All articles by Tom Dines – Page 21
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News
Employers turn to reservoir trusts to capture funding gains
Employers are increasingly using reservoir trusts to increase the funding and security of defined benefit schemes, in a desire for less complicated asset-backed structures in light of recent regulatory scrutiny.
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News
Missed payments case reveals AE compliance lessons for SMEs
The Pensions Regulator has directed an employer to stump up £143,000 in contributions left unpaid due to payroll errors, with industry experts predicting bad press could have a positive impact on smaller employers with their own auto-enrolment problems.
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News
Essex sees funding boost as it reduces gilt reliance
Essex Pension Fund has seen a 9 percentage-point jump in its funding level partly due to a change in how it calculates liabilities, as schemes shift towards valuation methods that avoid relying on historically low gilt yields.
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News
Local authority schemes see low take-up for 50/50 contributions
Local authority schemes have reported low initial take-up for the 50/50 contribution option introduced in Local Government Pension Scheme reforms earlier this month as an alternative aimed at stopping some people leaving the scheme altogether.
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Features
Regulator reports sharp rise in non-compliance as AE expands
The number of employers failing to comply with their auto-enrolment duties over two months to March 25 nearly matched figures for the entirety of 2013, as the amount of organisations auto-enrolling ramps up.
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News
SME uses investment guarantee to ensure good AE outcomes
Engineering company Centek has so far seen its defined ambition-like auto-enrolment investment set-up outperform the underpin it created to guarantee a minimum retirement outcome for its workforce of uninitiated savers.
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Features
IBM case a lesson to consider scheme history
Schemes must look at historical context when considering and communicating benefit changes, lawyers have urged, after the High Court ruled earlier this month that technology company IBM breached its duty of good faith with employees when closing its defined benefit scheme.
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News
Surrey looks to lock in gains as funding level rises
Surrey County Council Pension Fund is exploring derisking strategies after its assets made further gains against liabilities since its 2013 triennial valuation.
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Features
Selex empowers members on AVCs with website add-on
The Selex Pension Scheme has extended the functionality of its online pensions software as it seeks to drive engagement among its members.
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News
Waltham Forest invests in impact bonds for diversified returns
Waltham Forest Pension fund has invested in a £20.8m impact investment fund as it seeks to diversify its returns and support UK-based social capital projects.
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Features
Schemes mull increased benefits for same-sex spouses
Schemes are considering whether to set benefits provided to same-sex husbands and wives at or above the statutory minimum, lawyers have reported, with the first marriages taking place last week.
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News
University funds running equity risk as holdings rise
University pension schemes have seen their equity holdings increase as a proportion of their portfolio, a survey of self-administered trusts in the sector has revealed, sparking debate among experts about their exposure to market volatility.
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News
Tech SME: scheme and fee transparency crucial to AE
Technology company Fluidata has said simplicity and transparency of pension arrangements and fees are key to smaller employers navigating auto-enrolment successfully, as it struggled to see value in private providers.
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Features
Local authority scheme members flock to beat AVC tax deadline
Local government scheme members are rushing to take their entire additional voluntary contributions as tax-free cash after widespread communication campaigns, before the option is expected to expire as LGPS reforms come into effect tomorrow.
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Features
Budget prompts schemes to revisit lifestyle and annuity options
Schemes that default members into annuity brokerage services are considering the implications of last week’s Budget announcement, with calls for the rules around income drawdown to be simplified.
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NewsLGPS schemes collaborate on infra to diversify returns
Three local authority pension schemes have revealed their plans to invest in infrastructure collectively, as they look to reduce management costs and diversify their portfolios to protect against market falls.
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Features
Local authority schemes expect modeller to boost engagement
Scheme managers hope a new pensions modeller will stop members opting out as result of local government pension scheme changes by showing them how their benefits will be affected by the reforms.
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Features
Solvency reform could boost cat bond value for schemes
Demand for insurance-linked securities such as catastrophe bonds has been rising even as yields have been decreasing, as consultants expect Solvency II to increase supply.
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Features
SME says auto-enrolment a 'doddle', advice unnecessary
F2 Chemicals has become the latest employer to question the need for external advice and has offered staff a new defined contribution scheme paying in more than the statutory minimum, ahead of its 2015 staging date.
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Features
AE non-compliance expected to increase as SMEs stage
News analysis: Consultants have urged employers auto-enrolling this year to ensure they are dedicating enough resources to the process, with the Pensions Regulator raising concerns about non-compliance.