All Aon articles – Page 15
-
Opinion
Annuities are not dead they’re just sleeping
From the blog: Surveys indicate a significant majority of defined contribution members want steady income in retirement, but just never call it an annuity. So how will they achieve that?
-
News
DB funding pressure rises but scheme closures plateau
Data Analysis: The aggregate funding level of UK defined benefit schemes has deteriorated again despite asset allocation trends moving towards lower-risk investments, but the number of schemes open to new members has stayed level.
-
News
Shire funds ‘keeping options open’ for asset pooling
A group of seven Local Government Pension Scheme funds has appointed a manager to run a joint £6.5bn passive mandate, but funds involved in the arrangement say longer-term plans for pooling are still under discussion.
-
Opinion
How recent IASB changes could affect your scheme
Aon Hewitt’s Alastair Kennis explains the various scenarios in which employers and their pension funds could be impacted by the pension reporting changes that came into play this year.
-
Opinion
DC design: Six graphs on employers’ direction of travel
From the blog: It’s time to turn words into action. While schemes have been extolling the feted ‘better member outcomes’, little movement is taking place to turn hopes and dreams into components of success.
-
News
Shared pain, shared gain: Will risk-sharing get its day in the sun?
News Analysis: Collective defined contribution schemes have been put on ice by the pensions minister though the idea could come back on the agenda in the future. But are UK employers ready for risk-sharing?
-
News
Is your scheme in the know about securities lending?
Investment experts have laid out the steps schemes should take to minimise risks when allocating to securities lending, and warned of the potential they face for illiquidity and loss of voting rights.
-
News
Premier Foods eats away at deficit by more than £570m
Food manufacturing company Premier Foods decimated its IAS 19 deficit to £32.8m from £603.3m since December 2013 thanks to its hedging strategy and a change in discount rates.
-
News
What to consider before buying in-house skills
As pension schemes have become larger, more are thinking about how to cut out the middleman and hire internal specialists to handle their assets. But getting, and keeping, your own investment staff is by no means always straightforward.
-
News
Siemens re-engineers DC lifestyle funds towards greater growth
Siemens, one of the world's largest electrical companies, aims to give its UK defined contribution scheme members more potential for growth while reducing costs by adding a pure equity phase to its DGF-heavy lifestyle options.
-
News
NESPF saves 108 days with new payroll software
North East Scotland Pension Fund has made “huge savings” in administration costs and time through its new payroll software, allowing it to focus on the changing structure of the Scottish Local Government Pension Scheme.
-
News
Fifth of schemes have not updated DB transfer communications
Close to a fifth of defined benefit schemes have made no changes to the way they inform members of their ability to transfer out of the scheme since the freedom and choice reforms.
-
Features
Diversified alts temper volatility for Barking & Dagenham
Barking & Dagenham Pension Fund channeled 8 per cent of total assets into a diversified alternatives strategy last year in a bid to quell volatility across its portfolio.
-
Features
Havering makes about-turn on pooling
London Borough of Havering Pension Fund has reversed its original decision not to join the London Collective Investment Vehicle, making it one of the last of the city’s schemes to take this route to reduce manager fees.
-
News
Isa set-up fails to win over pensions crowd
The industry has broadly rejected a wholesale shift of the current pension tax system towards an Isa-style approach, but some have woven together several ideas in an attempt to better incentivise saving.
-
News
Can DC indices help savers reach their retirement goals?
Analysis: Defined contribution pension schemes could learn from their big brother defined benefit – one lesson being how to calculate liabilities and match them with savers’ assets.
-
Opinion
Choosing the right door to enter EMD
EMD survey: While reports abound of big-name emerging market specialists taking a severe hit in the summer sell-off, investors elsewhere are asking themselves how they can capitalise on the hysteria.
-
Features
Smiths Group claws back deficit after 8-year fight
Technology and engineering conglomerate Smiths Group has reported a significant improvement in the funding position of its defined benefit pension schemes after pursuing a stringent eight-year derisking campaign.
-
Opinion
Can EMD performance overcome short-term volatility?
Analysis: It’s a good job pension funds can soothe themselves with the mantra of long-term investment horizons, as this summer really put emerging market funds to the test.
-
Opinion
The science behind DC redesign
DC Investment Quarterly: The introduction of freedom and choice and the charge cap this year marked two profound changes to the defined contribution marketplace, affecting both what DC investment products will be expected to deliver and the limits within which they have to deliver them.