All indexation articles
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PodcastsPodcast: Pension tax changes needed to save NHS from ‘rock bottom’
Podcast: Staff shortages and ever-growing waiting lists have left the NHS at “rock bottom”, but the government “has its head in the sand”. Changes to the pensions taxation regime are essential to fix the problem, argues Vishal Sharma, pensions committee chair at the British Medical Association. He is joined by Mark Bondi, council member at the Society of Pension Professionals and senior technical consultant at Capita, to discuss the NHS, the High Court’s retail price index decision, and pension priorities for new prime minister Liz Truss.
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NewsBT, Ford and M&S schemes consider appealing against RPI judgment
On the go: The trustees of the BT, Ford and Marks and Spencer schemes are considering whether to appeal against the judgment handed down by the High Court, which struck down their judicial review against the government’s plans to axe the retail price index.
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News‘Millions to lose out’ as court rejects RPI reform appeal
Industry commentators have warned that millions of pensioners stand to “lose out” after the High Court rejected a judicial review, brought by some of the country’s largest defined benefit schemes, against the government’s plans to replace the retail price index with the consumer price index including housing.
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NewsAegon invests £3bn in ESG range, NPT shifts to sustainable strategy
ESG spotlight: A roundup of the latest news on environmental, social and governance initiatives, with Aegon investing £3bn of its default funds in ESG, and the National Pension Trust shifting its default arrangement towards a green strategy.
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News‘Quirk’ sees public sector pay freeze hit teachers’ pensions annual hikes
A ‘quirk’ in the way teachers’ pensions are calculated could mean some teachers stand to suffer an extra loss as a result of the public sector pay freeze, as pension calculations normally triggered by a change in earnings have not occurred.
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NewsHigh Court hands De La Rue victory over £20m pensions bill
De La Rue, the banknotes manufacturer, has avoided adding £20m to its pension scheme’s liabilities after a judge ruled in its favour over how certain members’ deferred benefits should be revalued.
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NewsPodcast: Fiduciary trumps politics if divesting from ‘illegal Israeli settlements’
Podcast: Local Government Pension Schemes looking to divest from Israel should do so on grounds of sustainability and fiduciary responsibility, not because of politics and personal morality, says Richard Butcher, managing director of PTL. He is joined by Ian Neale, Aries Insight co-founder, to discuss divestment, defined benefit funding and ageing populations.
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News‘Transitory’ inflation soars to 10-year high, with more pain to come
Inflation soared to a 10-year high of 5.1 per cent in the year to November 2021, and those who once argued that the inflationary trend would be transitory are now warning that the worst is yet to come.
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FeaturesCould 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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NewsMitchells & Butlers trustees win ‘significant’ inflation court case
A decades-old rule change to the Mitchells & Butlers Pension Plan that shifted the authority in deciding pensions indexation should be rectified, a high court judge has ruled, in what has been described as “one of the most significant pension rectification cases in recent years”.
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News£450bn of inflation-linked liabilities remains unmatched
On the go: Some £450bn of inflation-linked liabilities belonging to defined benefit schemes remains unmatched due to a shortage of long-dated gilts, according to analysis by Alpha Real Capital.
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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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NewsInflation jump poses ‘a real challenge’ for pension schemes
The surge in inflation in August – the highest since records began in 1997 – could prove “a real challenge” for pension schemes, experts have warned, especially if it proves not to be a transitory phenomenon.
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NewsUSS pushes ahead with reform proposals despite strike threat
The Universities Superannuation Scheme trustee is to push ahead with a reform package agreed by USS employers, despite threats of strike action from the University and College Union.
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NewsStrike action ‘inevitable’ after employers agree USS reforms
The University and College Union is to ballot its members over industrial action, branding strikes “inevitable” after employers agreed to press ahead with reforms of the Universities Superannuation Scheme.
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PodcastsPodcast: Covid-19 could have killed the PLSA
Podcast: The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association “could have died” from the financial damage wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic, and was only saved thanks to prudent long-term planning. Richard Butcher, managing director of PTL, reflects on his tenure as PLSA chair in an episode covering guaranteed minimum pensions guidance, master trusts and bespoke indices for environmental, social and governance investments.
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NewsDIY strategies are ‘better and cheaper way’ to do ESG investing
Customisation of index strategies and direct ownership of equities is a more efficient and cost-effective way of investing sustainably than using ‘off-the-shelf’ index products, according to SigTech, which offers quant technologies to investors.
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NewsUSS employers pledge greater covenant support
Universities UK, the group representing 340 Universities Superannuation Scheme employers, has pledged additional covenant support to the pension scheme, in a move it said will spare its members the crippling contribution rate rises announced following the scheme’s 2020 valuation.
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NewsPPF 7800 Index shows surplus and funding improvements
On the go: The PPF 7800 Index for June shows improvements in the surplus and funding positions (on a section 179 basis) for the more than 5,000 schemes potentially eligible for entry to the Pension Protection Fund.
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NewsState Street pays schemes for missed return after index error
On the go: State Street Global Advisors is making payments to pension schemes, including PensionBee, after an error made by FTSE Russell in the composition of one of its indices affected the returns of several funds offered by the asset manager.