All articles by Ian Smith – Page 3
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Opinion
The Tories' individualist, messy pensions policy provides boost for some
Prime minister David Cameron's policy-laden speech to his party's conference today put this week's abolition of the 55 per cent pensions inheritance tax at the heart of its message to core voters.
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OpinionEditorial: Measuring up
This week we consider how pension funds can consider performance in two areas of their investments: diversified growth funds and fiduciary management.
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News
Budget flexibilities fail to spur DB transfer interest
Predictions that the Budget flexibilities would lure members out of defined benefit pension schemes have so far proved unfounded, as data show no uplift in the proportion requesting transfer value quotations.
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OpinionEditorial: The same, except very different
As soon as we got one answer, we were left with a huge number of questions.
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Opinion
How to deal with renegade trustees at your scheme
Any other business: It has been a month where companies, governments and journalists have been accused of a personal bias. How do you ensure your trustees leave their personal interests at the door?
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News
Stock market growth leaves schemes running high equity risk
The equity market boom has left corporate pension schemes running an increasingly high amount of stock market risk, at a time when many are looking to derisk strategically.
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OpinionEditorial: Into the unknown?
The prospect of Scottish independence has moved in the past week from an interesting theoretical question to a huge potential headache.
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Opinion
Editorial: Raise the diversity question
“Whilst we’ve got some problems in the business, I also know that all of the answers are already here.” That was new Tesco boss Dave Lewis talking in a company interview posted last week.
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OpinionEditorial: Such great heights
The S&P 500 crossed that elusive 2,000 level last week, but as the Financial Times reported, it was accompanied by little fanfare. And as if to confirm the hesitation, it has just hovered around the level since.
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Opinion
Ombudsman needs to stop stalling and release liberation decisions
Editor's blog: Another month, another delay from the pensions ombudsman on releasing decisions on its pile of pensions liberation cases – decisions that could help scheme representatives facing extremely difficult choices on suspect pensions transfers.
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OpinionEditorial: Waitin' for Superman
The Lehmans story has played out its final act, and the Pensions Regulator has come through battered, but vindicated.
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Opinion
So, what should pension funds expect from a BoE rate rise?
Editor's comment: The answer may not be as simple as higher rates mean a better times for UK schemes. But it cannot be much worse than the pain of the past few years.
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Features
'Oversharing' is good. A scheme guide for dealing with the regulator
The western world is divided on the power of regulation to move it forward. On the left and in the centre, politicians promise regulation to avoid the excessive risk-taking that almost led to the collapse of the global financial system in 2008.
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News
How LGPS members are responding to collective investment reform
Advocates of public sector pension reform have warned that regional initiatives could 'water down' savings for local authority funds from planned changes to the Local Government Pension Scheme.
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Opinion
First glance at London Councils' CIV, designed to reduce £72.8m fee bill
Editor's blog: An eagle-eyed colleague over at our sister title MandateWire spotted London Councils' tender, issued this morning, for a common investment vehicle to be used across its 33 members.
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Opinion
Are ETFs a suitable strategy for pension schemes?
Jonathan Reynolds from Capital Cranfield, ETFGI's Deborah Fuhr, iShares' Mark Johnson, JLT's Peter Martin and Simon Riviere of PTL discuss whether exchange traded funds are a good fit for UK schemes, in the first part of a three-part panel discussion.
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OpinionEditorial: What's going on behind the curtain
The argument for transparency in fiduciary management is not going away. Yes, many companies calling for third-party assessment themselves provide it, but that does not mean their views should be automatically dismissed.
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News
Early fid man adopters review managers as transparency calls grow
Investment experts have reported that the secondary market for fiduciary management is warming up, as early adopters begin to review the performance of their managers.
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OpinionFive takeaways from this year's Pensions Fund Indicators report
Editor's blog: Here are five data lessons for institutional investors from UBS Global Asset Management's Pension Fund Indicators 2014 – from the slowdown in the rush out of equities, to steady growth in fixed income.
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Features
Are iPads harming or helping trustee boards? The cases for and against tablet governance
Any other business: In the technology world, a recently unearthed speech by Steve Jobs in 1983 predicting the world dominance of the personal computer is clear evidence of the Apple co-founder’s vision.