All articles by Samantha Downes
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NewsAddressing legacy data issues ‘has power to transform the pensions industry’
Pensions UK Annual Conference: Data quality was once seen as an administrative afterthought but is now a strategic priority fundamental to every aspect of scheme management, delegates heard.
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NewsTorsten Bell: Time for pension ‘heroes’ to do right by savers
Pension scheme trustees and providers can play pivotal roles in a pension industry driven by a vocational need to do its best by savers, according to the pensions minister.
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NewsLong-term solutions needed to address adequacy issues
Pensions UK Annual Conference: Improvements in state pension provision have not been matched in the private sector, and the industry faces an uphill battle to solve its adequacy problem.
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NewsRaising the state pension age a complex issue, conference hears
Pensions UK Annual Conference: Raising the state pension age would be a tricky ask, and the ongoing review will likely have to consider wider societal issues such as health and productivity issues.
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NewsBigger and better schemes will help fill in ‘pension potholes’, says Bell
Pension scheme consolidation is helping improve outcomes for UK savers, but more work needs to be done to stop a generation of pensioners slipping into poverty, the pensions minister has said.
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NewsExperts outline major challenges facing the Pensions Commission
The Pensions Commission should concentrate on improving outcomes for self-employed and low-paid workers, and closing the gender gap, industry experts have agreed.
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In DepthIn Depth: LGPS surpluses and tight budgets make for ‘challenging mix’
Funds in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) face a challenge in the weeks and months ahead as triennial valuations could reveal significant surpluses – at a time when many councils are strapped for cash.
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NewsPensions dashboards are ‘only the start of the digital journey’ [updated]
Around 90% of pension scheme memberships could be connected to the pensions dashboards ecosystem by the end of this year if the current schedule goes to plan.
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NewsMore cost concerns raised over LGPS asset pooling plans
One of the LGPS funds now searching for a new pool has warned of a hefty cost impact, as the government seeks to accelerate pooling over the next few months.
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NewsGovernment’s backstop power to force LGPS pool decisions was ‘a surprise’
The government’s potential introduction of a power to force LGPS funds into specific pools took some in the system by surprise, according to one fund’s chief executive.
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NewsFocus on members amid government reform demands, LGPS urged
The chair of the LGPS’s Scheme Advisory Board has encouraged the system’s staff to “keep doing the day job” as the government’s reform agenda looms large.
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NewsIncentives needed to invest in productive finance, say master trusts
Master trusts believe more support from both the government and the asset management industry is needed to invest in productive finance.
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NewsPLSA Conference: Pensions and the TikTok generation
Scottish Widows’ Robert Cochran and financial journalist Iona Bain explored social media’s impact on pension engagement and the success of the Pay Your Pension Some Attention campaign.
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NewsPension trustees need more time and soft skills, not more regulation
Lay trustees will not benefit from more exams or accreditation unless they are given the time to do their role properly.
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NewsPLSA Conference: The complex pension adequacy picture
A multi-pronged approach is required to improve pensions adequacy, according to panellists at the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association’s (PLSA) annual conference in Liverpool.
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NewsPMI conference: Better comms needed on alternative investments
Pension providers will have to improve communication around evolving investment strategies as defined contribution (DC) coverage grows, according to BlackRock.
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NewsPMI conference: Joined-up thinking needed to solve saving problems
Homeownership and a lack of saving are the two main challenges facing British people trying to put money into a pension.
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NewsChallenges facing the LGPS: Gender pensions gap, funding, mortality
The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) is facing several major challenges – but also presents good value, according to Hymans Robertson.
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NewsSchemes urged to block overseas investors from snapping up UK small caps
Pension schemes should increase exposure to UK small cap companies to help grow the domestic economy and protect it from losing out to overseas private equity, according to a fund manager.
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NewsLGPS urged to ‘take control’ of its future
The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) needs to take control of its future amid warnings an incoming government will be eyeing its financial clout.