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Latest news around Value for Money
DWP and FCA extend Value for Money consultation period
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have extended their consultation period for the planned Value for Money framework by two weeks.
Highlights from Torsten Bell’s speech to launch the updated reform roadmap
Key excerpts from pensions minister Torsten Bell’s address at Mansion House on 13 July, in which he set out the need for cohesive action across the government’s reform agenda.
Value for Money: A pragmatic delay, but with much work still to do
The Value for Money regime is on its way, but with the rulebook still in development, what does the pensions industry make of the government’s latest thinking on this crucial reform?
Government pushes back VfM, guided retirement deadlines in ‘roadmap’ shift
Pensions minister Torsten Bell has announced changes to the “sequencing” of pension reforms to support the implementation of developments related to Value for Money, guided retirement, and superfunds.
TPR steps up DC consolidation drive as master trust domination increases
Trustees of DC pension schemes need to keep their arrangements under review and consider consolidating into larger schemes if they are not delivering value, TPR has said.
Catch up with the latest episode of Always A Pensions Angle
Every fortnight, Pensions Expert editor Nick Reeve and LAPF Investments’ Thomas Parker discuss the latest developments across the pensions and retirement sector on the Always A Pensions Angle podcast. Catch up with the latest episodes wherever you get your podcasts, or explore the archive.
Latest views on DC
Prospect: Self-employed workers need more help to save for retirement
Steve Thomas, deputy general secretary of the trade union Prospect, says it is not enough just to encourage more saving among self-employed people – they need a sustainable, affordable way to do so.
Are AI tools fuelling an emerging pension complaints risk?
Generative AI can turn member dissatisfaction into a detailed complaint within minutes. Trustees should respond by strengthening the support provided before retirement decisions are made, writes Guiide’s Philip Hodges.
Can the Pensions Commission address systematically unequal outcomes?
The debate over automatic enrolment reform highlights the difficulty of improving retirement outcomes for low earners. As fresh analysis from the Pensions Policy Institute makes clear, even widely supported changes involve trade-offs.
Own Risk Assessment: The starting point for pension board effectiveness
Vidett’s Kelly Newton looks at what the new ORA requirement means for trustee boards, and how to get the most out of the process.
Special report: The Pension Schemes Bill in the House of Lords
The landmark legislation begins its report stage this week, with peers still debating more than 180 amendments to the Pension Schemes Bill. Pensions Expert explores what is up for discussion over the next two weeks.
Amber alert: Industry weighs risks of Value for Money ratings
Amber ratings being introduced through the Value for Money framework should encourage dialogue and reform, not knee-jerk reactions, regulators say.
Help shape Value for Money framework, TPR tells trustees
The Pensions Regulator’s director of policy has called on trustees to engage with the ongoing Value for Money framework consultation to “help shape the standards that will define saver outcomes for years to come”.
Industry backs ‘nuanced’ changes to Value for Money proposals
The pensions industry has broadly welcomed the new Value for Money approach outlined in this week’s consultation set out by the Financial Conduct Authority.
FCA adds ‘dark green’ rating to VFM proposal in latest consultation
The regulator has stripped out some data points from its proposed value assessments and put forward a more nuanced four-point rating system for DC providers.
DC outlook: Scale, value, and adequacy are top of the agenda
With the Pension Schemes Bill set to reshape the defined contribution (DC) landscape over the next decade, Pensions Expert asked experts about the challenges and opportunities awaiting the sector in 2026.
‘Traffic light’ approach to VfM underperforms in consumer testing
The ‘red, amber, green’ proposed approach to value for money in defined contribution (DC) pension schemes has performed poorly in a recent behavioural finance exercise commissioned by The People’s Partnership.
DC charges continue to fall amid push to value over cost
WTW’s latest annual DC Pensions and Savings Survey has found that the average charge has fallen from 38bps in 2017 to 28bps this year, with almost two thirds of schemes now charging less than 30bps a year.