All default funds articles – Page 2
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NewsLifeSight invests in climate fund, guide for stewardship launched
ESG spotlight: A roundup of the latest news on environmental, social and governance initiatives, including LifeSight’s investment in a climate transition fund, a stewardship reporting guide launched by consultants, and The People’s Pension’s climate pledge.
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NewsBudget 2021: Sunak announces further changes to DC charge cap
Chancellor of the exchequer Rishi Sunak announced on Wednesday that the government will consult “within the next month” on further changes to the charge cap intended to encourage more investment in illiquid assets by defined contribution schemes. But experts have said this is “missing the point”.
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NewsSchemes enable more CO2 than entire UK carbon footprint
ESG spotlight:A roundup of the latest news on environmental, social and governance initiatives, including analysis showing the UK’s pensions market would be in the top 20 global carbon emitters if it was a country, and a study concluding that less than 1 per cent of fund assets are Paris-aligned.
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NewsFCA pushes ahead with new illiquids fund for DC schemes
Pension funds will have access to a Long-Term Asset Fund regime following changes made by the Financial Conduct Authority, with special flexibility afforded to defined contribution schemes to invest in illiquid assets.
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NewsBig funds invest £128bn in fossil fuels, LCP urges net-zero action
ESG spotlight: A roundup of the latest news on environmental, social and governance initiatives, including research by Friends of the Earth that found the UK’s largest pension funds have no “credible plan” to divest the £128bn currently held in fossil fuels, and a call from LCP for defined contribution schemes to take meaningful action on net-zero ambitions.
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NewsNest invests in UK solar farm
On the go: Master trust Nest has acquired a solar farm in Reading through its partnership with Octopus Renewables, meaning that one in three of the UK’s workforce is invested in the site.
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NewsPodcast: Mandating net zero could ‘cut straight through’ fiduciary duties
Podcast: The government mandating default funds be aligned with ‘net zero’ would be a way around concerns about fiduciary responsibility, but there are questions about what this would mean in practice. Stuart O’Brien, partner at Sackers, and Gareth Stears, pensions technical consultant at Aries Insight, discuss environmental, social and governance issues, social housing, and the Pensions Regulator’s controversial criminal powers.
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NewsPodcast: No way to avoid the indexation ‘rules lottery’ as inflation bites
Podcast: High inflation will spur more schemes to look to switch from the retail price index to the consumer price index, but there is still no way around the “rules lottery”. Eversheds Sutherland partner Stuart Earle and Aon partner Lynda Whitney discuss inflation, the botched attempt to raise the normal minimum pension age, and a new value for money framework.
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NewsRegulators propose DC-wide ‘value for money’ framework
The Pensions Regulator and the Financial Conduct Authority will be forcing defined contribution schemes to disclose more data around their investment performance, scheme oversight, and costs and charges, as they unveil a discussion paper looking at creating an “holistic framework” for assessing value for money in this sector.
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NewsDC providers default funds weather ‘torrid’ 2020
A new report from Punter Southall has revealed the best-performing defined contribution default providers during Covid-19, with Nest and L&G leading in the consolidation phase, Smart Pension topping cumulative performance in the growth phase, and L&G Multi Asset doing best in the retirement phase.
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NewsUSS invests in climate fund, Aegon’s ESG assets top £10bn
ESG Spotlight: A roundup of the latest news on environmental, social and governance initiatives, with the Universities Superannuation Scheme investing in a climate fund, Aegon strengthening its commitments to make default funds net-zero and banks calling for support of a new sustainable infrastructure label.
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OpinionDon’t wait to be grey to be green
Charles Clarke, client communications lead at BNP Paribas Asset Management, details the challenges ahead for the pensions industry in its mission of switching the economy from stopping polluting to starting rebuilding.
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NewsFCA to focus on driving value for money for savers
On the go: The Financial Conduct Authority is planning to access how to drive value for money in pensions during accumulation, its business plan for 2021-22 has revealed.
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NewsEmployers eye better master trust options as market matures
On the go: Investment consultancy Willis Towers Watson is predicting a secondary defined contribution master trust market could emerge as one in eight early adopters of the pension solution have revealed they will look to review their providers.
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PodcastsPodcast: Tapping DC for Long-Term Assets Fund requires ‘rigorous’ scrutiny
Podcast: HM Treasury’s proposals to tap defined contribution schemes for its new Long-Term Assets Fund is not a bad idea, but problems with daily dealing remain, and it requires the kind of “rigorous” scrutiny applied to other new asset classes. PensionBee chief executive Romi Savova and Jonathan Parker, head of DC and financial wellbeing at Redington, discuss the LTAF, rumours of a tax raid, and the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association’s new Responsible Investment Quality Mark.
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NewsNearly a third of Gen Xers have inadequate pension savings
Almost one in three Generation Xers — individuals aged between 41 and 56 — have inadequate pension savings and face a minimum-at-best standard of living in retirement, according to research by the International Longevity Centre and Standard Life.
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NewsDeloitte’s new fund eyes sustainable options, BlackRock adds ESG exclusions
ESG spotlight: A roundup of the latest news on environmental, social and governance initiatives, with Deloitte introducing a new default pension fund that puts the focus on sustainability, and BlackRock announcing ESG exclusions across five strategies within its authorised contractual scheme fund range.
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NewsTapping DC schemes for growth fund raises industry concern
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is reportedly hoping to draft defined contribution schemes into propping up the government’s proposed Long-Term Assets Fund, though experts have raised concerns about its practicality.
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NewsIndustry body partners with Smart Pension to offer AE to architects
On the go: The Royal Institute of British Architects has partnered with Smart Pension to create an auto-enrolment solution for RIBA’s architect practices, while moving its own defined contribution scheme to the master trust.
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NewsDC funds must move away from passive corporate bond allocations
On the go: Defined contribution funds should follow defined benefit schemes and insurance companies in moving away from passive corporate bond allocations to improve climate resilience and member outcomes, according to Axa Investment Managers.