All Spence & Partners articles – Page 4
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News
Scottish charities face insolvency as exit debt bites
Community admission bodies in the Scottish Local Government Pension Scheme are in the middle of a debt crisis, accountants have said, but ceasing accrual or exiting the LGPS risks triggering unmanageable cessation debt and driving admitted bodies into insolvency.
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Opinion
Bin or bring in – which laws are needed and which have to go?
Pensions Expert 20th Anniversary: We asked five experts to nominate one law or regulation they would scrap, and another they would introduce. This is what they said.
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NewsOxfordshire referred to TPR for a second time
The Oxfordshire County Council Pension Fund has received a second referral to the Pensions Regulator after it failed to submit its annual benefit statements on time.
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News
PLSA urges schemes to focus on ‘inputs’
A new report on pension scheme governance calls for greater focus on improving the quality of structures and personnel, or ‘inputs’, and argues that processes have received excessive attention.
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FeaturesSouth Yorks fines employers for late contribution returns
The South Yorkshire Pensions Authority has witnessed an improvement in its service delivery, following the launch of a new pensions administration strategy which allows it to fine tardy participating employers.
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NewsTPR prosecutes former BHS owner Dominic Chappell
The Pensions Regulator has said it is prosecuting businessman Dominic Chappell, whose company Retail Acquisitions owned high street chain BHS when it became insolvent, leaving behind an underfunded pension scheme.
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FeaturesCYBG scheme closure highlights industry's 10-year funding headache
Banking group CYBG has closed its defined benefit pension scheme to future accrual, wiping £131m from its liabilities and avoiding increased contributions amid worsening market conditions.
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News
Investor coalition seeks better workforce reporting
UK pension schemes are among a $7.9tn (£6.1tn) coalition of investors calling for increased disclosure from companies about their workforce, which campaigners say can help investors to safeguard long-term returns.
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Opinion
Could improved understanding revive the annuity?
Analysis: Many savers have been reluctant to purchase an annuity following the government’s introduction of freedom and choice in 2015, but should they be nudged to reconsider their options?
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News
Wealthy male pensioners buck national longevity trends
Rapidly rising life expectancy among older men will maintain high deficits for UK defined benefit schemes, according to a new report, despite flatlining mortality rates for other demographics.
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NewsPensions slip down the agenda after election
If Theresa May’s Conservatives succeed in forming a lasting government, their immediate policy concerns regarding pensions are unlikely to change.
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News
FCA cracks down on transfer advice
Pension consultants have welcomed the Financial Conduct Authority’s adoption of a tough stance on companies advising on defined benefit transfers, calling it a “price worth paying” for member security in retirement.
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Features
IMI derisks with buy-in and Pie
Specialist engineering company IMI has completed a pension increase exchange exercise and a buy-in, as trustees become more comfortable with liability management measures.
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News
No end to liability build-up for charity schemes
Some of the worst-funded not-for-profit scheme sponsors are unable to cease future accrual or limit future membership as defined benefit affordability continues to pose a threat to the sector.
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OpinionParty politics meets pensions
We have now seen the manifestos of the three main parties – the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats, in case anyone is unsure who the big three are these days.
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Opinion
What the DB green paper might (not) change
Millions of savers across the UK rely on defined benefits to fund all or part of their retirement, but threats to member security, illustrated by a number of high profile cases over recent years, are rocking the boat.
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OpinionCan a three-year valuation cycle be justified?
Back in the day, actuarial valuation results contained an element of surprise. The actuary would be sent the data, it would be processed, the numbers would be crunched and many months later, the results would appear.
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Features
Dyfed 97% funded but private schemes lag behind
The Dyfed Pension Fund is approaching solvency as an investment review is set to largely stick with the scheme’s equity-heavy asset allocation, making for a sharp contrast to the situation at many private sector schemes.
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News
Nolan: Inflexible actuaries and trustees harm DB employers
Trustees and their actuaries must consider the impact of deficits and funding negotiations on struggling defined benefit sponsors, the president of the Society of Pension Professionals has warned.
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Features
JLT scheme deficit shows rate pain persists
The UK pension scheme of consultancy and insurance business JLT Group saw its IAS 19 deficit jump during 2016, as bond yields proved a leveller for schemes of all sponsor types.