All Costs and charges articles – Page 20
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OpinionUnderstanding the transaction cost disclosure debate
Alison Bostock from professional trustee company PTL looks at the issue of transparency around transaction costs.
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News
High charges could affect £26bn of scheme assets, review warns
The Financial Conduct Authority and Department for Work and Pensions’ Independent Project Board has found that about £26bn of pension scheme assets are potentially facing charges of 1 per cent or higher.
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Features
Brexit, pooling and transparency: Top investment stories from 2016
Year in review: Investment fees and the impact of Brexit on schemes’ portfolios stood out among the most salient subjects for pension schemes in 2016, while the ongoing low-yield environment prompted funds to seek higher returns and cut back on costs.
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FeaturesShell scraps pensioner liaison reps after e-comms push
Shell is removing its network of pensioner liaison representatives with a view to changing to a more cost-effective approach to supporting retired members of the Shell Contributory Pension Fund.
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News
2017 AE review will ignore adequacy but include charge cap
The Department for Work and Pensions has announced the scope of its 2017 review of auto-enrolment, including a reconsideration of the charge cap on defined contribution default funds.
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News
Consumers to be encouraged to shop around with proposed annuity provider rules
New plans announced by the Financial Conduct Authority will require annuity providers to make consumers aware of rival deals before they purchase an annuity, but some experts say there should be a similar solution for other retirement products.
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NewsFCA annuity provider rules to encourage consumers to shop around
New plans announced by the Financial Conduct Authority will require annuity providers to make consumers aware of rival deals before they purchase an annuity, and some experts say there should be similar rules for other retirement products.
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News
FCA wants to strengthen duty on managers and consultants
About £109bn of investor assets is held by managers who charge high fees but do not offer significant variation from an index-tracking strategy, the Financial Conduct Authority’s interim report on competition in the asset management market has found.
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OpinionWhere the LGPS currently stands on pooling
Where are local authority pension schemes at in pooling their assets, and what do they still need from the government? Hymans Robertson’s David Walker takes a closer look.
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NewsEarly exit charge cap attracts criticism and praise
Both the government and the Financial Conduct Authority have confirmed plans to introduce caps on early exit pension charges, but authorities should take care not to actively encourage early decumulation, experts say.
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FeaturesMerseyside mulls infra for income
Merseyside Pension Fund is considering an increase in its allocation to infrastructure, as experts have warned that investors should ensure they have access to the relevant skills and experience.
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NewsCBI requests reforms to ease DB burden on businesses
The Confederation of British Industry has called for a number of reforms to help tackle the problem of pension costs for companies, including access to illiquid assets and approaches to measuring deficits.
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OpinionClosure cases: How trade unions are changing tack
It is not uncommon to hear of trade unions stepping in to protect defined benefit provision for members, as final salary schemes continue to close. But with a greater focus on defined contribution adequacy, union approaches to closure cases are evolving.
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FeaturesEdinburgh University proposes raft of changes to plug scheme deficit
The University of Edinburgh has proposed a number of changes to its defined benefit pension fund to make the scheme more affordable and sustainable, as its deficit has risen by a quarter.
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OpinionHow members' mental health issues affect pension schemes
Any Other Business: Every year 70m working days are lost due to mental health, while a quarter of people consider resigning due to stress, according to the Mental Health Foundation, so how do work-related mental health issues affect pension schemes and employers?
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FeaturesTelefónica rings the changes with pensions modelling tool
A new online pensions modeller is being launched for defined contribution members of the Telefónica UK Pension Plan, but some experts have questioned the benefit of such tools.
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OpinionLifting the curtain on transaction costs
Editorial: The Financial Conduct Authority’s proposals for transaction cost disclosure have been welcomed across the industry, but confusion has crept in over how this will affect trust-based schemes.
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FeaturesStagecoach tightens governance reins with scheme merger
Stagecoach Group has merged one of its smaller pension plans with its £1.3bn defined benefit scheme, but the company has maintained a separate section for the smaller fund, keeping liabilities separate while potentially sharing some costs.
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News
FCA lights the way on transparency
‘A big flashing neon light’ marking the direction of travel on transparency has been lit by the Financial Conduct Authority with its proposal to make asset managers disclose transaction costs to defined contribution schemes.
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FeaturesDHL transition exercise delivers savings for members
Postal and logistics company DHL has saved £2.3m for members of its UK defined contribution pension fund by trading investments between members at no cost following an investment transition.