For the pensions journalists following last week's Autumn Statement, there was almost an anticlimactic feeling once it became apparent that the industry would not be turned on its head again.
No doubt something like cold comfort was felt by defined contribution scheme managers who were still spinning from March's intervention, and still working out their plans ahead of April.
Not that the annuity tax and ISA tax changes are not important. Indeed, the gap between defined contribution pension schemes and ISAs is ever-narrowing: on a longer-term view, the ordinary saver is going to struggle to tell the difference.
That is a challenge for anyone to explain the worth of employer contributions – free money, folks – and why a pension is not exactly a bank account.
But with time running down ahead of the new pension flexibilities, it did feel like a missed opportunity, when the chancellor has the brief attention of a wider audience, to address the position that retirees face ahead of next year.
Illustration by Ben Jennings
That opportunity could have been to gain attention for the changes, which some evidence suggests has engaged people generally in saving.
But more importantly it could have been to give a fillip to the guidance guarantee and send a message that this decision cannot been taken lightly.
Some of the projected take-up figures, based on providers talking to their customers and surveys of consumers, are frankly scary.
People nearing retirement need to be getting more information that the guidance guarantee will deliver, and the concern is they are not going to bother even to see what it offers.
Being outside of the political focus is in many ways welcome, for an industry that has been buffeted by the pace of reform.
At the same time, the ordinary saver is more likely to listen to the radio than they are to read the "latest news" section in their pensions newsletter.
So it was good to hear the pensions minister off on a radio tour to raise awareness. The Autumn Statement felt like a missed opportunity to encourage responsible saving.
Ian Smith is editor of Pensions Expert. You can follow him on Twitter @iankmsmith and the team @pensions_expert.
