All Opinion articles – Page 63
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Opinion
Choppy waters: How schemes can invest in volatile markets
Pension schemes have been grappling with the impact of low returns since the global financial crisis, but the environment became even trickier to navigate when the equity market fell sharply at the start of this year.
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OpinionThe human psychology behind pension communications
A powerful human motive previously unrecognised by social and behavioural scientists has been identified and modelled by researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and Warwick Business School: the drive to make sense of our world.
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OpinionPools must not leak
Editorial: Asset pooling makes sense, but getting it to work can be a headache – that was the general consensus among Local Government Pension Scheme representatives at our LGPS Leadership Briefing this week.
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Opinion
Pension trustee boards and gender diversity: Is the glass ceiling shatterproof?
Analysis: New studies of UK corporate boards show that in the business sector, women still hold very few senior management positions. Has female representation remained comparably low at pension trustee boards in 2016?
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OpinionAchieving better outcomes – where should the burden lie?
'We should save a lot more.' That’s the conclusion reached by the Independent Review of Retirement Income commissioned by the Labour party. The review found that people should invest 15 per cent of their income for a comfortable retirement.
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OpinionSave or suffer: How to futureproof the UK’s retirement plans
The pensions industry has struggled to encourage members and employers to commit more money to defined contribution pension plans. While some have called for contribution levels to go up, others say it is the investments that need to work harder.
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OpinionThe challenges of an ageing workforce
State pension age is increasing. Fewer workers are in defined benefit pension schemes. In the defined contribution scheme world, the tax flexibilities mean that retirement no longer necessarily leads to an income stream for life.
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OpinionDoors remain open as FAS prepares to close
From September 1 2016 the Financial Assistance Scheme will be closed to new applications.
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OpinionScams: What trustees can do to avoid members becoming victims
Trustees are, in fact, indirect victims of scams, so action to protect members is more often than not action that also helps themselves.
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OpinionThe future is not what it used to be
From the blog: Last month* some 130 world leaders travelled to New York to formally sign the Paris Agreement, sending a powerful signal to the investment community that now is the time to shift assets towards the low-carbon economy.
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OpinionPutting the ‘trust’ in mastertrusts
From the blog: Like the proverbial three bears, regulators face criticism if they deviate from carefully calibrated positions. Too ‘hot’ and undue costs could be placed on industry. Too ‘cold’ and consumers' protection can suffer.
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OpinionDiscount rates and denial: Will local authorities soon see pension costs rise?
The last couple of Budgets have focused on freedom and choice, but March brought a little surprise for the public sector, and it is one it would probably have preferred to do without.
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OpinionWhy we need to empower the next generation
In Wales and the north, steelworkers are fighting for their pensions. But in the future, Britain’s hard-working young people may not even have pensions worth fighting for.
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OpinionLatest ombudsman decisions – and what trustees can learn from them
A number of important High Court rulings and pensions ombudsman decisions in the past few months mean the legal pensions landscape is evolving, so what do schemes and employers need to be mindful of?
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OpinionHow does the low oil price affect pension funds and what can they do in response?
For once, let’s just answer the question: it will feed through into asset and liability values; trustees should proceed with caution.
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OpinionLiabilities for sale
Editorial: I admit, I almost never go into the British Homes Stores shop on the high street of where I live. Neither do many other people, it seems.
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OpinionOur priorities and approach – an update from the Pensions Regulator
Our recently published corporate plan identifies 10 priorities for the period up to 2019. It outlines how we will retain a flexible approach, allowing us to adapt to a changing pensions landscape and help ensure savers receive the retirement income they expect.
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OpinionAre mastertrusts financially stable?
A couple of years ago Andrew Warwick-Thompson, executive director of defined contribution and public service pension schemes at the Pensions Regulator, was quoted as saying: “There are 70 mastertrusts and that’s 60 too many”.
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OpinionHow to get your bulk annuity deal to the front of the insurer queue
The bulk annuity market is thriving, with many insurers having strong pipelines of potential deals. While this is good for insurers, pension schemes risk not being at the front of the queue at the crucial moment.
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OpinionData crunch: What is behind the growth in unconstrained fixed income?
As investors look for yield and interest rate protection, unconstrained fixed income is a category that has seen strong inflows in particular from institutional investors.