All Features articles – Page 4
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Features
Pension fund focus on ESG opens questions over insurer back books
Billions of assets purchased by insurers to back UK retirement promises have the potential to drive corporate progress on issues such as climate change, and pension fund trustees are now indicating a willingness to pay extra for better stewardship.
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A moment of reckoning: Closing the pension gaps
Automatic enrolment has unarguably achieved its goal of getting more people into workplace pensions. Women and people of minority ethnicities have, however, fallen behind their white male counterparts when it comes to pension saving. In this report, Pensions Expert considers the ongoing inequalities that plague our pensions system and what can be done to close the gaps.
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Features
Is any sovereign worth the greenium?
Issuance of green sovereign debt is rocketing and investors remain prepared to pay a greenium, but standard paper still has a role to play.
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Features
UN goals can act as guide for schemes making societal impact
The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals list 17 ambitions to improve the lives of people globally, spanning matters of poverty, equality, environmentalism and health. Much of the focus of the SDGs is on the developing world, yet lessons can be taken from the ambitions and used to improve the lives of people in the UK.
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One in three schemes set climate risk reduction targets
ESG spotlight: A roundup of the latest news on environmental, social and governance initiatives, with an ACA survey finding that a third of pension schemes have already set targets to reduce climate risk, and asset management fees falling in some ESG and impact strategy types.
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Could CDC solve the USS crisis?
Collective defined contribution has been touted as a possible long-term solution to the problems of the Universities Superannuation Scheme, but experts and unions are not convinced of its suitability.
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Why the ‘S’ in ESG matters and how schemes can better understand it
The ‘social’ aspect of environmental, social and governance investments can be hard to quantify, but is crucial for pension schemes to get to grips with to meet their requirements in this area. Fortunately, there is help for investors to make the most of ‘S’ and spot long-term opportunities.
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Features
COP26: Collaboration is key to achieve net-zero targets
In the build-up to COP26, there has been growing emphasis on the need for collaboration to ensure swifter progress in meeting global net-zero targets, with the pensions industry also being called to prioritise co-operation.
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Features
COP26: Mobilising finance to immobilise climate change
COP26 will kick-off on October 31, a date surely circled on the calendar of pension scheme professionals across the country, as dominating this year’s conference will be a highly anticipated update on the progress of meeting global net-zero targets by 2050.
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Features
Are schemes ready to mitigate carbon through their investments?
COP26 guidelines dictate four main ways for the world to become net-zero by 2030 through the mitigation of carbon production. The challenge for pension funds is getting to grips with how these can be aligned with their investment process.
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Features
Complexities hamper social impact bonds’ true potential
Despite the launch of the UK’s sovereign green bond dominating the socially conscious fixed income discourse, there is still room for social impact bonds in schemes’ portfolios.
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Features
Better data needed for schemes to tackle modern slavery
As pension schemes struggle with data on modern slavery in global chains, corporate engagement takes the lead in the battle to tackle social issues.
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Features
Guidance ‘stronger nudge’ could lead to poor member experience
The proposed rules requiring trustees and scheme managers to “nudge” individuals to obtain guidance when accessing their pension will cause administration mayhem and could lead to poor member experience, industry experts have warned.
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Features
ESG and financial returns: Schemes can have their cake and eat it too
ESG and financial returns: Schemes can have their cake and eat it tooData crunch: Schemes are increasing their investments in sustainable thematic strategies, which allows trustees to keep their fiduciary duty of targeting returns while 'doing good'Enterkeywords.sh_embed {position: relative;height: auto;width:100%;z-index: 0;overflow: hidden;background-color: #222;color: white;font-family: 'Lato', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;}.sh_embed ...
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Features
Is China the elephant in the ESG room?
With demand for an environmental, social and governance focus in equity portfolios surging, institutional investors question whether China can deliver in the battle against climate change, with specialists pointing out the “huge potential” of engagement in these areas.
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Features
DC charges: Are fiduciaries too fixated on cost?
DC charges: Are fiduciariestoo fixated on cost?Data crunch: Scheme sponsors are thinking of 'value' as more than a low-cost option for savers and are taking a more balanced approach when selecting providersEnterkeywords.sh_embed {position: relative;height: auto;width:100%;z-index: 0;overflow: hidden;background-color: #222;color: white;font-family: 'Lato', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;}.sh_embed * {-webkit-box-sizing: border-box;-moz-box-sizing: border-box;box-sizing: border-box;}.sh_embed ...
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Sole trusteeship on the rise amid calls for tougher regulation
Sole trusteeship onthe rise amid calls fortougher regulationWith sole trustees now accounting for onein three professional trustee appointments,there is a feeling in the industry that regulationis lagging this fast-growing sectorEnterkeywords.sh_embed {position: relative;height: auto;width:100%;z-index: 0;overflow: hidden;background-color: #222;color: white;font-family: 'Lato', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;}.sh_embed * {-webkit-box-sizing: border-box;-moz-box-sizing: border-box;box-sizing: border-box;}.sh_embed .sh-embed-bg {position: ...
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New covenant support deal for Clarks as trustees approve CVA
New covenant support deal for Clarks as trustees approve CVA The shoe retailer has entered into a company voluntary arrangement as part of a package aimed at maintaining its obligations to the C&J Clark Pension FundEnterkeywords.sh_embed {position: relative;height: auto;width:100%;z-index: 0;overflow: hidden;background-color: #222;color: white;font-family: 'Lato', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;}.sh_embed * ...