Investment Ideas: Demographics

Are we ready for a world with fewer babies and longer lives?

In the latest instalment of Investment Ideas, Demographics, Jan Swinhoe and Douglas Isles sit down with Dr David Knox AM and Associate Professor Katja Hanewald to explore the economic and investment implications of global demographic shifts.

Key areas discussed include:

The dual demographic challenge of declining birth rates globally alongside increasing lifespans
Rethinking retirement in an aging society
Accumulation versus retirement income in Australia’s pension system and role of housing wealth in retirement funding
The socioeconomic gradient in healthy aging
Investment opportunities in aging-in-place services and health system navigation technology

About the guest speakers

Dr David Knox AM
David Knox, PhD, is a senior actuary and was most recently a senior partner at Mercer. While at Mercer, David was the lead author of the Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index since its inception in 2009 through to 2024. In more than two decades in academia, he acted as a consultant to a range of financial organisations in both the private and public sectors, specialising in superannuation and retirement incomes. David has spoken and written widely in this area and has served on many government and industry committees. Before joining Mercer, he worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers and was previously the Foundation Professor of Actuarial Studies at the University of Melbourne. In 2023, he was named a member of the Order of Australia for his significant service to the financial sector.

Katja Hanewald
Katja is an Associate Professor in the UNSW School of Risk and Actuarial Studies and a Vice President of the Asia-Pacific Risk and Insurance Association (APRIA). Her research focuses on modelling longevity and healthy ageing trends, as well as developing risk management and insurance strategies to address population ageing. Her work has been published in leading insurance, actuarial, economics, and health journals. She is a Co-Editor of the North American Actuarial Journal, an Editor of the Journal of Pension Economics and Finance, and an Editorial Board Member of the Journal of Risk and Insurance and the ASTIN Bulletin.