All Opinion articles – Page 64
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OpinionAutomatic choice
Editorial: Saving should be made easy. Savings vehicles should be trusted by people, so that they are more likely to contribute into them. I don’t think anyone would disagree with that. But what about pension saving through auto-enrolment?
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OpinionOpportunities, risks and manager selection in fixed income
Fixed Income Live: Five industry experts discuss fixed income investment – the direction of interest rates, where the opportunities lie and how schemes can make sure they get the right manager to profit from them.
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OpinionTime for sponsors to fIRM up their thinking
For corporates, pension funding is an issue that just will not go away, so perhaps it is time for some fresh thinking before embarking on any more rounds of discussions with their trustees.
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Opinion
What investors should do in a low-return environment
Sweeping regulatory changes, a lack of savings and a low-return environment present significant challenges for the UK pension industry. Over the next few years we anticipate these issues to escalate as funding challenges persist.
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Opinion1.6m reasons why technology is key to auto-enrolment
As our industry is busy preparing for the 1.6m small employers set to auto-enrol over the next two years, we are focused on the scale of the task before us. After all, we are halfway through the biggest shake-up to the pensions sector in our lifetimes.
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OpinionBackbook bonanza
Editorial: Two giants are congratulating each other on a massive deal. Pension liabilities worth £6bn are to change hands between Dutch insurer Aegon's UK subsidiary and Rothesay Life, the bulk annuity specialist set up 10 years ago.
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OpinionGilt-swap spreads widen: An opportunity for pension schemes?
From the blog: Investing in UK government bonds or using interest rate swaps are two of the more popular ways by which defined benefit pension schemes aim to match their liabilities.
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Opinion
How schemes can pick the right manager
How can schemes know which manager will perform? In the last part of the Fixed Income Live series, Dalriada’s Simon Cohen, Hymans Robertson’s John Walbaum, Mercer’s Joe Abrams, PGIM’s Edward Farley and Willis Towers Watson’s Chris Redmond discuss whether schemes should let their consultant worry about finding the right specialists and what trustees should be spending their time on.
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OpinionFreedom and choice one year on – how far are we now?
April 2015 saw an expected flurry of activity, with tens of thousands of defined contribution members exercising their freedom and accessing their pension funds.
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OpinionRe-enrolment: Pitfalls your scheme should look out for
Employers are already starting to face automatic re-enrolment for their employees who are eligible jobholders not already in qualifying schemes; here are some of the pitfalls to look out for.
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OpinionRisks, costs and flavours of DGFs
From the blog: With markets volatile and growth opportunities scarce, diversified growth funds retain their popularity by providing exposure to a wide range of assets within a single fund and dynamic management.
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Opinion
Are there still areas of fixed income that provide value?
Are there still areas of fixed income that provide value? In the second part of our Fixed Income Live series, Dalriada’s Simon Cohen, Hymans Robertson’s John Walbaum, Mercer’s Joe Abrams, PGIM’s Edward Farley and Willis Towers Watson’s Chris Redmond reveal where they see the best investment opportunities.
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OpinionThe new state pension – why savers are not necessarily better off
On its inception in 1909, the old age pension of five shillings per week (£20 in 2016 money) was paid to around 500,000 people aged 70 plus whose income was less than £21 a year, reducing to zero if that income exceeded £31.
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OpinionOffsetting costs from the end of contracting-out
The abolition of contracting-out will lead to additional national insurance bills of an estimated £1.2bn this year for private sector employers and £2.7bn for employers in the public sector according to news reports, so how should they deal with the change?
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OpinionA closer look at the Lisa
On Budget day, George Osborne announced the Lifetime Isa. It rapidly became one of the most discussed aspects of the Budget, with the response from the public generally favourable.
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OpinionWaiting for a rate rise can be bad for your health
Why don’t you want to invest in bonds yet? Is it because interest rates are going to rise which will make them cheaper to invest in later?
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OpinionFirefighting in Port Talbot
Editorial: Reports of the government being urged by Labour MPs to take over Tata Steel UK until a private buyer is found dominated the headlines last week, after the business was put up for sale by its owner.
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OpinionGood guidance for good outcomes
In the absence of a big announcement on pensions taxation in the Budget, it would be easy to ignore the other pensions announcements.
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OpinionLDI: Cost concerns, cash flow and skewed models
Roundtable: Six industry experts discuss liability-driven investments - the costs, cash flow impact, European legislation and pitfalls of modelling.
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OpinionWould Brexit mean less red tape for UK schemes?
Analysis: The volume of European regulatory changes has radically increased the governance burden on UK pension schemes in recent years; voting to leave the European Union must be tempting for trustees keen to cut the red tape.