You receive or will receive a pension every month. You will get this from your retirement date, for life. What matters to you is what you can buy with that amount. That is called purchasing power. The purchasing power of your pension may change. This is mainly due to price increases and economic developments. If prices rise, the same €100 you have today will buy you less 30 years from now. We call this inflation.
The role of inflation
Inflation means that prices are rising. Examples include groceries, energy or rent. If your pension does not keep pace with these price rises, its value will therefore decrease. You can buy less with the same money. So your purchasing power will fall. Whether your pension can keep up with the price rise and your purchasing power remains the same depends, among other things, on:
- Investment results
- Economic developments
It is uncertain whether your pension can grow fully or partially in line with inflation and maintain purchasing power. Every year, we reassess whether this will be partially or fully achievable for the following year.
Investing and the amount of your pension
We invest your pension or your pension assets. The results of these investments affect the amount of your pension. With good investment performance, the pension can increase. If results are disappointing, the pension may fall. We invest your assets collectively, even if you already receive a pension from us. The increase or decrease will be smaller if you have retired (or are almost retired). We can also keep pensions stable by means of a buffer for setbacks: the solidarity reserve.