All articles by Benjamin Mercer – Page 3
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NewsAutomatic savings trialled for those ‘excluded from pensions’
On the go: An automatic savings alternative for those ineligible for auto-enrolment has been trialled by Cushon and the University of Lincoln, leaving almost half (42 per cent) of members feeling more positive about their financial situation.
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NewsTriple lock, NHS and merging regulators on Liz Truss’s agenda
The new prime minister faces a host of economic problems, ranging from the cost of living crisis to the staffing crisis in the NHS as she enters Number 10, industry experts have said, with all eyes on the government’s forthcoming “fiscal event”.
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NewsBT, Ford and M&S schemes consider appealing against RPI judgment
On the go: The trustees of the BT, Ford and Marks and Spencer schemes are considering whether to appeal against the judgment handed down by the High Court, which struck down their judicial review against the government’s plans to axe the retail price index.
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News‘Millions to lose out’ as court rejects RPI reform appeal
Industry commentators have warned that millions of pensioners stand to “lose out” after the High Court rejected a judicial review, brought by some of the country’s largest defined benefit schemes, against the government’s plans to replace the retail price index with the consumer price index including housing.
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NewsScheme administrators concerned about dashboard data security
On the go: Data security on the pensions dashboards is the primary concern among pension scheme administrators, according to a survey from financial solutions company Bravura.
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NewsStrikes ‘likely’ over TfL pension changes as funding deal reached
Changes to the TfL Pension Fund will be required as part of a financial support package agreed between the government, Transport for London and the mayor of London, with a plan to be presented in September. But unions have rejected the deal, and warned that more strikes are “likely”.
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NewsLGPS calls for ‘future-proofing’ benefits against discrimination
On the go: The chair of the Local Government Pension Scheme Advisory Board, councillor Roger Phillips, has written to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities asking for reforms to discriminatory death and survivor benefits in the LGPS, and to protect the scheme against future legal challenges.
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News‘Disingenuous’ pension proposals will not fix NHS staffing crisis
The government’s proposed pension rules tweaks around “retire and return” for some NHS Pension Scheme members, in a bid to tackle the mounting staff retention crisis, have been criticised by commentators who argue that the changes do not go far enough.
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NewsPodcast: Trustees struggling to guide members on inflation benefits
Podcast: A report from XPS Pensions suggests that members could reap £10,000 additional benefits by delaying retirement because of the way increases and inflation are calculated, but trustees are struggling to help them because of the “red tape” around advice. LCP partner Laura Amin is joined by Hymans Robertson partner Patrick Bloomfield to discuss benefits’ inflation calculation and advice, concerns about defined benefit funding, and the women’s state pension age investigation.
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NewsCourt dismisses trustee’s Barber window arrears claim
The High Court has ruled that members of the CMG UK Pension Scheme are not entitled to payment of arrears that fell due more than six years ago, despite the trustee’s attempts to continue paying them.
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NewsCivil service union issues strike ultimatum
The Public and Commercial Services Union has threatened the government with strikes in the civil service unless it accedes to demands for improved pay, pensions and job security.
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NewsPASA issues call to action on dashboards data matching
On the go: The Pensions Administration Standards Association has urged schemes to act now on data matching in preparation for dashboards, deciding how to digitally compare and match “find requests” from users against their records.
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NewsFirefighters’ options exercise requires ‘corrective action’
On the go: “Corrective action” is required for certain members of the Firefighters’ Pension Scheme, after a number of Fire and Rescue Authorities failed to conduct an options exercise properly.
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NewsNationwide university strike ballots set for September 6
The University and College Union has confirmed that strike ballots over pensions, pay and conditions will be held on September 6, potentially paving the way for “unprecedented” nationwide industrial action.
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NewsUCU threatens ‘unprecedented strikes’ as USS reaches surplus
The University and College Union has strongly criticised the decision to cut staff benefits, as the Universities Superannuation Scheme’s June monitoring report reveals a surplus of £1.8bn and universities prepare to embark on billions of pounds in capital expenditure.
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NewsPPI: More data needed on ethnic groups’ retirement outcomes
On the go: While it is known that people from Pakistani, Bangladeshi, black, and other minority ethnic groups suffer poorer retirement outcomes than the white majority of savers, the data collected does not allow us to properly examine why that is the case, according to the Pensions Policy Institute.
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NewsDelaying retirement by a day could leave members £10,000 better off
Delaying retirement by a day could leave members £10,000 better off in retirement due to the way members’ benefits are calculated based on short-term inflation rates, according to research from XPS Pensions Group.
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NewsOmbudsman to speed up state pension age investigation
On the go: The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman is to adjust its approach to the remainder of its investigation into failures by the Department for Work and Pensions relating to changes to women’s state pension age, so it can “conclude the investigation as efficiently as possible”, having shared its preliminary views with interested parties.
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NewsTPR: ‘Keep asking questions’ about investment strategies
On the go: The current economic malaise, and especially the impact on liability-driven investments now interest rates are rising, proves it is especially important that trustees continue to ask questions about their investment strategies, even if they seem “silly”, says Fred Berry, the Pensions Regulator’s lead investment consultant.
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NewsNumber of savers opting out of pension schemes jumps by 29%
On the go: The number of people opting out of their workplace pension scheme has risen by 29 per cent between March and July this year, according to analysis by pensions provider Penfold.