All Mercer articles – Page 8
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News
Companies reduce scheme deficits by £8bn
The combined pension deficit of FTSE 350 companies improved by £8bn over 2017, while assets went up more than £44bn to £781bn, a pensions consultancy said.
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News
PASA selects members for Transfers Working Group
The Pensions Administration Standards Association has today announced the 23 members of its new Transfers Working Group, which aims to look closely at defined benefit transfer delays.
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Features
Islington weighs up equity protection strategies
The London Borough of Islington Pension Fund is assessing three equity protection strategies as part of its ongoing investment strategy update.
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News
Experts call for tempering of freedoms
The UK pension system lags many of its European peers in a report out this week, which recommends restoring the requirement to take savings as an income stream.
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OpinionIs the CDC era about to begin?
The Pensions Management Institute’s Tim Middleton says positive experience in the Netherlands and a change in the political landscape are paving the way for the adoption of collective defined contribution in the UK.
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News
PPF consultation on contingent assets will create 'winners and losers'
The Pension Protection Fund has responded to concerns about ambiguity in the wording of its contingent asset agreements, with the launch of a consultation to examine the role of such assets in calculating the PPF levy.
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Opinion
Are pensions what the self-employed need?
Ben Jennings is not saving into a pension, and neither are his peers. The cartoonist and illustrator, whose work appears in this publication and The Guardian among others, says he and and other self-employed 20-somethings are too busy trying to pay their rent.
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NewsCMA begins consultant investigation as FCA calls trustees 'weak'
The Financial Conduct Authority has finalised its referral of the investment consultancy industry to the Competition and Markets Authority, beginning an 18-month period of investigation into conflicts of interest in the sector.
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Features
Deficits have dropped, but how should schemes react?
Analysis: While there has been a recent improvement in defined benefit pension fund deficits, market volatility, weak covenants and increasing longevity mean trustees should continue to keep a tight rein on risk and cost management.
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NewsWatchdog referral looms for investment consulting industry
Industry-led proposals to minimise conflicts of interest in investment consulting have been rejected by the Financial Conduct Authority, bringing firms a step closer to investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority.
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Features
Addressing career flexibility could help tackle gender pensions gap
The gender pay gap is a multi-faceted problem that needs a multi-pronged approach, experts say — from financial education to adapting the pensions system to assist flexible working.
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FeaturesCould hybrids solve the pensions adequacy problem?
One has to feel sorry for members of Generation X. Successive studies have shown that unlike their millennial counterparts, whose quality of retirement it is entirely within the reach of policymakers to decide, defined contribution has failed Gen X-ers.
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OpinionHow to protect your scheme when Article 50 is triggered
Schemes should not be afraid to consider bold changes to funding and investments in the face of the UK’s exit from the EU being triggered, says Mercer’s Darren Masters.
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News
DWP blocks Nest drawdown in favour of industry innovation
The Department for Work and Pensions has decided against letting Nest offer drawdown after strong opposition emerged at consultation, opting instead to rely on industry innovation, but some have questioned whether the market will provide this.
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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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Opinion
Can global DB experience help the UK out of crisis?
UK pensions, we are often told, are in crisis. Sustained downward pressure on yields have widened scheme deficits over the year, with the prospect of higher inflation just another concern to add to trustees’ agendas.
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News
FCA reveals transfer data as experts note 'dramatic' increase
Close to 8,000 people transferred out of defined benefit schemes and into defined contribution between Q3 2015 and Q1 2016, figures from the Financial Conduct Authority show, but experts estimate the numbers may be even higher.
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OpinionLow 50/50 take-up means assumptions must be revised
Recent demographic analysis highlights the fact that the new Local Government Pension Scheme 50/50 option – where members pay half of contributions in return for half of the benefits – has not yet captured imaginations.
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News
Share prices hit by DB deficits could spur fresh derisking drive
Defined benefit pension deficits are dragging down the market capitalisations of FTSE 100 companies, according to a recent study, as investors recognise the difference between disclosed deficits and the cost of securing benefits upon insolvency.
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OpinionAre we engaged enough?
Shareholder engagement has been shown to be beneficial for those schemes that use it, but are schemes using it enough? Mercer’s Aled Jones takes a closer look.