All News articles – Page 243
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AE review prompts calls on contributions and self-employed
The government has this week appointed an advisory group to support its 2017 auto-enrolment review, as the industry calls for more action to increase coverage and contribution rates.
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NewsManagers improving stewardship disclosure, but ESG has a way to go
Quality of stewardship reports among asset management firms is steadily improving, according to the Financial Reporting Council, but some managers continue to dismiss environmental, social and governance issues.
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Treasury triples advice allowance but limits withdrawals
The Treasury has tripled the pensions advice allowance to £1,500, allowing people to take part of their defined contribution pots early to put towards retirement advice, but some experts say limiting withdrawals to £500 per tax year is still too restrictive.
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NewsJohn Lewis slashes deficit with CPI switch
Retailer John Lewis has agreed a new recovery plan with the trustees of its defined benefit scheme after a large reduction in the funding deficit, due in part to a change in inflation indexing.
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Greater flexibility needed to cope with growing longevity
The Department for Work and Pensions has called on employers to facilitate working at an older age so over-50s benefit from the same opportunities as their younger counterparts.
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NewsDairy Crest churns up a new investment strategy
The Dairy Crest Pension Fund has derisked while restructuring its investment portfolio by moving away from UK investment grade credit and ‘going global’, as schemes continue to reassess the purpose of their credit exposures.
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Thames Ambulance dispute puts comms in the spotlight
A bitter dispute has broken out between Thames Ambulance Service and the GMB union over contributions to two pension schemes, with members feeling confused as to the security of their benefits.
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AE compliance action holds steady amid calls to expand
Auto-enrolment enforcement action is rising, but remains limited to a small proportion of employers enrolling, the Pensions Regulator has said, as experts call for action to widen the scope of the policy.
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Trustees overlook strategic objectives due to deficit distraction
Deficits distract the majority of trustees from focusing on the ultimate goal of paying members’ pensions, recent research has found, but some experts highlighted the role of covenant strength and scheme size in deciding where the priority should be.
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Cracks show over member involvement as MPs debate mastertrusts
As the pension schemes bill on tougher mastertrust regulation is passing through parliament, some have called for making member involvement in mastertrust governance mandatory, but it is feasible?
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Hollis: Bring invisible women into AE system
The UK’s pension system is failing “invisible women” who do not meet the auto-enrolment earnings threshold and are punished for leaving work to care for children, Labour peer Patricia Hollis has warned.
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How has LDI changed over the last year?
Have falling interest rates over the last year finally persuaded trustees and sponsors that yields may not revert to the mean, or do they expose liability hedging as expensive flattery of scheme balance sheets? Axa Investment Managers' Jonathan Crowther, Barnett Waddingham's Sophia Heathcoat, Dalriada Trustees' Simon Cohen, Hymans Robertson's Alen Ong, Law Debenture's David Felder and Standard Life Investments' Mark Foster discuss.
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NewsUnions reluctantly back BSPS closure proposal
Unions have backed a proposal to close the British Steel Pension Scheme to future accrual, raising questions about the future of private sector defined benefit schemes in the UK.
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NewsIsle of Wight's outperformance vindicates active management
The Isle of Wight Pension Fund’s funding level jumped from 78 per cent to 92 per cent over three years, posting returns that reignite the debate over active and passive fund management.
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NewsTrustees told to focus less on market volatility
From Brexit to Trump, the political events of 2016 added to market uncertainty throughout the year, but trustees should take care not to be too fixated on volatility.
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Calls for greater trustee powers as advisers fail to consider scam risks
Government and regulators have been urged to strengthen the powers of trustee boards in opposing suspicious transfer requests, as an alert from the Financial Conduct Authority warned that some advisers are not carrying out proper due diligence on receiving scheme investments.
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DGF growth expected to continue despite challenges
Experts predicted the continued growth of the diversified growth fund market this week, even as the asset class comes under increased scrutiny over performance and competition from advisers.
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Concerns over Lisa mis-selling remain as consultation closes
The Financial Conduct Authority’s consultation on rules for selling lifetime Isas will close on Wednesday, amid continued industry concern that the draft regulation will not do enough to stop inappropriate choice of products.
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Pinpointing life expectancy could cut deficits by £25bn
Using more accurate assumptions on longevity could be the key to bringing down defined benefit pension scheme deficits, new research shows.
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NewsGovernment urged to pick up the pieces of failing mastertrusts
The mastertrust legislation horse is being put before the cart now that the pension schemes bill has reached the House of Commons, as the debate is shifting to who will be the 'funder of last resort'.