Latest articles from Sandra Wolf

The Weekly Wrap: Nov 13 edition

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A round-up of the pension industry stories published across the FT Group this week, from the state pension “mis-selling” scandal to millennials’ unrealistic expectations about old age.

The great auto-enrolment review is in train

From the blog: The Public Accounts Committee has launched an inquiry into the risks associated with registering smaller employers for auto-enrolment and how this translates into higher retirement incomes for members.

A National Audit Office report published on Monday homed in on the work that needs to be done to make the policy fit for the future.

The easy gains have been made since October 2012's launch and everything has gone relatively smoothly: by August this year, 5.4m people were enrolled into new workplace pensions, opt-out rates were much lower than anticipated (8-14 per cent instead of 28 per cent), and nearly all employers (99 per cent) were compliant.

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Siemens re-engineers DC lifestyle funds towards greater growth

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Siemens, one of the world’s largest electrical companies, aims to give its UK defined contribution scheme members more potential for growth while reducing costs by adding a pure equity phase to its DGF-heavy lifestyle options.

What to consider before buying in-house skills

As pension schemes have become larger, more are thinking about how to cut out the middleman and hire internal specialists to handle their assets. But getting, and keeping, your own investment staff is by no means always straightforward.

The Weekly Wrap: Nov 6 edition

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A round-up of the pension industry stories published across the FT Group this week – from pensioners cashing in on rising house prices to the UK’s north-south divide in life expectancy.

The Weekly Wrap: Oct 30 edition

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A round-up of the pensions industry stories published across the FT Group this week – from bonds becoming villains in the spectrum of asset classes held by institutions, to Heathrow capping pensionable pay increases.

 

HMRC figures on flexibilities leave questions unanswered

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The ‘dearth of information’ on pension freedoms bemoaned in a recent Work and Pensions Committee report could have been remedied by HM Revenue & Customs figures released yesterday, but industry representatives said the report lacked detail.

Do trust and contract-based plans require separate regulation?

Analysis: Defined contribution schemes are regulated by two separate bodies, each of which works better in certain scenarios, a Pensions Policy Institute report has found. But the debate continues on whether a single watchdog would improve the current regime. 

The Weekly Wrap: Oct 23 edition

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A round-up of the pension industry stories published across the FT Group – from the government putting savers at risk, to a UK pensions downgrade.

Pension freedom report: Must do better

A clearer definition of advice and stronger warnings about scams were two of the points raised in the Work and Pensions Committee’s report on pension freedom this week, which has found support across the industry.