All Governance articles – Page 14
-
PodcastsPodcast: Budget 2021 - ‘Reckless conservatism’ in DB landscape
Podcast: Wednesday’s budget did not go far enough to counter the “reckless conservatism” in the defined benefit landscape when it comes to risk and growth assets, hampering the government’s drive to unleash pensions on the post-pandemic recovery, according to Conservative party peer baroness Ros Altmann. She is joined by Isio partner Mike Smedley, in a discussion that also includes the lifetime allowance freeze and what was missing from the chancellor’s statement.
-
News
Net-zero targets present £350bn investment opportunity
On the go: Hitting the government’s net-zero climate change targets will present a £350bn investment opportunity over the next 30 years, according to an estimate by LCP.
-
News
One-year contribution holidays could spur economic recovery
On the go: Conservative peer Baroness Ros Altmann has recommended that the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announces a year-long contribution freeze for defined benefit scheme sponsors to boost business recovery.
-
News
Risk settlement market breaks new record in 2020
On the go: New figures from Aon showed that 2020 was a record-breaking year for the risk settlement market, with 2021 likely to provide stiff competition.
-
NewsCan UK councils rent their own streets to fund pensions?
Several US public schemes have embraced unusual means of securing funding, including renting property to themselves. Although these tactics cannot be used across the Atlantic, the post-Covid landscape could see a variety of new strategies being deployed in the UK.
-
News
Calls for DWP to change chair’s statement rules
On the go: The Department for Work and Pensions is to publish a review of the effectiveness of defined contribution chair’s statements in April, which has prompted some specialists to call for a major rethink.
-
News
Most savers unaware of schemes’ climate change endeavours
On the go: Three-fifths of workplace pension members do not know if their scheme is taking any action to combat climate change, according to a survey by the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association.
-
News
Schemes’ industry investments lag behind climate targets
On the go: Pension schemes with investments in heavy industry like steel, cement, aluminium and paper are likely to find them lagging behind the Paris agreement’s targets, with 86 per cent failing to align with a pathway to “2C or below by 2050”.
-
News
Schemes should not ‘mindlessly chase’ illiquidity premium
On the go: The chief investment officer of the £19bn Local Pensions Partnership has criticised asset managers promising unrealistic returns from illiquid assets, arguing that they no longer provide the same premium they once did.
-
News
TPR pledges guidance after royal assent for Pension Schemes Act
On the go: The Pensions Regulator welcomed the Pension Schemes Act receiving royal assent on Thursday, with chief executive Charles Counsell looking forward to the “strong package of measures” it provides and pledging guidance for how they will be used.
-
NewsBorder to Coast expands green infrastructure investment
Several pension funds, including the Local Government Pension Scheme pool Border to Coast, have provided the majority of the funding for a new €1.6bn (£1.4bn) renewable energy investment fund launched by the Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets.
-
NewsGovt opts for deferred choice underpin solution to McCloud
The government has confirmed it will opt for the deferred choice underpin solution to the McCloud problem, which despite being the right choice according to pensions specialists, will open the floodgates of administration woes for public sector schemes.
-
PodcastsPodcast: Tackling climate change will require a ‘step change’ in governance
Podcast: The government’s “revolutionary” plans to tackle climate change “ain’t half prescriptive” when it comes to pensions investments, and will require a “step change” in governance to achieve. So say Stuart O’Brien, partner at Sackers, and ITS director Tegs Harding, who also discuss the consequences of another row at the Universities Superannuation Scheme and the cartelisation of the advisory market.
-
News
Nine out of 10 DC savers expect retirement shortfall
On the go: Almost 90 per cent of defined contribution scheme members expect a shortfall in retirement income based on current provision, while almost a quarter of people think they will never be able to retire, according to the latest edition of Aon’s DC member survey.
-
NewsMaster trust competition hots up despite consolidation
Data crunch: The majority of master trusts are targeting defined contribution schemes in a bid to boost their assets under management, leading to heightened competition in a marketplace where there is scepticism about acquiring rivals.
-
News
Trustees demand greater access to technology to support their role
On the go: The coronavirus pandemic has seen off the quarterly meeting cycle, with 80 per cent of trustees agreeing that ad hoc and online meetings are the way forward, according to new research.
-
NewsDWP proceeds with ‘revolutionary’ climate change agenda
The Department for Work and Pensions has proposed broadening the scope of climate risk analysis to cover not just the environmental impact of pension schemes’ portfolios, but also sponsor covenants and actuarial valuations.
-
News
How schemes can navigate the post-Covid recovery
Defined benefit schemes should use the post-Covid recovery to conduct a thorough postmortem of the effects of 2020’s events on their portfolios and strategies, according to Barnett Waddingham.
-
News
‘Challenging’ 2020 forces 80% of DB schemes to reassess portfolios
On the go: Eighty per cent of defined benefit pension schemes plan to reassess their investment portfolios after the events of 2020 put returns in doubt, according to research by the Pensions Management Institute and River and Mercantile.
-
News
Clarity on dashboards, but delays taint Pension Schemes Act
The government fought off opposition amendments to the Pension Schemes Act in the House of Lords on Tuesday, keeping its dashboards options open — but experts have warned that many of the act’s more substantive changes could be delayed until 2022.