All Defined contribution articles – Page 61
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Opinion
Pressure builds on small DC schemes to consolidate
Covid-19 looks to be accelerating the trend towards consolidation in the defined contribution industry, and the UK government is keen to see the transition take place at an even faster pace.
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News
MPs to pressure Opperman into commitment on scam ‘red flags’
Five members of parliament, including Work and Pensions Committee chair Stephen Timms, have tabled an amendment to the pension schemes bill designed to pressure pensions minister Guy Opperman into clarifying the government’s position on pension scams.
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Features
Professional trustees: ‘quis custodiet ipsos custodes?’
Analysis: With consolidation now the name of the game in the small world of pensions, trustee conflicts of interest could harm millions of pension scheme members’ prospects, as schemes eye superfunds and master trusts with vast sums at stake in fees.
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Features
Improved governance is driving consolidation in DC
Data crunch: Consolidation is an ongoing and pervasive trend in UK pensions. The push is being driven by the government and regulators, who believe small schemes deliver poor outcomes for their members, a problem that can be alleviated by scale.
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News
Stephen Timms calls for annual guidance checks
On the go: Stephen Timms, chair of the Work and Pensions Committee, has submitted an amendment to the pension schemes bill that would see savers near retirement contacted each year until a guidance appointment has been made.
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News
Second lockdown presents added uncertainty for pension schemes
After August’s worse-than-expected gross domestic product figures and the announcement of yet more anti-Covid measures appeared finally to put to rest hopes of a V-shaped recovery, experts ponder the impact of a second lockdown on pension schemes.
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Opinion
DC costs need more transparency to create member confidence
Regulators rightly stress the primacy of value for money and good governance in defined contribution pensions. However, achieving these key objectives can be challenging due to a lack of transparency.
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News
Nest outlines small steps to close ‘gender pensions gap’
On the go: Opting in to a pension scheme at 18, understanding if the employer matches the worker’s contributions, and adding as little as an extra £2.50 a week to the pension pot are all ways of closing the gender pensions gap, according to a report from Nest.
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News
Fraudster forced to repay £274k to workplace scheme
On the go: A convicted fraudster has been ordered to pay back £274,000 he had stolen from a workplace pension scheme.
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News
Calls for retirement estimates to be dropped from first dashboards
Pension schemes and administrators have requested that the first version of the pensions dashboards run without the inclusion of estimated retirement income data, due to the lack of data and standards for these calculations.
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Podcasts
Podcast: The three-step plan to fix the NHS pension scheme
Podcast: The plethora of administrative maladies facing the NHS pension scheme should be addressed by a three stage approach: capping the problem; a reactive process prioritising those closest to retirement; and proactive use of the dashboard, says Peter Glancy, head of policy development at Scottish Widows. He’s joined by Helen Morrissey, corporate PR specialist, long-term savings at Royal London, in an episode also looking at the suggestion of pensions as deposits for first-time buyers.
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News
Sustainability and adequacy still dragging UK's pension system
Data crunch: The UK has fallen one place to 15th in the Mercer CFA Global Pensions Index, despite seeing a marginal improvement in its score, while Covid-19 increases pressure on retirement systems worldwide.
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News
Govt u-turns on fees disclosure in simpler annual statement
The government has abandoned plans to make pension providers include costs and charges in their new simplified annual statements, which could become mandatory for defined contribution schemes in the near future as progress in this area remains slow.
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News
Shareholders force executive pension cuts in FTSE 100 companies
On the go: Calls from shareholders have forced FTSE 100 companies to bring executive pension contributions in line with those received by the majority of their workforce, according to the Investment Association.
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News
TPR eyes pivot to ‘Generation DC’
On the go: The Pensions Regulator has set out long-term priorities for the next 15 years, envisaging a shift in focus towards ensuring the financial wellbeing of defined contribution savers.
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News
PLSA throws weight behind ESG and DC retirement initiatives
The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association has made a string of recommendations to the government on environmental, social and governance investment issues, alongside a call to point retiring defined contribution members towards “preferred” products.
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News
Experts pour scorn on ‘pensions as deposit’ suggestion
On the go: The pensions minister’s appeal for suggested schemes that would let young savers use their retirement savings to help them on to the property ladder has been criticised as ignorant of the laws of supply and demand by pensions commentators.
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News
DC contributions too small to allow for sustainable retirements
Stagnant incomes, rising wealth inherited later in life, and the relative poverty of defined contribution schemes compared with older defined benefit schemes are all factors that threaten the sustainability of retirement income, according to speakers at the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association’s annual conference.
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News
Opperman tells savers to engage with pensions to fix climate
On the go: Savers can play an important role in addressing climate change by paying more attention to their pensions and where they are invested, pensions minister Guy Opperman has said.
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Opinion
Guidance needs stronger nudges to prevent future disaster
We are fond of a good nudge in this country.