讀後心得

As of the end of February this year, the labor fund's revenue was NT$107.5 billion, with a yield of approximately 1.58%. Due to the impact of Trump's tariff policies and inflationary pressures in the United States, the Taiwan stock market is expected to face greater volatility and uncertainty. The distribution of retirement fund earnings for laborers is affected by the stock market; if the earnings are negative, it is recommended to postpone withdrawals until the yield turns positive. The current new system for the labor retirement fund's yield will be updated every March, and laborers should take advantage of positive earnings before making withdrawals to achieve the best profits. The Labor Insurance Bureau emphasizes that even in the face of stock market fluctuations, according to relevant regulations, laborers' retirement fund earnings will not be lower than the bank deposit interest rate, and if the standard is not met, the shortfall will be covered by the treasury.

As of the end of February this year, the post-evaluation earnings of the Labor Fund reached 107.5 billion NTD, with a return rate of approximately 1.58%. However, impacted by the tariff policy and the rising inflation pressures in the United States, the Taiwanese stock market experienced certain shocks, increasing the uncertainty in the financial market. It is expected that this year, the market will face greater fluctuations and may continue for a while.

The Secretary-General of the Taiwan Labor Front pointed out that if the stock market situation is poor, it will affect the distribution amount of labor pension funds. Therefore, when the return rate is negative, one can choose to postpone claiming until the return rate turns positive. According to current regulations, the new labor pension scheme is for individual workers' exclusive accounts. Each March, the profits and losses of the previous year are rolled into the individual accounts, which can be claimed back when the workers turn sixty. When the return rate of the new labor pension fund is positive and higher, it is the best time to claim. Conversely, if the return rate is negative, financial experts recommend patiently waiting until the return rate turns positive, and the higher the return rate, the better it is for claiming.

Assuming a worker's new labor pension account has accumulated about one million NTD after years of profit distribution, if they apply for withdrawal upon turning sixty in April this year, since the earnings from January to April have not yet been distributed, the Labor Insurance Bureau will calculate the current earnings based on the latest return rate as of the end of February and return the accumulated amount together. Therefore, the worker may receive a slightly higher amount due to the calculations based on the higher return rate; conversely, if the worker chooses to retire in June, the impact of global stock market fluctuations may result in a negative return rate for April, which would affect the pension fund. However, if the accumulated earnings during the withdrawal period do not meet the guaranteed return, it will still be supplemented by the relevant departments.

He stated that in recent years, the earnings of most labor funds have generally maintained positive figures, and workers naturally hope for positive returns so that the final settlement distribution amount is higher. However, the volatility of the stock market makes it unpredictable whether there will be a financial storm, and every time the reported earnings generated by the labor fund only represent a nominal figure; the actual distributed earnings may vary.

According to the relevant regulations, the earnings from the utilization of labor pension funds must not be less than the interest rate of local bank two-year fixed deposits. If it falls short, the deficit will be made up by the treasury, thus the impact of the stock market on the new pension scheme is not overly significant.

The Labor Insurance Bureau indicated that the distribution of earnings from the new labor pension scheme occurs every March, transferring the profits and losses of the previous year into individual accounts. When the return rate is positive, it is naturally the best time to claim, while when the return rate is negative, it may be worth considering a slight wait. Regarding the impact of the return rates being positive or negative on the claimed amount, the Labor Insurance Bureau noted that there will be a government income involved in the actual settlement, and if the announced return rate for the month is positive, a negative earning for the claiming month could still potentially affect the final claiming amount.