All articles by Angus Peters – Page 30
-
News
DWP calls for evidence on Nest decumulation services
The Department for Work and Pensions has called for evidence on a proposal to allow Nest to provide decumulation services for its members, and to let it offer services to individuals, employers and other schemes.
-
News
DB taskforce encourages credit innovation to tackle deficits
Finding solutions to the defined benefit funding crisis will require the pensions industry to “challenge conventional thinking”, the chair of the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association’s new DB taskforce has said.
-
Features
Final date set for Box Clever trustee and ITV showdown
Trustees of the Box Clever Pension Scheme and ITV were back in court last week, in the latest round of a four-year legal battle to force the broadcasting giant to help make good the fund’s £90m deficit.
-
News
Finalised IORP II may not make it to UK after Brexit vote
A provisional final text of the EU’s revised Institutions for Occupational Retirement Provision directive was published last week, as the UK’s presumed exit from the bloc cast doubt over its implementation.
-
News
Lord Willetts: More progress is needed for adequate DC provision
Pension providers must build on the success of auto-enrolment and embrace technological solutions if they want to tackle declining rates of saving among the ‘DC generation’, Lord Willetts said at a conference this week.
-
News
Experts eye hedging and CPI as UK DB deficit up £170bn in weeks
UK defined benefit pension deficits grew by £170bn over seven weeks in the run-up to the EU referendum, jumping to £900bn as market volatility following the result put further strain on funding positions.
-
Features
Carclo deficit highlights pitfalls of equity exposure
Technical plastics manufacturer Carclo is adding liability-driven investment mandates and continued support for diversified growth funds to its defined benefit scheme portfolio, after poor equity market performance saw its deficit almost double.
-
News
LDI crucial part of portfolio despite low yields, experts say
Schemes must not leave themselves vulnerable to interest rate risk by ignoring seemingly expensive liability-driven investment strategies, according to panellists at a Pensions Expert event on LDI held last week.
-
Features
MPS mines for income with alternative credit and shipping
The Mineworkers Pension Scheme is hunting for income with new allocations to shipping and special situations debt, alongside increased exposure to private debt and property.
-
News
Active debt management key to exploiting bond opportunities
Schemes hunting for cash flow in a record-low gilt yield environment are turning to corporate bonds, emerging markets and active management of their debt portfolios, a study has revealed.
-
News
MPs press government to incentivise ESG investment
Pension funds should do more to incorporate environmental, social and governance considerations into their investment decisions, a report by the House of Commons’ International Development Committee last week suggested.
-
Opinion
Will PLSA’s DB consultation bolster embattled industry?
From the blog: The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association has called for evidence to support its Defined Benefit Taskforce, as record-low gilt yields pile yet more pressure on the industry.
-
News
Unilever launches guidance tool, but fear of giving advice still stops many
The Unilever Pension Fund has introduced an online initiative using example members to help savers plan their benefits, ahead of a clarification on the distinction between advice and guidance from the Financial Conduct Authority, HM Treasury and the Pensions Regulator.
-
Opinion
Government warned against 'knee-jerk' reactions on DB funding after BHS
From the blog: The failure to rescue high street giant BHS could have widespread impact on the pensions industry, with experts warning the entry of its two defined benefit schemes into the Pension Protection Fund will not be automatic.
-
News
Deluge of information stifles retirement choices
An excess of information on the pension freedoms risks poor outcomes for “procrastinating” defined contribution savers, experts have warned, meaning the industry must improve member communication and engagement.
-
News
Yes or No: schemes brace for Scottish independence vote
Pension scheme managers and industry experts are focusing on tax and cross-border funding requirements as challenges that could arise out of next month’s Scottish independence vote, regardless of the outcome.
-
News
IASB proposal could hit sponsor-scheme funding strategies
A proposed change to pensions accounting guidance around surpluses could lead to trustees having to renegotiate their financing arrangements with employers and shifting towards non-cash vehicles.
-
News
PPI: Small employers may seek pay cuts to make up auto-enrolment cost
A report released last week found smaller employers may consider decreasing basic pay to implement auto-enrolment, while experts said implementing the reform will lead to a focus on benefit structure.
-
News
One in four executives taking cash in lieu of pensions
The number of FTSE 250 executives taking taxable cash supplements instead of pensions has risen, according to a survey, as the way high-earners receive benefits has changed in light of lower lifetime and annual allowance limits.