All Opinion articles – Page 32
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OpinionWhat the pensions industry can do to reach technology utopia
The pensions industry lags behind other sectors in terms of technology. However, over time schemes and providers can expect rapid improvements and frequent change, provided that the industry adopts an outward-looking approach to IT, says Ben Cocks, founding director of Altus Business Systems.
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OpinionCash flow management is DB’s new admin headache
From the blog: The balance of payments for defined benefit pension schemes has shifted. With estimated active DB members numbering less than 500,000 and more than 5m members in receipt of their pension, most DB schemes have a negative cash flow.
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OpinionLooking ahead for pensions
Helping individuals engage with their pensions more easily will help the industry attract new savers, ensuring even more people are preparing for later life, says Guy Opperman, minister for pensions and financial inclusion.
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OpinionWhat might the govt’s regime for commercial consolidators entail?
Since the Department for Work and Pensions published its white paper on defined benefit sustainability, two DB commercial consolidators have emerged. Paul McGlone, president of the Society of Pension Professionals and partner at Aon, discusses what the government’s authorisation and supervision process for commercial consolidation might look like.
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OpinionPensions at the party political conferences
Aegon’s Kate Smith explores the pensions policies hidden in the three main parties’ agendas, and explains why Brexit pressures mean few of them are likely to see the light of day.
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OpinionIt's not easy being green
Editorial: These days it is hard to deny that climate change is a material risk to a wide range of investments.
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OpinionIndustry must help small schemes keep up with standards push
Small schemes will always lack the time and resource to match the sophistication of their larger peers unless consultants and providers help them, writes River and Mercantile Derivatives’ Mark Davies.
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OpinionThe evolution of the outcome-oriented DB investment solution
Data Crunch: Broadridge’s Jonathan Libre takes a look at the evolution of defined benefit investment strategies to date, and outlines potential new trends as final salary plans mature.
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OpinionHow should schemes react to stagnating life expectancy?
Life expectancy in the UK has flatlined in the past two years. Is this a blip, or will we see a return to the fast improvements seen at the start of the century? Hugh Nolan, director at Spence & Partners, discusses how trustees can manage scheme funding despite this uncertainty.
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OpinionFinancial wellbeing means stepping beyond pensions
From the blog: It is fair to say employers have been thinking about financial wellbeing for years – even before auto-enrolment most offered a workplace pension, and perhaps some other monetary protection benefits, such as life assurance or income protection.
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OpinionBuilding relationships to protect savers
The Pensions Regulator’s new supervision approach is a milestone for pension regulation, says Lesley Titcomb, the watchdog’s chief executive.
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OpinionWhen member engagement should take a knee
From the blog: Pension schemes are under increasing pressure to invest responsibly. On this side of the pond, this discourse largely revolves around environmental and social investment.
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OpinionDo you want to live forever?
Editorial: Longevity serves as a useful euphemism in the pensions world.
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OpinionWhy raiding pensions in the Autumn Budget is a terrible idea
Leave pensions tax relief alone for the time being, argues Embark’s Robert Graves, explaining how more changes to the system will only put savers off pensions.
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OpinionCMA investigation: Less talk, more action required
The impact of the Competition and Markets Authority’s recent investigation will depend on the way its recommendations are implemented, writes PwC’s Keira-Marie Ramnath, but in the meantime there are simple ways for trustees to better assess value for money from advisers.
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OpinionDC mastertrust consolidation: The long-term outcome
CMS’s Jennifer Bell and Daniel Shaw discuss mastertrust authorisation and the future of defined contribution consolidation.
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OpinionUK gilts: The inconvenient truth for schemes
From the blog: Gilts have been a perennial favourite for UK pension schemes, not simply for their liability-matching properties, but also because of the returns they have delivered for schemes in years when markets have wobbled.
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Opinion
Advertising transfer values: trustee duty or danger to members?
When trustees at the Rexam Pension Plan noticed a substantial spike in defined benefit transfers out of the scheme last year, it seemed like good news.
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OpinionTrustees must not shirk responsibility on DB transfers
From the blog: The Merchant Navy Officers Pension Fund has, in common with many other defined benefit pension schemes, seen a significant increase in transfers out of the fund since the introduction of pensions freedoms introduced three years ago under the then pensions minister, Steve Webb.
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OpinionRegulation must adapt to protect members in consolidation deals
Darren Redmayne from Lincoln Pensions outlines the regulatory and guidance framework that could help facilitate safe transfers to commercial consolidators, and the steps defined benefit trustees might take in the interim.