Ruth Bamforth
OpinionThe legal view: Will Brexit affect regulation?
Brexit continues to dominate the headlines, and the unknowns seem to multiply constantly. Will parliament pass the deal agreed by the EU? Will there be a hard Brexit? Will the UK remain? Will there be a second referendum?
OpinionHow to ensure your MNT selection process is right for your scheme
Member-nominated trustees have been part of the pensions regulatory landscape since the Pensions Act 1995 came into force in 1997.
OpinionWhat charities can do to address DB affordability
Where possible, charities have taken the obvious steps to address their defined benefit pension fund issues, such as closing their schemes to future accrual.
OpinionThe corporate view: Final salary, Care or DC?
The demise of the final salary pension scheme has been well documented in the press. Most employers have put in place a defined contribution scheme to comply with their duty to automatically enrol employees, but does that really reflect the corporate attitude to pensions?
OpinionWhat to expect on pensions from the new government
The electorate has again had its say and, with apologies to Charles Dickens, all we can add is that ‘it was the best of results, it was the worst of results’.
OpinionWhat a hard Brexit would mean for pensions
There is a lot of chatter about Brexit, but very little detail about what it will look like in practice.
OpinionWill M&As change in the post-BHS era?
The collapse of BHS saw another household name disappear from the high street. The headlines about pensioners having their pensions cut back caused a public and political outcry.
OpinionWhat benefit indexation should your scheme use?
Defined benefit pension schemes protect members' benefits both in deferment and in payment against the effects of inflation.
OpinionWhat to expect from the forthcoming pensions bill
Since the Pensions Act 2004 there have been six acts of parliament dealing with pensions policy – and this does not include the various finance acts that have changed the pensions tax regime.
OpinionAre the regulators fit for purpose?
The current pensions landscape is a continually shifting and often bewildering picture. Blink and you can miss another change to pensions legislation and regulation.
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.
OpinionIll-health pensions – What you need to know
The award of ill-health early retirement pensions can be a challenging and emotive subject for members and decision-makers alike, so it is no surprise that a substantial number of member complaints relate to ill-health pensions.
OpinionWhat we can learn from the Nortel ruling
July saw judges in the US and Canada confirm their May 2015 groundbreaking decision to distribute insolvent Nortel group's remaining assets to worldwide creditors on a modified pro rata basis.
- Opinion
How to set up an investment subcommittee
One of the key responsibilities for trustees of both defined benefit and defined contribution pension schemes is the investment of pension scheme assets.
- Opinion
A scheme guide to AE exceptions and exemptions
The original auto-enrolment legislative regime only exempted two limited categories of jobholder.
- Opinion
Sea change needed to lift contract governance to trust standards
In contrast to the position for trust-based schemes, there is currently no legislative or regulatory requirement for contract-based schemes to have formal governance arrangements in place.