Darren Philp
OpinionScale in workplace pensions is good – but not at the expense of innovation
Darren Philp looks ahead to the Pension Schemes Bill’s latest stage in the House of Lords and hopes for a pragmatic approach to the scale test for workplace DC pension schemes.
OpinionPre-Budget chaos, post-Budget damage
As the dust settles following Wednesday’s Budget speech, Darren Philp scrutinises the ‘kite flying’ approach to testing policy ideas and calls for a more honest and transparent approach to future fiscal events.
OpinionCompeting agendas: Does the pensions industry need a rethink?
How can the pensions industry improve how it manages and avoids conflicts of interest? Darren Philp, co-host of the V-FM Podcast, scrutinises master trusts and professional trustees to pose some important questions.
OpinionPDP elves deliver a dashboards consultation for Christmas
As we approach the end of 2022, it has been another momentous year for pensions dashboards. It is an initiative that we have been discussing for what seems like an age.
OpinionThe dashboards consultation response: a positive step forward
So there we have it. We have arrived at the next stage in the dashboards journey with the publication of the Department for Work and Pensions’ response to the dashboard regulations consultation — and it appears to be full steam ahead.
OpinionPensions tax relief needs reform, but it should start from the top
The debate around pensions tax relief is a polarising one. The 2006 A-day reforms were designed with the intention of simplifying the system. But they never quite achieved that goal and, in reality, never came close.
OpinionIt is time to introduce a flat rate of tax relief
Imagine shopping in the January sales, where items are discounted but you are not told which ones or by how much. Would you not buy more if you could see the discounts from which you were benefitting?
OpinionPost-retirement defaults are key to better outcomes
The advent of pension freedoms has meant that the government now expects savers to take responsibility for important financial decisions that could mean the difference between an inadequate retirement or a comfortable one.
OpinionBring the self-employed in from the cold
The number of self-employed people in the UK has seen rapid growth in recent times: in 2015, 4.6m people fell into this category, up from 3.8m in 2008, the Office for National Statistics estimates.