All Defined benefit articles – Page 174
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Opinion
Funding and reinsurance emerge as biggest challenges on the road to buyout
Feature: The introduction of Solvency II last month has made buying out in full even trickier than before, but there are things trustees can do to make it more likely to happen.
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FeaturesMUMS the word: Medically underwritten mortality studies' benefit questioned
Analysis: Medical underwriting of defined benefit scheme members to facilitate bulk annuity insurance transactions has taken off over the past two years, but industry experts are sceptical of the benefits of using medical data for scheme valuations.
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OpinionPMI: Move to cash undermines pensions as HR tool
Talking Head: Until relatively recently, retirement provision was a simple, if rather rigid, concept. Tax rules dictated that benefits could not normally be drawn until a minimum age and they had to be taken in a specific form.
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FeaturesPanning for gold in an age of information
Any Other Business: The mounting complexity of pension trusteeship has been met by a surge of information and intelligence sources. But how can trustees be successful prospectors as they mine the industry for useful nuggets?
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News
Project POOL maps the route for LGPS
Pooling assets across the Local Government Pension Scheme could ultimately deliver annual savings of £190m-£300m, according to new analysis that goes some way to giving LGPS funds much-needed clarity.
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News
Tougher nudge needed to make freedoms a success
Consumers will not have enough money to benefit from the opportunities the pension freedoms present, a report has warned, and any success will hinge on auto-enrolment becoming more prescriptive.
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News
Cross-border plans could be greater lure for employers under IORP
Analysis: The burden on cross-border pension schemes to be fully funded at all times could be lifted as the Institutions for Occupational Retirement Provision II directive moves nearer its final version.
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News
PASA guidance urges schemes to prioritise GMP
The Pensions Administration Standards Association has issued guidance on guaranteed minimum pension reconciliation to help schemes through the process, as experts predict huge volumes rushing to complete in the coming months.
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NewsHomebase M&A deal puts scheme security in the spotlight
Home Retail Group’s defined benefit scheme will receive a £50m cash injection as part of the proposed sale of its Homebase business, underscoring the need for trustees to consider the impact of disposals on covenant strength.
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News
Retirement expectations at odds with reality
Analysis: People retiring in 2016 expect a retirement income of £17,700 a year, new research has shown, but industry experts have questioned how this figure will be maintained as the decline of defined benefit provision accelerates.
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News
April changes offer 'excuse' for DB schemes to shut up shop
Analysis: The death knell for defined benefit is edging closer, consultants say, as the end of contracting-out, low yields and impending government revisions to pension tax could see all FTSE 250 companies completely close their DB schemes by the end of this year.
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OpinionForget freedom, millennials want security
From the blog: Born between 1980 and 2000 and entering the workplace amid one of the most significant booms and busts of recent history, millennials face a unique set of financial challenges.
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News
Is groupthink at play on your trustee board?
A desire for conformity could stifle debate in trustee meetings, new research has suggested, but industry experts say lay trustees are encouraged to challenge the status quo.
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News
PiP seedling poised to flower following FCA authorisation
The Pensions Infrastructure Platform has been authorised as an investment manager by the Financial Conduct Authority and is tipped by industry experts to be a top contender in fulfilling the role of “national infrastructure platform” for local authority schemes.
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News
Strong covenants offer schemes more slack on investment risk
Schemes with strong employer covenants could find it easier to take on more investment risk, experts have said, in light of the Pensions Regulator’s increased focus on integrated risk management.
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Features
MyCSP fact-find leads to unexpected flurry of member engagement
Civil Service Pension Scheme inadvertently prompted nearly half of its members to explore their pension entitlements after it carried out a survey as part of a wide-ranging engagement project, aimed at ensuring all members are informed about their benefits.
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NewsBank error slows Shell pension payments to members
A Bacs processing error at Royal Bank of Scotland last week caused delays in pension payments to 30,000 members of oil giant Shell’s UK defined benefit schemes.
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FeaturesEntering the matrix: Taking pension tech to the next level
Any other business: Apple’s string of acquisitions over recent months are pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence in the drive to get closer to consumers – but where does the pensions industry rank in the digital journey?
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News
Burgeoning buyout arena threatens pricing, schemes urged to prepare
The growing number of players in the UK buyout market may, counterintuitively, make it more difficult for pension schemes to get quotations from insurers, industry experts have said.
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Opinion
A year of many firsts lies ahead
Editorial: Happy new year! It started with a bang – a stock market slump, circuit breakers suspending trading in China, China suspending the circuit breakers, and the FTSE falling sharply on Monday and Thursday last week.