All Opinion articles – Page 31
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OpinionThe day that climate became mainstream
From the blog: Climate campaigners across the country spluttered into their morning cups of fair trade coffee last Tuesday as the Department for Work and Pensions and Financial Conduct Authority published their final responses to the Law Commission’s 2017 report on pensions and social investing.
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OpinionTrustee negotiation need not always result in a winner and a loser
As has been highlighted by some recent high profiles cases, negotiating with the employer can be one of the biggest challenges faced by the trustees of defined benefit pension schemes.
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OpinionInsurance longevity swaps: Illuminating exits
2018 is expected to be a buoyant year for the longevity risk transfer market, with the recent decline in national mortality improvements not only having a positive impact on pension scheme funding, but also being reflected in more attractive longevity reinsurance pricing.
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OpinionDefault pathways strengthen freedom and choice, not weaken it
Following the freedom and choice reforms, savers have a wide range of options available at retirement.
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OpinionCDC ship has sailed for many employers
One of the big news stories of the past few months has been the agreement between the Communication Workers’ Union and Royal Mail to work towards establishing a collective defined contribution scheme for all employees, while closing the current defined benefit scheme to future accrual.
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OpinionTime gap to stop fiduciary flipping looks CMA’s best bet
The Competition and Markets Authority has found evidence indicating “that a significant proportion of pension schemes buying fiduciary management have appointed their existing investment consultant to supply these services”. The CMA puts the proportion at 55 per cent.
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OpinionMistakes of annuity regime are being repeated
From the blog: The willingness of government and regulators to take a pragmatic approach to so-called pensions freedom will be tested over the next few weeks.
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OpinionHow to guide your pension fund through M&A activity
While corporate transactions can be unsettling, it is worth bearing in mind that management will most likely be undertaking merger and acquisition activity for good reason – to grow the business, to increase competitive advantage, to diversify, or to simplify.
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Opinion
DC Debate Q2: Deferred annuities, retirement expectations and more
Five defined contribution experts talk about deferred annuity products, retirement expectations, and how the industry is adapting to people's changing work patterns.
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Opinion
DC Debate Q2: Default retirement pathways, flexibility and guidance
Five defined contribution experts discuss default pathways, striking a balance between flexibility and secure income, and the importance of guidance at retirement.
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OpinionDeciding on the size of your trustee board
What is the ideal size for a trustee board? This is the most common question I have been asked in more than 18 years of advising trustee boards and their sponsors, and now as a professional trustee myself.
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OpinionData Crunch: DC property allocations set to catch DB
It seems logical that long-term savings should be invested in long-term assets, and property would seem a candidate for this type of investment.
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OpinionUnwinding of QE still threatens Eurozone markets
From the blog: The shifting landscape of Italian politics over the past few weeks is just the latest chapter in a longstanding narrative of political risk and uncertainty that appears to threaten both the eurozone’s economic recovery and the European Central Bank’s monetary policy framework perpetually.
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OpinionEveryone has a role to play in ESG
There is, as yet, no legal requirement for pension schemes to provide or incorporate environmental, social and governance-led funds into their investments. So who is responsible for responsible investment and what role should different parties play in pushing this up the agenda?
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OpinionDC should stand for decent contributions
From the blog: In recent years, regulators have put so much emphasis on the minutiae of defined contribution pensions that we seem to have forgotten about the bigger picture.
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OpinionDashboard and AE improvements can cement Opperman’s legacy
It has been a busy first year for Guy Opperman, with some significant steps forward for auto-enrolment announced in last year’s review, the adoption of much-needed mastertrust and bulk transfers regulation, and the smooth roll-out of minimum contribution increases.
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OpinionWho pays for the pension shortfall?
From the blog: The gold-plated pensions generation owes it to the next to create an equitable and sustainable way of providing for income in retirement.
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OpinionHow to invest in distressed debt
As the economic cycle progresses, the prospect of the next downturn – and the likely rise in financial stress – looms larger in institutional investors’ minds, making now the time for pension funds to consider allocations to distressed debt.
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OpinionCMA investigation: Prepare for positive change
The Competition and Markets Authority’s investigation into the UK’s investment consultants and fiduciary managers, launched last autumn, has the potential to drive seismic change.
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OpinionBlowing the whistle on the secret pension offenders
They hide in plain sight, looking respectable to the outside world but denying their workers their legal rights.