The UK’s state-backed pension scheme has led calls for understanding member behaviour in light of the incoming pension flexibilities, arguing such work is more important than developing new products for savers.

Any other business: In the event of an act of terror, pensions are likely to be the last thing on anyone's mind, but with senior experts recently predicting the "strong likelihood" of cyber attacks, what should schemes do to protect against the worst?

Schemes are increasingly turning to segmentation as they explore strategies for communication and investment across different sections of their membership, but legal experts warned of the importance of treating members fairly.

Consumer goods giant Unilever's pension fund has adopted an outcome-led investment approach split into five key objectives, jettisoning its previous focus on asset allocation in a bid to avoid short-termism. 

UK pension schemes are lagging behind their European counterparts investing in smart beta strategies, according to research that adds to criticism of actively managed investments.

One of the UK’s ‘big four’ banks Lloyds Banking Group has made a £710m saving by halting pensionable pay increases, as it looks to reduce the cost of its defined benefit arrangement.

The UK's largest trade union for academics is debating whether to submit counter reform proposals for the Universities Superannuation Scheme, as negotiations continue over the future of one of the UK's biggest remaining final salary pension schemes.

Flying in the face of almost everything else pensions-related this year, the latest annual edition of the Pension Protection Fund's Purple Book revealed few if any big shocks.

Scheme funding in the defined benefit universe rose on both an s179 and full buyout basis, which the PPF attributed to the combined impact of higher gilt yields on liabilities and higher equity markets on assets.

The book also noted, however, lower gilt yields had led to an 8 percentage point drop in scheme funding since March 2014.

Source: PPF Purple Book

This may have led to the most notable finding of the report, the slowing of inflows to gilts and fixed interest assets. Allocations had been rising steadily since 2006 before faltering this year.

Click here for the full post

The bird protection charity RSPB has set up a £56.4m contingent asset agreement with its pension scheme as part of a wider effort to reduce the funding deficit.

Consultants have called for greater competition in the fiduciary management industry as a report indicates few schemes are doing due diligence when appointing a provider.