All LCP articles – Page 18
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News
Industry finds no easy answers in dividends v deficits debate
Most FTSE 100 companies could clear their pension deficits in less than two years by withholding dividends, new research says. Experts have called for more focus on the contrast between dividend payments and deficit repair contributions, though others say there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
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FeaturesTelegraph welcomes smart beta addition to TDFs
Telegraph Media Group has welcomed the downside protection brought in by the addition of smart beta to its default defined contribution target date funds, despite concerns over hidden dangers within the investment style.
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NewsContribution hike prompts pension protest at Bangor University
Public sector union Unison has protested against Bangor University’s plans to raise pension contributions, but despite the demurral, changes will be going ahead this month.
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OpinionBuy-ins and buyouts: The quiet revolution
From the blog: We reached a new milestone in late 2016: the pensions of more than 1m people in the UK are now insured through a buy-in or buyout.
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OpinionData crunch: Who advises the DC scheme community?
SpenceJohnson’s Magnus Spence looks at how the advisory market is developing and explains why second-tier firms are gaining ground with defined contribution schemes.
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NewsIBM revises cash commutation factors
The IBM Pension Trust has updated its cash commutation factors, offering transferring members across its schemes higher lump sums when exchanging part of their defined benefit entitlements.
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FeaturesCombined Nuclear seeks inflation linkage with ground rents
The Combined Nuclear Pension Plan has added a commercial ground rents fund to its portfolio as part of its interest in assets with long-term inflation-linked cash flows.
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News
Increased contributions vital to continue AE success story
The real tests of auto-enrolment are still to come, one of the architects of the initiative has warned, as an adequacy report found many defined contribution-reliant members of Generation X are already beyond auto-enrolment’s help.
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Opinion
Illiquid assets: Latest fad or the future of DC investment?
Analysis: Defined contribution investments are still far less sophisticated than those of many defined benefit plans, but there is growing support for making illiquid assets such as infrastructure or private equity part of DC default funds.
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News
FCA wants to strengthen duty on managers and consultants
About £109bn of investor assets is held by managers who charge high fees but do not offer significant variation from an index-tracking strategy, the Financial Conduct Authority’s interim report on competition in the asset management market has found.
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News
Keep comms 'balanced' as DB transfer interest is up
Advisory service Intelligent Pensions has seen the number of defined benefit transfer requests it has processed increase during 2016 as members seek to take advantage of the freedom and choice reforms.
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FeaturesRexam reduces membership through commutation exercise
The Rexam Pension Plan has carried out a trivial commutation exercise, contributing towards a reduction in total membership as defined benefit schemes are trying to reduce costs.
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News
Rising gilt yields: Inflationary worry or time to buy?
Recent weeks have seen 10-year gilt yields reach 1.16 per cent, their highest level in four months, in a sign inflation is creeping up in the UK economy.
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FeaturesEdinburgh University proposes raft of changes to plug scheme deficit
The University of Edinburgh has proposed a number of changes to its defined benefit pension fund to make the scheme more affordable and sustainable, as its deficit has risen by a quarter.
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Opinion
Select committee rhetoric sees indexation changes creep closer
From the blog: The international day of the older person might not have been as riotous as usual when it took place this Saturday, as private sector pension increases looked more under threat than ever.
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OpinionThe Brexit effect on schemes and stats
The Society of Pension Professionals’ Hugh Nolan explains why making sense of financial stats can be tricky when Brexit is involved.
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NewsBritish Steel pensions rule change proposals shelved
The government has reportedly put aside plans to change pensions legislation that would allow Tata Steel UK’s pension scheme to stay out of the Pension Protection Fund, according to insiders briefed on the issue.
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FeaturesNilgosc turns to low vol equities
The Northern Ireland Local Government Officers’ Superannuation Committee has made a £300m allocation to low volatility global equities in an effort to reduce overall risk while closing its funding gap.
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News
CPI and RPI gap at largest for five years as schemes eye law change
The retail price index and consumer price index were the farthest apart they have been for five years in last month’s inflation figures, prompting debate that legislation could level the playing field for schemes using RPI for benefit increases.
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OpinionGovernance, guidance and good investing – the DC Debate part 2
Eight panellists discuss the new defined contribution code of practice, the future of free guidance and the role of behavioural finance.