves a great compliment for this.

Stay safe and take care of each other!

William van Ettinger, Chairman of the Board

If you want to calculate your tax allowance for supplementing your pension with annuities, you will need your factor A. You may also need your factor A for your tax return. You can find it in your latest Uniform Pension Overview (UPO), at the bottom of the last page. If you receive your personal pension mail digitally, you can find your UPO in 'My Mail'!

The pension agreement. The last update we provided was in July 2020. Much has happened since then. What does the Act on the Future of Pensions comprise? How will Mars Pension fund handle this? And what consequences does this have for your pension? Please find the latest update on our website.

You are a member in the ARP/ASP-plan of Mars Pensioenfonds. You will use the pension capital you are accruing to purchase a pension on your retirement date. At that time, you will choose either a fixed or variable pension. Here, we will briefly explain what fixed and variable pensions are and when it becomes important to start thinking about it. That may be sooner than you think.

A fixed pension, as the name indicates, is a pension payment that is fixed for the rest of your life. Once this commences, it will no longer increase or decrease. With your capital you buy a degree of certainty. This comes at a cost, of course, which is determined by the interest rate in the financial world. Having a fixed pension means that you will no longer benefit from investment returns, but you won't run the risks of negative returns, either.

A variable pension follows the investment returns, even after you have retired. You are less dependent on the interest rate on your retirement date because your pension capital continues to be invested after retirement. You then have a better chance of benefiting from good investment results. You also, however, run the risk of pension reductions.

Am I required to make a decision today?
Starting from age 55, you can make a preliminary choice. Before you reach age 58, you must choose between a fixed or variable pension, even though your actual retirement date is still far off. Why? Your choice determines how your investment portfolio can best be compiled to ensure that it corresponds with the desired pension when the time comes. When you turn 58, the risk in your investment portfolio is gradually reduced. If you choose a fixed pension, we completely phase out the risk. If you opt for a variable pension, we will reduce the risk more gradually, and some risk will remain on your retirement date. Would you like to know more about the various investment portfolios?

You can use the planner on our website to see for yourself how much pension you can expect when you retire. The dashboard also calculates what the future expectations are. The dashboard calculates with your own details, such as your salary and shift work allowance and of course, the pension (capital) that you have already accrued. Your salary details that Mars provides to the pension administration are refreshed every 3 months in the planner for this purpose. All salary details in the dashboard have been updated in early April 2021.

At the same time, your new detail are passed on to MijnPensioenoverzicht.nl where you will be able to find, in addition to your pension from Mars Pensioenfonds, the pensions you receive from other employers, if applicable, and the state retirement pension (AOW).

Want to know more about what you can do with the dashboard?

Watch the video

To go to the dashboard, log in on the Mars Pensioenfonds website with your DigiD. You also use your DigiD to login for your tax return, for example, or when you apply for an allowance. Logged in? Then click on the ‘My Pension Dashboard’ tile.

We are working on a new feature: Pension in view! Pension in view can be found on www.marspensioen.nl/pensioninview. In a number of short videos, we answer frequently asked questions about your pension at Mars Pensioenfonds. For instance, you may want to see a summary of your pension plan. Or you may want to know how the ARP/ASP-plan works exactly. Or what the choices are when you retire. Coming weeks new videos will be posted. Have a look! We would love to hear what you think!