Latest articles from Samantha Downes

Swap and bond rate dip increases average pension scheme buyout timeframe

The average time for a UK defined benefit pension scheme to make itself buyout ready rose from 5.1 to to 5.2 years between June and July 2023, according to Barnett Waddingham.

NEST to invest back in gilts, according to reports

dgp_teaser_jeremy_hunt_10072023

One of the largest UK pension funds is to invest back in gilts, according to newspaper reports.

Who has got the UK's biggest pension pot?

dgp_teaser_income_07072023

One anonymous UK saver is sitting on a pension fund of £11m according to wealth manager RBC Brewin Dolphin.

Pension savers 'lose over £600 a year' by not shopping around for an annuity

dgp_teaser_annuity_26062023

A healthy 75-year-old buying an annuity with a £50,000 pension could expect about £4,720 income each year for the rest of their life from the most competitive provider compared to £4,070 from the least competitive.

Four fifths of defined benefit scheme trustees expect BPA deal within five years

dgp_teaser_buyouts_31072023

Four fifths of defined benefit (DB) pension scheme trustees expect to approach an insurer about de-risking within five years, according to Standard Life.

Royal London: Pensions new business helps profits rise 16 per cent

dgp_teaser_crock_gold_29052023

Growth in workplace pensions new business contributions and increased expected returns on its assets helped Royal London's operating profit before tax rise 16 per cent to £127m year on year during the first half of 2023.

DWP and state pension: Contracted-out members reminded of inflation timebomb

dgp_newsletter_CaxtonHouse_02082023

Savers who contracted out of the state pension are being warned that the guaranteed part of their pot, may not keep up with inflation.

High Court supports trustee's petition to wind up Biwater scheme sponsors

dgp_teaser_court_case_gmp_21062023

The High Court has supported the decision by the trustee of the Biwater Retirement and Security Scheme to wind up the scheme's sponsoring employers.

A third of DC pension members 'have no idea' how much they have saved

dgp_teaser_crock_gold_29052023

A third of savers contributing to a defined contribution scheme have no idea how much is in their pension pot, according to analysis of FCA data by consultancy Broadstone.

DB CETVs: Spectre of mini budget and gilt crisis weighs on transfer requests

dgp_teaser_liz_truss_23062023

The three month period ending June 2023 was the third lowest quarter for transfer value activity, only beating two previous quarters impacted by extraordinary market volatility: the second quarter of 2020 during the first pandemic lockdown, and the fourth quarter of 2022 after the 'mini-budget' fiasco.