All Opinion articles – Page 29
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OpinionWould your portfolio benefit from a hedge fund allocation?
Multiple institutional investors have brought their sizeable hedge fund allocations under review over recent years, prompting a wider reassessment of the asset class.
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OpinionFinancial health matters
Editorial: I like to think that most employers take their workers’ wellbeing seriously.
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OpinionNew regulator powers will only accelerate DB disappearance
From the blog: The government has floated well-intentioned reforms intended to strengthen the arm of regulators against dodgy bosses, but the proposed changes risk undermining trustees and making further scheme closures more likely.
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OpinionIndustry right to reject death by Isa
From the blog: MPs may have migrated to warmer climes to relax during the parliamentary recess, but the civil servants at HM Treasury have evidently been working away behind the scenes.
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OpinionHow to tailor comms to changing work patterns
In this ever-changing market, it is easy to lose sight of the original aim for occupational pensions. It seemed obvious, but a good quality pension was simply a retention mechanism.
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OpinionCrowd control: Avoiding the next quant crisis
Quantmare, quantquake, quantageddon. Whatever clunky portmanteau you choose, the resurgence of quantitative factor investing, particularly through cheaper generic implementations, has led some trustees to question whether these popular strategies risk becoming overcrowded in a repeat of the quant crisis of 2007.
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OpinionSuperfunds play vital role in the future of DB
For the 11m savers relying on defined benefit pensions for their retirement there has been some much needed good news in recent months.
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OpinionCombating pension scams – It’s good to talk
From the blog: In perhaps an ironic twist last month, Northumbria Police was found guilty of not doing enough to protect one of its officers from the risk of becoming the victim of a pension scam.
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OpinionSelect committee's new inquiry misses the point
From the blog: It is bizarre that the Work and Pensions Committee is questioning whether people understand the cost and value for money of their pension products when the Financial Conduct Authority has only just published research that answers their question.
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OpinionMechanical bulls: the dangers of index capitalism
Markets are behaving oddly these days. The ‘term premium’, which reflects the compensation for investing in longer-term debt, is zero in the US and it is inverted globally.
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OpinionPPF: Our new approach to company voluntary arrangements
Over the past few years there has been a marked shift in how companies are seeking to address restructuring issues.
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OpinionDC investment design: How to ensure good member outcomes
The UK defined contribution landscape has been shifting from evolution to revolution, where the rapidly increasing number of workers auto-enrolled in pension schemes has made DC the dominant form of pension provision.
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OpinionDWP consultation will force trustees to take notice of ESG
Pension trustees walk something of a tightrope these days, having to balance maximum short-term returns with being mindful of long-term factors that might affect future performance.
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OpinionWhat the regulator’s corporate plan means for pensions administration
At the start of May the Pensions Regulator published its corporate plan for 2018-2021, outlining some of the key areas of focus that would drive its aim of becoming “clearer, quicker and tougher”.
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OpinionCompanies cannot justify DB for older workers only
Central to the evolution of any civilisation throughout the ages has been the development of law and order and, by association, protecting citizens by improving their rights, much of which is enshrined in legislation. In a nutshell, reducing inequality.
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OpinionTrustees must take valuation deadlines seriously
Agreeing a triennial valuation is a key priority for the trustee of a defined benefit scheme and its sponsoring employer. It allows the Pensions Regulator to check the health of a scheme and its ability to provide members with their expected retirement benefits.
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OpinionIndustry must keep member confidence strong through slowdown
There are troubling signs in the global economy. While concerns about an imminent recession may be premature, a marked slowdown in output growth in both the UK and eurozone, as well as building inflationary pressures in the US, do not bode well.
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OpinionChoose wisely – not all DGFs justify their fees
Diversified growth funds can be a liquid, low-governance way for smaller schemes to achieve asset diversification. However, their ability to add value from calling markets is questionable, and some funds waiting for a doomsday scenario are missing out on easy market returns.
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OpinionA checklist for top bulk annuity pricing
From the blog: The derisking market has seen consistently high levels of demand in recent years, with almost £50bn of defined benefit pension liabilities insured over the past four years.
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OpinionWhy equity protection should never be too expensive for schemes
From the blog: Equity protection is back in vogue, with falls in markets at the start of the year putting downside protection strategies front of mind.