All Towers Watson articles – Page 9
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News
Smaller schemes combine service provision to reduce legacy burden
Leading benefit consultancies have reported more small to medium-sized schemes are bundling services under a single provider in response to a growth in legacy arrangements and to benefit from economies of scale.
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News
Saul: convertibles could spread as schemes look to reduce volatility
Saul's outgoing chief executive has predicted that its use of convertible bonds to dampen pension fund volatility could catch on at other schemes, but some advisers remain sceptical of the benefits offered.
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Opinion
Longevity risk: Is the 1000-year-old man (or woman) a member of your scheme?
Advances in biomedical sciences have dramatically increased lifespans, which poses a real risk to a lot of schemes, with many now looking at the best ways to reduce such a risk.
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NewsReturning volatility could threaten illiquid fixed income holdings, experts say
Pension scheme investors holding illiquid fixed income assets should beware the effects should increased volatility in global financial markets return, bond experts have urged.
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Opinion
Checking the price tag: evaluating the charges obsession
Data analysis: The Budget reforms signal an age of greater plurality in retirement possibilities for members.
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Opinion
DB-DC transfer uncertainty compounds schemes' demographic challenge
The fact members are living longer and expectations on how life expectancy will develop in the future have received a lot of coverage from the pensions industry over the past few years. This is not surprising now that a typical 65-year-old is expected to live two years more than was the case 15 years ago.
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News
Greater DC flex forecasted to raise member savings
Increased at-retirement flexibility for defined contribution members introduced by the Budget may lead to higher member contributions, experts have predicted, which could put pressure on some employers' pension structures.
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Opinion
What overseas DC systems can tell us about the post-Budget landscape
The retirement flexibility brought about by the Budget has left many schemes wondering how to best implement the at-retirement options.
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News
Low-cost passive DC loses ground as schemes seek 'smoothed' returns
The number of FTSE 100 trust-based defined contribution schemes using lower-cost, fully passive management for their default options has dropped by almost a half as diversified growth funds become more popular, research has found.
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News
Education key as employers stretch to reach pension goals
News analysis: Companies need to better educate staff to encourage responsibility for pension saving, as research has highlighted a misalignment between employers’ goals and the outcomes of their defined contribution plans.
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News
Annuity brokering grows as managers seek value for savers
News analysis: Nearly half of schemes have or are planning to put in place annuity brokering services for their members, but experts warn this may not be enough to achieve value at retirement.
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News
Only seven in 10 DC members use the default
Data analysis: Fewer defined contribution members than expected are invested in default funds, new figures have shown, but experts anticipate this to increase as auto-enrolment continues to roll out.
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News
One in three schemes to up smart beta in low-vol drive
Data analysis: More than a third of schemes are considering increasing allocations to smart beta strategies over the coming year, a survey has found, as investors rethink their portfolios.
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Features
Hampshire fund pursues tactical asset allocation
Hampshire Pension Fund has created a new tactical asset allocation portfolio funded from reserves that were temporarily invested in equities.
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News
NESPF payroll shift cuts 25% from processing time
North East Scotland Pension Fund has implemented an integrated payroll system to provide a more accurate and timely way of paying out benefits to members.
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Opinion
Why bulk derisking is the answer for almost all schemes
This year has been very busy for buy-in activity, with more £4bn of liabilities transacted so far.
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News
How to tackle index cloning in your active equities
News analysis: Schemes have been urged to closely monitor the investment strategies and risks taken by their active managers as new research shows nearly half of such UK managers are closet indexers.
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NewsHow Molson Coors built flexibility into its default
Molson Coors UK Pension Plan has chosen dynamic asset allocation for its default fund to more effectively respond to market fluctuations.
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News
BofA scheme boosts member engagement to give greater retirement certainty
Bank of America Merrill Lynch UK Pension Plan has upped member engagement through online tools that enable workers to make changes to their pension plans, to give them greater certainty over their retirement income.
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News
Default fund strategies must home in on member outcomes
Defined contribution schemes should pay more attention to the retirement objectives of their members rather than the market benchmark when assessing the effectiveness of their default strategy, according to a report.