All Defined contribution articles – Page 56
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NewsProfessional trustee board appointments increase 60%
On the go: The number of schemes appointing professional trustees is on the rise, with almost half of pension fund boards now having such arrangements, which compares with one in five schemes five years ago, according to LCP.
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NewsPodcast: Too much jargon hampers sustainable investing drive
Podcast: Politicians and the pensions industry risk jeopardising the progress made on sustainable investing because they are too fond of jargon. Members are keen to get involved, but they have to understand what they are getting involved in. Georgia Stewart, chief executive of Tumelo, and Chris Hulatt, co-founder of Octopus Group, talk sustainability, inter-generational fairness and cryptocurrencies.
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NewsNest govt loan increases 66% in pandemic year
On the go: The loan from the Department for Work and Pensions to Nest increased by 66 per cent in 2020-21, as the government-backed master trust saw a rise in members and assets under management.
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NewsPASA launches guidance to help schemes’ e-admin journey
On the go: The Pensions Administration Standards Association has launched new guidance on e-administration, as schemes need to get their data in order to comply with the pensions dashboards deadline in 2023.
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NewsDWP’s stronger nudge is not ‘fit for purpose’
On the go: The “stronger nudge” towards guidance recently proposed by the Department for Work and Pensions is inadequate on its own and will impact members too late in the process to have a real effect, according to industry experts.
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NewsSavers given opportunity to lock in minimum pension age at 55
The government has given savers a way to avoid the minimum pension age increase in 2028, as new rules will allow individuals to keep their protected pension age if they transfer their pension.
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NewsIndustry experts predict limited roll-out of CDC schemes
The government's consultation on regulations governing collective defined contribution schemes was received as a welcome step forward in the industry, but experts have cautioned that initial demand is likely to be low due to the restrictive conditions and high costs imposed on the market.
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OpinionDon’t wait to be grey to be green
Charles Clarke, client communications lead at BNP Paribas Asset Management, details the challenges ahead for the pensions industry in its mission of switching the economy from stopping polluting to starting rebuilding.
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NewsDWP’s move to DC universal charge structure could do ‘serious damage’
Industry commentators are worried about the Department for Work and Pensions’ proposal to introduce a universal annual management charge in defined contribution default funds, warning that the move is premature and could do “serious damage” to the pensions market.
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NewsFCA to focus on driving value for money for savers
On the go: The Financial Conduct Authority is planning to access how to drive value for money in pensions during accumulation, its business plan for 2021-22 has revealed.
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NewsPension tax change proposals branded ‘tragic’ and ‘crazy’
On the go: Rumours that the Treasury is planning to raid pensions have been branded “tragic” and “crazy” by speakers at a Hymans Robertson webinar, who warned that any reforms harming incentives to save could undo the work put in to boost retirement standards.
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NewsExperian revamps pension comms as over-50s face pandemic sting
As the financial crisis resulting from the pandemic has made many savers rethink their attitude towards pension savings, Experian has revamped its communications to scheme members in a bid to help them avoid “costly mistakes”.
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NewsPensions dashboards staging timeline too ‘ambitious’
On the go: The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association, while “fully supportive” of the goals of the Pensions Dashboards Programme, has argued that delivery against the proposed staging timeline appears ambitious.
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NewsEmployers eye better master trust options as market matures
On the go: Investment consultancy Willis Towers Watson is predicting a secondary defined contribution master trust market could emerge as one in eight early adopters of the pension solution have revealed they will look to review their providers.
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NewsPASA launches GMP conversion guidance
The Pensions Administration Standards Association has published guidance on guaranteed minimum pension conversion for trustees striving to achieve GMP equality, providing examples of approaches that have been adopted or considered by “early movers”.
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NewsCalls for a ‘rethink’ as dashboards call for input closes
The Pensions Dashboards Programme’s latest call for input closed on Friday. Industry figures, though encouraged by progress made on timescales, said problems stemming from inadequate disclosure regulations and estimated retirement income remain, leading LCP to call for an implementation “rethink”.
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PodcastsPodcast: Tapping DC for Long-Term Assets Fund requires ‘rigorous’ scrutiny
Podcast: HM Treasury’s proposals to tap defined contribution schemes for its new Long-Term Assets Fund is not a bad idea, but problems with daily dealing remain, and it requires the kind of “rigorous” scrutiny applied to other new asset classes. PensionBee chief executive Romi Savova and Jonathan Parker, head of DC and financial wellbeing at Redington, discuss the LTAF, rumours of a tax raid, and the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association’s new Responsible Investment Quality Mark.
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NewsCovid-19 pressures accelerate rate of DB scheme closures
On the go: Analysis by the Pensions Policy Institute, sponsored by the Trades Union Congress, has shown that the pressures of the coronavirus pandemic have accelerated the rate of defined benefit scheme closures, but member outcomes are far less reliable in defined contribution schemes.
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NewsOver-50s fear retirement poverty
On the go: Adults aged over 50 in the UK are worried about their financial future, with almost a third admitting to concerns that they will not have enough money to live off in later life, according to research by SunLife.
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NewsPoor choices under pension freedoms cost savers £2bn
Savers taking advantage of pension freedoms to cash out before retirement have suffered £2bn in lost returns, spurring calls for better financial education, according to analysis by LCP.





