All Features articles – Page 32
-
Features
Charges cap stifles investment sophistication, say experts
NAPF Investment Conference 2014: A cap on annual management charges could lead to some actively managed funds becoming unavailable to defined contribution schemes, industry figures have said, as they called for greater transparency and innovation in DC investment.
-
Features
Push to extend trustee diversity efforts to company board selections
NAPF Investment Conference 2014: Pension trustee boards can provide a governance training ground for mid-level executives looking to get onto company boards, but diversity efforts have stumbled among member-nominated trustees, experts have said.
-
FeaturesAsset-backed funding on the rise as schemes beef up security
Industry experts have predicted asset-backed funding strategies would survive a Scottish independence 'Yes' vote as well as current regulatory scrutiny, as greater accessibility has seen the average size of these structures decrease.
-
FeaturesLiability-driven investment: assets, strategies, innovation
A panel of experts debate the increased use of liability-driven investment in the UK, whether there is any alternative to gilt investment, and where innovation is coming from, in this four-part discussion.
-
Features
How do you approach LDI with schemes that do not already have it in place?
Barker Tatham's Steve Barker, PTL's Richard Butcher, Spence's Marian Elliott, Legal & General Investment Management's Laura Brown, Axa Investment Managers' Jonathan Crowther and Redington's Dan Mikulskis discuss schemes' first steps in the market.
-
Features
Digesting the latest government figures on DC quality and charges
The Department for Work and Pensions' latest survey of 1,321 DC plans and providers gave a comprehensive picture of the charges at UK pension funds.
-
Features
Plumbing scheme offers lower contribution rate to tempt employers
The Plumbing and Mechanical Services Industry Pension Scheme will offer a lower contribution scale to new employers joining the career average scheme, to help it compete with defined contribution arrangements.
-
Features
Schemes weigh up long-term value in Japanese equities
News analysis: Despite recent turbulence, Japanese economic prospects opened the window for pension schemes to invest in the country's equities market, consultants have said – provided investors approach it with caution.
-
Features
M&S sizes up auto-escalation to improve outcomes
Marks and Spencer is considering what auto-escalation could do to improve member outcomes as it looks to raise the quality of its provision following auto-enrolment.
-
Features
Essex merges functions after admissions rise
Essex Pension Fund has combined its employer, investment and administration teams into a single structure to deal with an increased number of employers joining the scheme.
-
FeaturesManagers' examples on reducing risks from 2013
Year in review: Pension managers and trustees took a variety of measures to protect their members' benefits, Pensions Week reported over the past year, from more efficient administration software to covenant safeguards.
-
Features
How Carillion managed 'year-long' longevity swap project
Carillion improved its governance and data to ensure a good deal on its £1bn longevity swap, as it sought to hedge greater-than-anticipated life expectancy among members of its defined benefit schemes.
-
Features
Royal Mail to address member knowledge gap
Royal Mail Pension Plan is considering a revamp of its communications strategy after more than half of its members said they do not understand how their scheme works.
-
FeaturesHalf of DC schemes opt for multi-asset defaults
Data analysis: Almost half (49 per cent) of defined contribution schemes now employ a multi-asset or diversified growth fund in the default phase, reflecting a desire to manage investment volatility for scheme members.
-
Features
Berkshire revisits absolute return to boost performance
The Royal County of Berkshire Pension Fund is reevaluating the structure of its absolute return portfolio following the failure to achieve its benchmark target.
-
Features
Encouraging trustees to embrace sustainability
News analysis: Industry experts are coming up with inventive ways to help schemes allocate more of their assets towards sustainable and responsible investments, but pension funds are lagging behind.
-
Features
SPPA raising the bar on data precision
The Scottish Public Pensions Agency has initiated a project to benchmark its member data against quality criteria set out by the Pensions Regulator, to find more cost-effective ways of improving data accuracy.
-
Features
The DC Debate – improving retirement income
This quarter's debate sees experts discuss the gender gap, decumulation and illiquidity, as schemes strive to attain the best outcome for members close to retirement age.
-
FeaturesKenwake adopts Skype-style pensions comms
Kenwake Pension Scheme has launched online face-to-face video support to make communication with its members more accessible and convenient.
-
FeaturesNuclear fund on course to claw back £1m merger cost
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority is close to recouping the £1m it spent merging two schemes into the Combined Nuclear Pension Plan in a bid to save on administration and advisory costs.