All Defined contribution articles – Page 64

  • Sunset, solar panels
    News

    TPR criticised for year-long delay in collection of ESG statements

    2021-03-01T00:00:00Z

    A Conservative peer and former pensions minister has hit out at delays in the Pensions Regulator’s efforts to police the content of pension schemes’ statements of investment principles.

  • News

    Chancellor ponders lifetime allowance 'stealth tax'

    2021-02-26T00:00:00Z

    On the go: Chancellor Rishi Sunak was reportedly planning to freeze the lifetime allowance for the rest of the current parliament, according to a report in the Times — a move that could see public sector workers hit hard.

  • News

    Govt maintains current AE tests for DB and hybrid schemes

    2021-02-25T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The Department for Work and Pensions has concluded that the current tests used by defined benefit and hybrid schemes for auto-enrolment suitability are fit for purpose.

  • UK houses
    News

    Can UK councils rent their own streets to fund pensions?

    2021-02-23T00:00:00Z

    Several US public schemes have embraced unusual means of securing funding, including renting property to themselves. Although these tactics cannot be used across the Atlantic, the post-Covid landscape could see a variety of new strategies being deployed in the UK.

  • News

    MPs to examine savers’ options when accessing pensions

    2021-02-23T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The Work and Pensions Committee will examine the options available to savers when they come to access their pensions, which is the second part of its inquiry into pension freedoms.

  • News

    Uber ruling may not solve gig worker pensions issue

    2021-02-19T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The Supreme Court may have opened the door to workplace pension schemes for gig workers by ruling that Uber drivers are workers — but former pensions minister Sir Steve Webb warned the issue may not yet be resolved.

  • News

    Calls for DWP to change chair’s statement rules

    2021-02-18T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The Department for Work and Pensions is to publish a review of the effectiveness of defined contribution chair’s statements in April, which has prompted some specialists to call for a major rethink.

  • Podcasts

    Podcast: Timms calls for pension transfer rules change

    2021-02-18T00:00:00Z

    Podcast: The current law governing transfers is not fit for purpose and there are too many bodies involved in handling pension scams, according to Work and Pensions Committee chair Stephen Timms.

  • Sarah Gordon
    Opinion

    Making your pension scheme investments count

    2021-02-17T00:00:00Z

    While considering that pension schemes are not philanthropists, Impact Investing Institute chief executive Sarah Gordon believes pension funds should invest in businesses that deliver positive impact, as these are more likely to produce genuinely sustainable profit streams.

  • Hal La Thangue
    News

    Financial wellness: DC sponsors want more from their providers

    2021-02-16T00:00:00Z

    Data crunch: Sponsors and fiduciaries of UK defined contribution schemes want their providers to offer more than a core pension product.

  • News

    Schemes should not ‘mindlessly chase’ illiquidity premium

    2021-02-15T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The chief investment officer of the £19bn Local Pensions Partnership has criticised asset managers promising unrealistic returns from illiquid assets, arguing that they no longer provide the same premium they once did.

  • News

    TPR pledges guidance after royal assent for Pension Schemes Act

    2021-02-11T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The Pensions Regulator welcomed the Pension Schemes Act receiving royal assent on Thursday, with chief executive Charles Counsell looking forward to the “strong package of measures” it provides and pledging guidance for how they will be used. 

  • News

    Normal minimum pension age set to increase to 57 in 2028

    2021-02-11T00:00:00Z

    HM Treasury outlined plans on Thursday confirming the government’s intention to raise the normal minimum pension age from 55 to 57 in April 2028, while devising a “protection regime” that ensures some scheme members retain their current rights.

  • News

    Half of schemes planning to move members into master trusts

    2021-02-10T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The trend of transferring members of defined contribution schemes to master trusts is expected to continue in 2021, with 50 per cent of employers or trustees planning such moves, or at least signpost these schemes as a retirement option for their members.

  • News

    USS extends Capita administration contract

    2021-02-09T00:00:00Z

    On the go: Capita Pensions has been awarded a five-year contract extension by the Universities Superannuation Scheme to deliver pension system and administration support.

  • News

    RPI reform boosts inflation hedging

    2021-02-08T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The announced reform of the retail price index, to match the consumer price index including housing costs, saw inflation hedging rise by six per cent quarter on quarter at the end of September 2020.

  • News

    Scottish Widows pledges to reach carbon zero by 2050

    2021-02-05T00:00:00Z

    On the go: Scottish Widows is the latest pension company to pledge to become carbon neutral by 2050, while calling for action in the industry.

  • Podcasts

    Podcast: Tackling climate change will require a ‘step change’ in governance

    2021-02-04T00:00:00Z

    Podcast: The government’s “revolutionary” plans to tackle climate change “ain’t half prescriptive” when it comes to pensions investments, and will require a “step change” in governance to achieve. So say Stuart O’Brien, partner at Sackers, and ITS director Tegs Harding, who also discuss the consequences of another row at the Universities Superannuation Scheme and the cartelisation of the advisory market.

  • News

    Nine out of 10 DC savers expect retirement shortfall

    2021-02-04T00:00:00Z

    On the go: Almost 90 per cent of defined contribution scheme members expect a shortfall in retirement income based on current provision, while almost a quarter of people think they will never be able to retire, according to the latest edition of Aon’s DC member survey.

  • Data crunch
    News

    Master trust competition hots up despite consolidation

    2021-02-02T00:00:00Z

    Data crunch: The majority of master trusts are targeting defined contribution schemes in a bid to boost their assets under management, leading to heightened competition in a marketplace where there is scepticism about acquiring rivals.