All Opinion articles – Page 58
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OpinionHow much trustee education is enough?
Education is essential to get right if we are to solve the pensions and savings crisis. Pensions are complicated, and there is no one solution for the thousands of defined benefit pension funds in the UK.
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Opinion
Data crunch: Small schemes, small problems?
In general, the story of defined benefit pensions in the UK is that smaller schemes started to close to new members and then to future accrual much earlier than larger ones.
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OpinionDealing with the next stage of auto-enrolment
This summer we announced 200,000 employers had met their workplace pension duties, with around 6.5m staff now saving for their retirement thanks to auto-enrolment.
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OpinionHow should schemes use mortality studies
Rising life expectancy as a result of medical advances and improving lifestyles is good news, but also one of the major factors contributing to the increasing cost of providing pensions.
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OpinionInnovation in the bulk annuity market
The end of 2015 saw bulk annuity providers scrambling for the Solvency II line. Deal activity gave way to introspection as insurers looked to solve myriad internal practical challenges relating to the directive.
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Opinion
Summer is passing, but the heat is rising...
Editorial: August is drawing to a close, and here at Pensions Expert we’re gearing up to return to our normal print schedule. We’ll be back in print from the September 5, and we won’t be short of things to write about.
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OpinionCan the industry make pensioners happy?
In David Copperfield, Mr Micawber's recipe for happiness is simple: “Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen pounds, nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds nought and six, result misery.”
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Opinion
The shape of things to come: Could robo-advice transform pensions?
Would you take pensions advice from a robot? Robo-advice may be the flavour of the month, but not everyone in the pensions industry is convinced the future is fintech.
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OpinionEffective, responsible investment flows from clear objectives
It is generally accepted that trustees have a clear duty to address all of the issues that could affect members’ pots, for better or worse, but in practice what does that include?
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Opinion
Another pensions headline
Editorial: After the dust settled on the Robert Maxwell scandal, for many years pensions news was not exactly the stuff of dreams for journalists. But this year all that looks set to change, as pensions are now right up there alongside Britain's Olympic triumphs and conflict in the Middle East.
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OpinionThe final frontier: Promises of EMD performance
EMD survey: Performance is what drives investors towards – and at times away from – emerging market debt. For pension funds, the hard numbers count, so how has the asset class fared recently?
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OpinionGovernance, guidance and good investing – the DC Debate part 2
Eight panellists discuss the new defined contribution code of practice, the future of free guidance and the role of behavioural finance.
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OpinionHow bright is the future for AE – the DC Debate part 1
In the third DC Debate of 2016, seven defined contribution experts reveal their thoughts on automatic contribution increases, small businesses which mean business, and the possibility of Nest entering the decumulation market.
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Opinion
A glass half full: How investor sentiment towards EMD is changing
EMD survey: A higher birth rate and a growing middle class eager to spend money on goods and services are often touted benefits of investment in emerging markets, but something else is driving flows as well.
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OpinionThe truth about investment costs
From the blog: Investing can be an expensive business. Management fees, broker spreads, custody charges, administration costs, platform fees – it is all too easy for investors to see their hard earned returns eaten away.
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Opinion
LPP: Pensions are not in dire straits
Traditionally, August has been a good time to clear emails, take the time to read some thought-leadership booklets that consultants often send you over the months or just chip away at the fringe pieces of work that somehow slip down the pile in busier times.
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OpinionDC members and illiquid assets – a perfect match?
If you ask members of defined contribution pension schemes what they want, they would typically list, perhaps with some prompting: high investment returns, certainty, no negative performance, low charges and immediate access.
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OpinionHow can schemes ensure they get impartial advice?
Although not exclusively, most pension scheme trustees are still lay trustees. They rely heavily on their advisers when it comes to fundamental decisions about their schemes, particularly investments.
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Opinion
Keep calm and monitor your covenant
Editorial: The Bank of England failed to buy the targeted amount of long-dated gilts on Tuesday, and according to consultancy Hymans Robertson, low yields have now pushed DB deficits to £1tn.
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OpinionHow to make your providers work harder
In early 2017 the Financial Conduct Authority is expected to present the final report on its asset management market study. One of the important topics the FCA wants to understand is whether the relationships between pension funds and their investment consultants are subject to misalignment of interest and conflicts.