All Hymans Robertson articles – Page 19

  • News

    How the 2015 Budget affects your scheme

    2015-03-18T00:00:00Z

    Chancellor George Osborne’s ‘cost-neutral’ Budget announcement today still managed to herald further changes to the pensions landscape, including plans for a secondary annuities market and a hefty 20 per cent cut to the lifetime allowance.

  • News

    Lifetime allowance cut a blow for DC savers

    2015-03-18T00:00:00Z

    Budget 2015: The reduction of the lifetime allowance to £1m will hit defined contribution savers hardest say experts, who anticipate a rise in members exiting pension saving.

  • News

    DB mastertrusts grow but funding risks drag on demand

    2015-02-24T00:00:00Z

    Competition is growing in the defined benefit mastertrust market as providers promise the benefits of scale, but experts have urged employers to be mindful about the risks of these structures.

  • News

    European pension funds swarm into alts for yield

    2015-02-19T00:00:00Z

    European pension funds moved deeper into alternative investments last year as they sought fresh avenues of returns and liability matching in tricky market conditions.

  • Opinion

    How is monetary policy uncertainty affecting fixed income?

    2014-11-26T00:00:00Z

    As interest rates remain low, the fixed income market is struggling to remain attractive to investors. Aon Hewitt's Tim Giles, Hymans Robertson's Carl Hitchman, Law Debenture's David Felder, M&G Investments' William Nicoll and the Pension Protection Fund's John St Hill look at the effects of economic policy on the asset class.

  • Opinion

    How should you benchmark your manager?

    2014-11-26T00:00:00Z

    In the final part of this three-part debate on fixed income, Aon Hewitt's Tim Giles, Hymans Robertson's Carl Hitchman, Law Debenture's David Felder, M&G Investments' William Nicoll and the Pension Protection Fund's John St Hill run through the different options for measuring the performance of a fixed income manager.

  • Opinion

    Do schemes fully understand their fixed income risks?

    2014-11-26T00:00:00Z

    Aon Hewitt's Tim Giles, Hymans Robertson's Carl Hitchman, Law Debenture's David Felder, M&G Investments' William Nicoll and the Pension Protection Fund's John St Hill discuss the different types of fixed income risk in the second of this three-part panel discussion.

  • News

    IASB proposal could hit sponsor-scheme funding strategies

    2014-08-15T00:00:00Z

    A proposed change to pensions accounting guidance around surpluses could lead to trustees having to renegotiate their financing arrangements with employers and shifting towards non-cash vehicles.

  • News

    ETV exercises to rise as government accepts DB-to-DC transfers

    2014-07-25T00:00:00Z

    Industry experts have predicted the use of enhanced transfer value exercises could increase as employers look to encourage switches out of defined benefit plans in light of the Budget changes, but trustees have been urged to ensure members receive adequate advice. 

  • Features

    Local government schemes reject forced passive CIV proposals

    2014-07-11T00:00:00Z

    Local authority schemes have rejected government proposals to mandate pooling assets into a passively managed common investment vehicle, but did see benefits in other suggestions put forward.

  • Features

    EE closes scheme to future accrual on affordability concerns

    2014-07-09T00:00:00Z

    Telecoms company EE has closed the defined benefit section of its scheme to future accrual in order to equalise benefits offered to members in a structure which will be more sustainable for the company.

  • News

    One in seven trustees think sponsor relationship needs work

    2014-06-26T00:00:00Z

    Around one trustee on each board feels their relationship with the scheme sponsor needs to be improved, according to a survey of 100 scheme representatives, conducted as fresh regulation seeks to strengthen this bond.

  • Features

    Islington to build on residential property bet in alts push

    2014-06-16T00:00:00Z

    Islington Council’s pension fund plans to reduce its allocation to equities and diversify further into alternatives, in a stated desire to gain greater and more stable returns.

  • PPF targets transparency
    News

    PPF targets transparency with insolvency levy changes

    2014-05-30T00:00:00Z

    Schemes will be able to more precisely focus their efforts to reduce their Pension Protection Fund levy, following the lifeboat’s proposals to make its insolvency risk system more transparent.  

  • UK 10-year gilt yields
    News

    Gilt yield falls confound expectations and depress funding

    2014-05-29T00:00:00Z

    Investment advisers have been taken by surprise by the recent drop in government bond yields which have inflated schemes’ liabilities and delayed derisking strategies.

  • Features

    Mercer parent shuts DB scheme to equalise benefits

    2014-05-27T00:00:00Z

    Marsh & McLennan Companies, the US-based parent of global consultancy Mercer, has decided to close its UK defined benefit scheme to future accrual in a stated attempt to create a level playing field between employees.

  • Features

    Branching out to hedge against inflation rises

    2014-05-16T00:00:00Z

    Clwyd Pension Fund has allocated 2 per cent of its assets to timberland and agriculture, attracted by the chance to earn higher returns and hedge against a rise in inflation.

  • Features

    Avon links up with peers to gain exposure to infrastructure

    2014-05-16T00:00:00Z

    Avon Pension Fund is looking to invest £150m in infrastructure, in conjunction with other local authority funds.

  • Features

    SPPA works to curb admin integration risks

    2014-05-13T00:00:00Z

    The Scottish Public Pensions Agency has produced a contingency plan to mitigate against administrative risks, as it combines the service provisions for two other emergency service public sector schemes.

  • Opinion

    How can you value equities in the digital age?

    2014-05-06T00:00:00Z

    The role of equities is changing in scheme's portfolios. Goodhart Partners' Alan Barlett, Hymans Robertson's Andy Green, JLT's Kieran Harkin, KPMG's Jon Exley and M&G's Aled Smith discuss where value in the asset class can be found.