All News articles – Page 241

  • News

    TPR guidance: Welcome set of principles or waste of time?

    2017-03-30T00:00:00Z

    While some have welcomed the Pensions Regulator’s recently published and extensive collection of investment guidance for those running defined benefit pension schemes, there are some concerns over the effectiveness of the information for time-stretched or less diligent trustees.

  • News

    Dashboard prototype launch prompts next steps

    2017-03-30T00:00:00Z

    Plans to deliver a pensions dashboard prototype by March 2017 have been completed, despite the complex nature of technology infrastructure involved. But while experts think the progress is encouraging, they say more needs to be done to maintain this momentum.  

  • News

    IA consults on cost disclosure code amid data overload concerns

    2017-03-28T00:00:00Z

    The Investment Association is calling for views on a proposed industry code on disclosure of charges and transaction costs, as some have stressed the importance of making such data easy to interpret.

  • News

    Face-to-face comms can sweeten 'unpalatable' news

    2017-03-23T00:00:00Z

    With the world of pensions constantly changing, employers and trustees are investing more time, effort and resources into liaising with members, but face-to-face communication has been deemed particularly effective when it comes to bad news.

  • News

    CPS 'auto-protection' call reignites freedoms debate

    2017-03-23T00:00:00Z

    Thinktank the Centre for Policy Studies has highlighted the need to shield savers from financial risks in later life through the idea of “auto-protection”, with the introduction of auto-drawdown, followed by auto-annuitisation at age 80. 

  • News

    Better trusteeship key to any future DB plans

    2017-03-22T00:00:00Z

    Efforts to improve the level of experience and competence of trustee boards must not come at the expense of diversity, politicians have warned, as dealing with groupthink remains a key concern in defined benefit pensions.

  • News

    Lack of savings highlights importance of state pension

    2017-03-21T00:00:00Z

    The number of women retiring without a pension has dropped, new research shows, but nearly 14 per cent of people have not made provisions for their retirement, highlighting the significance of the state pension for savers.

  • News

    Delays in transfer value process threaten member outcomes

    2017-03-21T00:00:00Z

    The Pensions Regulator has been asked to look at streamlining the process for providing cash equivalent transfer values, after complaints from advisers that delays in schemes providing necessary information meant members were missing out.

  • News

    CDC could refocus industry on purposeful finance

    2017-03-17T00:00:00Z

    Refocusing the industry on the purpose of finance could deliver huge benefits to UK pensions, a new academic paper has suggested, as calls were lodged for the resurrection of collective defined contribution.

  • News

    NICs U-turn puts pension tax back on the table

    2017-03-16T00:00:00Z

    Chancellor Philip Hammond has cancelled plans to increase class 4 national insurance contributions for the self-employed, creating a £2bn shortfall in the nation’s accounts between 2018 and 2022, which many fear will be plugged by changes to pension tax relief.

  • News

    Pensions fail to convince savers but attitudes are expected to change

    2017-03-16T00:00:00Z

    Fewer than half of people view workplace pensions as the most secure form of retirement savings, but experts have said attitudes towards saving for the future could change, driven by the current housing shortage, auto-enrolment developments and the demise of defined benefit pension funds.

  • News

    Monitoring key as risk creeps into managers’ direct lending strategies

    2017-03-15T00:00:00Z

    Increasingly complex models of unitranche loan agreements are being brought to market by managers offering direct lending products, a research paper has found, demanding careful governance from pension scheme investors.

  • Getty Images
    News

    How would Scottish independence impact schemes?

    2017-03-13T00:00:00Z

    Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon will seek a second referendum on Scottish independence, to be held by spring of 2019, triggering concerns about the challenges a Yes vote would pose to UK pensions.

  • News

    Keep it simple when exploring new strategies

    2017-03-10T00:00:00Z

    PLSA Investment Conference 2017: While smart beta has been labelled a cost-effective option for schemes looking for higher returns than a market cap index, trustees turning to these types of strategy have been advised to keep things simple while focusing on governance and costs.

  • News

    Lack of consultant feedback threatens scheme governance

    2017-03-09T00:00:00Z

    PLSA Investment Conference 2017: More than half of professional trustees and consultants rate their clients’ decision-making capabilities as acceptable or below, as industry figures have urged a rethinking of boardroom psychology.

  • News

    FCA throws cold water on IA input ambitions

    2017-03-09T00:00:00Z

    PLSA Investment Conference 2017: The Financial Conduct Authority’s director of strategy and competition Christopher Woolard has said he does not want to be bound by industry initiatives in making new rules for asset managers.

  • News

    AE review: Tension between engagement and inertia comes to the fore

    2017-03-09T00:00:00Z

    PLSA Investment Conference 2017: With the Department for Work and Pensions’ review of auto-enrolment underway, advisory groups are seeking views on engagement, contributions and coverage, but questions remain over the necessity of engagement and the pensions reality in other countries. 

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    News

    Spring Budget focus on self-employed lets industry hope for more

    2017-03-08T00:00:00Z

    The chancellor’s focus on the self-employed could pave the way for bringing the group into the pension system, some experts have said, as the spring Budget brings no significant news on pensions.

  • PLSA
    News

    PLSA ‘superfunds’ solution gets lukewarm reception

    2017-03-07T00:00:00Z

    The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association is calling on the government to facilitate consolidation while creating a regulatory framework for the creation of superfunds, but the proposal has seen a muted response.

  • Bloomberg
    News

    Trustees must secure funding after GM sells Vauxhall to PSA

    2017-03-07T00:00:00Z

    General Motors has announced the sale of Vauxhall to French car manufacturer PSA Group, but will retain responsibility for the company’s UK pension obligations, sparking concerns over the security of members' benefits.