All Professional trustees articles – Page 9
-
News
Guidance brings ‘welcome clarity’ for trustees over financial advice
On the go: New guidance from the Financial Conduct Authority and the Pensions Regulator has clarified what constitutes unregulated financial advice, allowing schemes to offer cash equivalent transfer value quotations and annuity estimates, but banning drawdown illustrations.
-
NewsIndustry facing trustee exodus due to TPR’s new powers
Concerns about the reach and remit of the new powers afforded to the Pensions Regulator have not been addressed by its guidance or draft policy, and are even forcing some trustees to quit, Aon has said.
-
PodcastsPodcast: Uber decision poses challenges for master trust sector
Podcast: For master trusts, onboarding gig economy workers who could be entitled to a pension following the Supreme Court’s Uber verdict is not as simple as it may sound. Hymans Robertson’s Patrick Bloomfield, partner, and senior DC investment consultant Victoria Panormo unpack the problem, in an episode also covering the Pensions Regulator’s draft criminal powers policy, and the Department for Work and Pensions’ climate risk consultation.
-
NewsHalf of all DB liabilities paid out or insured by 2030
Fully half of all UK defined benefit liabilities will either have been paid out to members or insured by the end of the decade, according to analysis by Mercer, as buy-in and buyout values topped £30bn in 2020.
-
NewsTPR’s new code of practice has ‘major implications’
The Pensions Regulator’s proposed new code of practice has “major implications” for pension schemes, introducing a raft of new duties and requirements around climate change, stewardship, investment and administration, experts have said.
-
NewsTax ‘super-deduction’ could leave DB schemes short-changed
A “super-deduction” introduced in the Budget could see less money available to clear pension deficits, experts have warned, as businesses look to take advantage of the tax break.
-
News
University employers urge USS to reconsider its valuation outcomes
On the go: Universities UK, which represents 340 Universities Superannuation Scheme employers, has written to the trustees of the scheme urging a rethink of its valuation outcomes.
-
NewsTPR’s criminal powers draft policy fails to repeal industry concerns
The Pensions Regulator’s draft guidance on its new criminal powers, published on Thursday, failed to allay fears about the new sanctions, since it will be able to prosecute anyone in connection with an offence and will no longer be bound by limitation periods.
-
NewsConcerns remain as DWP’s climate change consultation closes
Despite welcoming the government’s proposed measures on climate risk, industry experts have highlighted several outstanding concerns as the new rules need more clarity and risk a “herd mentality when it comes to metrics and targets”.
-
News
PPF 7800: Schemes in surplus for first time in two years
On the go: The position of the UK’s 5,318 defined benefit pension schemes moved into surplus for the first time in two years, with improvements in funding positions driven by increased bond yields, according to the PPF 7800 index for February.
-
NewsFraud Compensation Fund to begin processing cases within 18 months
The Fraud Compensation Fund could begin processing cases through to settlement within 12-18 months, a meeting of the Transparency Task Force was told on Monday.
-
News
Trustees must ‘act now’ on fiduciary manager tenders
On the go: Thirty-eight per cent of defined benefit scheme trustees are planning to review their manager before June, according to a poll from Hymans Robertson, creating the risk of a “capacity crunch” as the Competition and Markets Authority’s retendering deadline approaches.
-
News
LGPS authorities expected to justify new pension powers
On the go: Local Government Pension Scheme administering authorities will be expected to justify the use of their new powers around reviewing employer contributions, spreading exit payments, and setting up deferred debt arrangements.
-
NewsPodcast: Budget 2021 - ‘Reckless conservatism’ in DB landscape
Podcast: Wednesday’s budget did not go far enough to counter the “reckless conservatism” in the defined benefit landscape when it comes to risk and growth assets, hampering the government’s drive to unleash pensions on the post-pandemic recovery, according to Conservative party peer baroness Ros Altmann. She is joined by Isio partner Mike Smedley, in a discussion that also includes the lifetime allowance freeze and what was missing from the chancellor’s statement.
-
NewsBT, Ford and M&S schemes consider legal challenge on RPI reform
The trustees of the BT, Ford and Marks and Spencer pension schemes have been granted an extension to the period in which they can consider filing for judicial review of the proposed alignment of the retail price index with the consumer price index including housing costs.
-
NewsCan UK councils rent their own streets to fund pensions?
Several US public schemes have embraced unusual means of securing funding, including renting property to themselves. Although these tactics cannot be used across the Atlantic, the post-Covid landscape could see a variety of new strategies being deployed in the UK.
-
News
BA agrees deal with trustees to defer £450m deficit contributions
On the go: British Airways has announced an agreement with its New Airways Pension Scheme to defer £450m of pension deficit contributions.
-
News
Calls for DWP to change chair’s statement rules
On the go: The Department for Work and Pensions is to publish a review of the effectiveness of defined contribution chair’s statements in April, which has prompted some specialists to call for a major rethink.
-
PodcastsPodcast: Timms calls for pension transfer rules change
Podcast: The current law governing transfers is not fit for purpose and there are too many bodies involved in handling pension scams, according to Work and Pensions Committee chair Stephen Timms.
-
News
Most savers unaware of schemes’ climate change endeavours
On the go: Three-fifths of workplace pension members do not know if their scheme is taking any action to combat climate change, according to a survey by the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association.