All Defined benefit articles – Page 133

  • Podcasts

    Podcast: ESG - Trustee investment duties explained

    2019-01-24T00:00:00Z

    Podcast: New regulations coming into force this year mean pension schemes will be required to publish more-detailed statements of investment principles. These will address financially material environmental, social and governance risks, such as climate change. In this episode, Stuart O’Brien, a partner at law firm Sackers, discusses recent ESG-related developments, the danger of conflating ethical matters with ESG considerations, and explains how schemes can respond to member and pressure group queries.

  • News

    XPS: ‘GMP equalisation will be less costly than feared’

    2019-01-24T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The cost of addressing inequality in guaranteed minimum pensions may be a lot lower than expected at less than 1 per cent of total liabilities for over half of all schemes, according to consultancy XPS Pensions.

  • News

    BSPS review calls for more guidance for schemes on restructuring

    2019-01-22T00:00:00Z

    On the go: An independent review of the communications and support provided to steel workers as part of the British Steel Pension Scheme ‘Time to Choose’ exercise has called for better guidance for trustees to help them plan and manage a restructuring.

  • Sou
    News

    British Steel review calls for better member support in restructuring

    2019-01-22T00:00:00Z

    A review of the communications and support provided to steelworkers during the British Steel Pension Scheme ‘Time to Choose’ exercise has called for legislative changes, regulatory collaboration and better guidance for trustees to help them manage a restructuring.

  • News

    DB providers lag on administration with months-long info delays

    2019-01-21T00:00:00Z

    Defined benefit pension providers are lagging behind their defined contribution counterparts when it comes to providing information necessary for advising members on matters such as pension freedoms, recent research has shown.

  • Getty Images
    Opinion

    How to beat volatility in 2019

    2019-01-21T00:00:00Z

    With an eye purely on the numbers, it might be tough to pinpoint exactly what has led to the worst year for stock markets since the end of the global financial crisis.

  • Paul McGlone
    Opinion

    The unseen funding target

    2019-01-18T00:00:00Z

    Most defined benefit schemes are headed for buyout or self-sufficiency, but few acknowledge this aim in any formal way. Regulators look set to change this soon, writes Society of Pension Professionals president Paul McGlone.

  • Getty Images
    Features

    Schools and colleges warn of ruinous £1.1bn pension hike as DfE consults

    2019-01-18T00:00:00Z

    The survival of some state schools, colleges, universities and independent schools is threatened by the £1.1bn rise in the employers’ contribution to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme from 1 September 2019.

  • News

    Rookes and Hirons-Wood join Pension SuperFund trustee board

    2019-01-17T00:00:00Z

    On the go: Defined benefit consolidator the Pension SuperFund has announced the addition of two further trustees to its board.

  • Features

    M&S portal launch sees 12,000 DB members sign up

    2019-01-16T00:00:00Z

    Marks and Spencer has launched a new portal service for its defined benefit scheme members, offering access to pension records on demand and enabling them to complete a wide range of tasks.

  • News

    APS trustees given go ahead to use scheme assets to fund appeal

    2019-01-15T00:00:00Z

    On the go: Trustees of the Airways Pension Scheme have been given permission to use scheme assets to fund an appeal to the Supreme Court over APS discretionary increase litigation.

  • Matthew Harrison
    Opinion

    What to consider when agreeing a recovery plan in 2019

    2019-01-14T00:00:00Z

    Matt Harrison, managing director at covenant specialists Lincoln Pensions, explains how recovery plans have been agreed in practice and how this may change due to an evolving regulatory landscape. 

  • Features

    Taylor Wimpey foresees £20m GMP funding hit

    2019-01-13T00:00:00Z

    One of Britain’s largest house-building companies, Taylor Wimpey, has announced that its pension scheme liabilities will increase by up to £20m in the wake of a recent legal ruling on guaranteed minimum pensions.

  • Getty Images
    Features

    Diageo offers PIE and writes to members after rise in DB transfers

    2019-01-11T00:00:00Z

    The Diageo Pension Scheme is offering a pension increase exchange exercise to defined benefit pensioners, and has outlined plans to write to deferred and active members explaining transfer options, following a spike in members cashing out.

  • News

    Half of FTSE 100 liabilities funded to buyout levels by 2029

    2019-01-10T00:00:00Z

    Full buyout was once a distant dream for many sponsors of UK defined benefit schemes.

  • Features

    Highland scheme mulls insurance policy for ill health retirement costs

    2019-01-09T00:00:00Z

    The Highland Council Pension Fund is considering the option of taking out an insurance policy to protect the scheme against substantial ill-health retirement costs.

  • Podcasts

    Podcast: A closer look at DB consolidation

    2019-01-09T00:00:00Z

    Podcast: Last month, the government published a consultation on the consolidation of defined benefit pension schemes. What is the outlook for DB superfunds? And what should trustees consider if they are thinking about switching from a sponsor covenant to a consolidator covenant? In this episode, Alex Hutton-Mills, managing director at Lincoln Pensions, and Paul McGlone, president of the Society of Pension Professionals, discuss the consultation and whether early adopter nerves are holding back inflows to the new DB consolidators.

  • News

    DB funding slips lower over December

    2019-01-08T00:00:00Z

    On the go: Surplus in the UK's defined benefit pension schemes evaporated over December, according to a funding measure used by the Pension Protection Fund.

  • Ian Neale
    Opinion

    The government’s pensions priorities for 2019

    2019-01-08T00:00:00Z

    In the year ahead, the DWP, HMRC, TPR, FCA and any other arm of government with a role in UK pensions must be ready to minimise any damage and disruption arising from Brexit.  

  • Paul Jameson
    Opinion

    Refinancing pension debt – an underutilised option?

    2019-01-07T00:00:00Z

    In a market crying out for high-quality corporate debt it is surprising that more corporates are not seizing the opportunity to refinance pension debt with more conventional financial debt.