All PwC articles – Page 4
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News
50-50 take up remains low, but tax changes could spur interest
Take up of a 50-50 option for members of local government pension scheme funds – which allows halving overall contributions – remains low but could rise with changes to pension tax next year.
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News4imprint hits home straight with buy-in conversions
Trustees of 4imprint’s defined benefit pension scheme have reached agreement to convert two previous buy-in arrangements to a buyout, as the US-focused company looks to tackle its UK legacy obligations.
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News
Tesco gears DC default towards freedoms
Supermarket Tesco has a new default investment structure aimed at allowing members to access the full range of freedoms in its recently established defined contribution plan, but administrative complexity still holds many schemes back.
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NewsLifetime Isa blurs lines between long and short-term saving
Budget 2016: The dreaded tax change on pension saving has been narrowly avoided in the chancellor’s Budget 2016, but the announcement of a Lifetime Isa could be a step towards a pensions Isa, industry comments suggest.
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News
Consultancy looks to group small schemes for bulk annuity scale
Consultancy KPMG is looking to group small schemes together before bringing them to the bulk insurance market, allowing them to better access the buy-in and buyout markets, but rivals have said governance could prove a challenge.
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NewsIndustry concern over government's 'dangerous' ESG proposals
A proposal that would empower the government to intervene in local government pension investment decisions where they contradict British foreign policy has raised concern in the pensions industry.
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News
Simpler AE could benefit small employers
Further simplification of auto-enrolment regulations, now under consultation by the Department for Work and Pensions, will benefit small employers, but industry experts have said the policy is still playing catch-up with “horrendously complex” legislation.
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News
Burgeoning buyout arena threatens pricing, schemes urged to prepare
The growing number of players in the UK buyout market may, counterintuitively, make it more difficult for pension schemes to get quotations from insurers, industry experts have said.
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Opinion
Indecision and fear: tax changes threaten the role of pensions in employee benefits
From the blog: More than half of schemes are considering offering a cash allowance to members affected by pension tax changes, as alterations to the lifetime allowance threaten to drive high-earners away from workplace pensions.
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FeaturesCash flow crisis: How to avoid becoming a forced seller
Sweeping closures of defined benefit schemes across the UK will limit the pain of future liabilities for sponsors, but have created a growing problem many pension funds have been slow to recognise: a cash flow crisis is on the horizon.
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News
SPV helps Johnson Matthey reduce deficit by £145m
Johnson Matthey Pension Scheme has reduced its deficit by around £145m after taking a raft of measures to address its funding shortfall, including the creation of an asset-backed contribution vehicle comprised of third-party bonds.
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NewsPremier Foods eats away at deficit by more than £570m
Food manufacturing company Premier Foods decimated its IAS 19 deficit to £32.8m from £603.3m since December 2013 thanks to its hedging strategy and a change in discount rates.
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NewsOsborne's wealth funds target LGPS cost savings to boost infra
Chancellor George Osborne pushed local authority scheme collaboration forward this week by declaring they would be pooled into six 'British Wealth Funds' as part of a plan to ramp up infrastructure investment and reduce scheme running costs.
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News
FCA targets lifestyling laggards in latest consultation
Employers and providers are being compelled to address the suitability of default 'lifestyling' strategies in defined contribution schemes as part of a wider consultation by the City watchdog to improve the pension market for consumers.
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FeaturesMorrisons delivers £150m property assets to secure scheme funding
Supermarket chain Morrisons has transferred a further £150m worth of property into an asset-backed funding vehicle in a bid to improve security for its pension scheme.
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News
Charity puts centre up for sale to cover LGPS costs
The Multiple Sclerosis Society is to sell a support centre to meet the cost of its local government pension scheme membership, the latest charity to sell assets to cover defined benefit costs.
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News
Cash leads the way on freedoms but further flux predicted
More than half of the £2.5bn withdrawn by pension savers in the three months since April has been paid out in cash lump sums, but experts predict consumers will shift their focus towards more sophisticated products.
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News
Regulator releases further covenant guidance
The Pensions Regulator has issued new guidance on assessing employer covenants aimed at preventing smaller or highly funded schemes from wasting time and money on costly advice.
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News
LGPS sharpens focus on collaboration as consultation looms
News analysis: Local authority schemes are poised for the outcome of a consultation on collaboration which could compel them to pool their investment assets to save on costs.
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FeaturesCovenant lessons from the Greek crisis
Any Other Business: Alexis Tsipras was forced to yield to an aggressive economic supervision programme by eurozone leaders on Monday and agreed to hand over €50bn (£36bn) of Greek assets for privatisation, bank recapitalisation and debt repayment.