All member engagement articles – Page 9
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NewsClimate awareness now ‘business as usual’ for schemes, Aon says
On the go: Managing climate change is now “business as usual” for pension funds, while other factors surrounding political instability have diminished in importance, Tim Manuel, co-head of responsible investment at Aon, told the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association’s annual conference.
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NewsCalls for an inquiry over teachers’ 7-year contributions gap
Councillors have called for an independent inquiry to determine how 14 members of the Teachers’ Pension Agency found they were missing seven years’ pension contributions from their employer.
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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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NewsGuidance ‘stronger nudge’ still poses more questions than answers
Regulators are unclear about how the take-up levels of pensions guidance should look like as a result of the “stronger nudge”, since parts of the proposal have yet to be tested, the Work and Pensions Committee has heard.
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NewsTaskforce lays out measures to boost schemes’ voting powers
The Taskforce on Pension Scheme Voting Implementation has called on the Department for Work and Pensions and the Financial Conduct Authority to create templates and requirements aimed at boosting asset owners’ ability to vote, especially in pooled funds.
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NewsRegulators propose DC-wide ‘value for money’ framework
The Pensions Regulator and the Financial Conduct Authority will be forcing defined contribution schemes to disclose more data around their investment performance, scheme oversight, and costs and charges, as they unveil a discussion paper looking at creating an “holistic framework” for assessing value for money in this sector.
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OpinionPension Awareness Week: It’s time to wake up the ‘sleepwalkers’
Auto-enrolment has been a big success to date. Since 2012, private sector participation has risen by 44 percentage points to 86 per cent of private sector eligible employees.
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NewsIndustry fears another missed dashboards deadline
On the go: The pensions industry doubts whether the pensions dashboards will be delivered on time, as more than three-quarters of respondents to a Pensions Management Institute survey said they thought the project would still not be operational by 2023.
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NewsDraft CDC regulations hampered by poor definitions, industry warns
The government’s consultation into draft regulations governing collective defined contribution schemes requires more work on definitions if these pension funds are to be properly implemented, with the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association warning it could create a “back door” for unscrupulous employers.
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NewsIsle of Man civil servants to choose between DB and DC
On the go: Civil servants on the Isle of Man are to be given a choice between an existing defined benefit scheme and a new defined contribution arrangement, the island’s government has announced.
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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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NewsDWP sets up working group to explore ‘statements season’
On the go: The Department for Work and Pensions has established a working group looking at options to develop the ‘statements season’ proposed in its recent simpler annual benefit statements consultation.
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NewsEmployer seeks £265,000 in damages from Plumbing Pensions
A plumbing employer has filed a summons at the Court of Session in Edinburgh seeking more than £265,000 in damages from Plumbing Pensions over its alleged repeated failures to manage the scheme’s Section 75 debt.
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NewsPodcast: Too much jargon hampers sustainable investing drive
Podcast: Politicians and the pensions industry risk jeopardising the progress made on sustainable investing because they are too fond of jargon. Members are keen to get involved, but they have to understand what they are getting involved in. Georgia Stewart, chief executive of Tumelo, and Chris Hulatt, co-founder of Octopus Group, talk sustainability, inter-generational fairness and cryptocurrencies.
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NewsOmbudsman slaps fine on ‘reckless’ trustee for multiple breaches
The Pensions Ombudsman has upheld a complaint against the trustee of a small pension scheme for multiple breaches of trust and instances of malpractice, while demanding they reimburse the scheme to the tune of hundreds of thousands of pounds.
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NewsIndustry experts predict limited roll-out of CDC schemes
The government's consultation on regulations governing collective defined contribution schemes was received as a welcome step forward in the industry, but experts have cautioned that initial demand is likely to be low due to the restrictive conditions and high costs imposed on the market.
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NewsGreener pensions are ‘most effective’ way to fight climate change
On the go: Making a pension “green” is more effective than going vegan, stopping flying, and switching to a renewable energy provider combined, according to new research.
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NewsPASA launches GMP conversion guidance
The Pensions Administration Standards Association has published guidance on guaranteed minimum pension conversion for trustees striving to achieve GMP equality, providing examples of approaches that have been adopted or considered by “early movers”.
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NewsDWP issues ‘stronger nudge’ to pensions guidance consultation
On the go: The Department for Work and Pensions has opened a consultation into regulations requiring trustees and scheme managers to “nudge” individuals to obtain pensions guidance.
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NewsPoor choices under pension freedoms cost savers £2bn
Savers taking advantage of pension freedoms to cash out before retirement have suffered £2bn in lost returns, spurring calls for better financial education, according to analysis by LCP.