All Podcasts articles – Page 4
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PodcastsPodcast: Regulatory uncertainty puts workforce reform at risk
Podcast:The apparent contradiction between the Treasury’s new exit payment cap and existing Local Government Pension Scheme regulations risks limiting employers’ ability to restructure their workforce, warns Alison Murray, partner and head of public sector actuarial at Aon. She is joined by Linklaters counsel Anna Taylor, in a conversation also covering a new responsible investment bill and a proposed solution to the Section 75 problem.
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PodcastsPodcast: The three-step plan to fix the NHS pension scheme
Podcast: The plethora of administrative maladies facing the NHS pension scheme should be addressed by a three stage approach: capping the problem; a reactive process prioritising those closest to retirement; and proactive use of the dashboard, says Peter Glancy, head of policy development at Scottish Widows. He’s joined by Helen Morrissey, corporate PR specialist, long-term savings at Royal London, in an episode also looking at the suggestion of pensions as deposits for first-time buyers.
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PodcastsPodcast: Arguments for DC consolidation stronger than for DB
Podcast: The pace of defined contribution consolidation could accelerate on the other side of the coronavirus pandemic, but mergers are a less obvious boon for define benefit, say Squire Patton Boggs partner Kirsty Bartlett and Hadassah Shulman, senior associate at Taylor Wessing.
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PodcastsPodcast: DB schemes could be ‘doomed to failure’ by new funding code
Podcast: Defined benefit schemes could be “doomed to failure by measures that are designed to help them”, says Baroness Ros Altmann of the proposed new funding code. She is joined by SEI’s client strategy director Alistair Jones to discuss that issue, as well as the challenges faced by master trusts, and the increasingly bizarre McCloud remedy that, though intended to tackle age discrimination, has been accused of age discrimination.
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PodcastsPodcast: TPR to make changes to DB funding ‘fast-track’
Podcast: The Pensions Regulator will make changes to the fast-track approach proposed in its defined benefit funding consultation due to the impact of Covid-19, revealed its executive director of regulatory policy, analysis and advice David Fairs.
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PodcastsPodcast: Schemes cannot eliminate chance of cyber breach
Podcast: Pension schemes hold an extraordinary amount of personal data. Though trustees have done much since the passage of the General Data Protection Regulation to improve data security, it is impossible to remove the risk of breaches entirely. So says ITM director Maurice Titley, joined this week by Aon partner Lynda Whitney to discuss cyber security, McCloud, and Covid-19’s impact on recovery plans.
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PodcastsPodcast: Pension schemes bill could have ‘unintended consequences’
Podcast: The pension schemes bill defines criminal offences so broadly that it could have “unintended consequences” for the running of pension schemes, potentially stifling legitimate corporate activity. Tiffany Tsang, Local Government Pension Scheme and defined benefit policy lead at the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association, and Eversheds Sutherland partner Jeremy Goodwin both agree that more clarity is needed, in an episode also covering fallout from the passage of the insolvency bill, the launch of the Make My Money Matter campaign, and a 16th century pension scheme bailout.
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PodcastsPodcast: PPF could face new court case on benefits
Podcast: After the ruling from the High Court that the Pension Protection Fund cap on deferred member benefits is illegal on age discrimination grounds, the pensions lifeboat could face a new legal challenge as members who have not reached retirement age have their benefits cut to 90 per cent, argues Ian Neale, director at Aries Insight. He and Sara Protheroe, chief customer officer at the PPF, discuss this topic, as well as the interim regime for superfunds and the implications of the new insolvency bill for pension schemes.
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PodcastsPodcast: 'Crystal ball-gazing' makes ethical investment tough for trustees
Trustees aiming to make ethical investment decisions can find it tough to justify them without recourse to a crystal ball, as the legal requirements are ill-defined, says Irwin Mitchell’s pensions partner Penny Cogher. In this episode she’s joined by independent consultant and long-time pensions expert Malcolm McLean for a discussion covering capital-backed endgame deals, the complications of new insolvency laws, and some morally dubious LGPS investments.
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PodcastsPodcast: The days of ‘amateurish’ trusteeship are over
Podcast: The challenges posed by Covid-19 will accelerate the move toward professional trusteeship, according to Mercer’s chief actuary Charles Cowling, who argues that the responsibilities in this area post-coronavirus will be too much for lay trustees to handle alone. He and Catherine McFadyen, head of public sector actuarial, benefits and governance at Hymans Robertson, discuss LGPS funding, the impact of mortality rates, and give their predictions about the post-crisis world.
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PodcastsPodcast: McClymont - UK still has far too many master trusts
Podcast: The UK master trust market is still lacking the scale needed to provide the best outcomes for members, argues Gregg McClymont, director of policy at The People’s Pension. He and Pat Sharman, managing director at Caceis, discuss concerns from the Pensions Regulator regarding the investment strategies pursued by some of the UK’s authorised master trusts, among other topics.
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PodcastsPodcast: Trustees cautioned to be vigilant about relaxed rules
Podcast: Trustees should not take advantage of easements introduced by the Pensions Regulator, which has relaxed its enforcement rules and reporting guidelines, warns John Reeve, director at Cosan Consulting. He and Kate Smith, head of pensions at Aegon, discuss the recent changes to the pensions industry brought by the Covid-19 pandemic, alongside other issues.
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PodcastsPodcast: Three-month DB contribution holiday ‘might not be enough’
Podcast: Measures introduced by the Pensions Regulator – which allow employers to freeze their defined benefit obligations for three months in response to the economic fallout from coronavirus – might need to be reviewed, warned Emma Watkins, annuities director at Scottish Widows. However, she says the plan gives “breathing space to the most stressed pension schemes”, an opinion shared by Simon Kew, covenant adviser and former manager at the regulator.
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PodcastsPodcast: Webb - Budget must deliver for doctors
Podcast: Former pensions minister Steve Webb argued that “it would be astonishing” if the March 11 Budget does not bring a solution to the issues caused by the tapered annual allowance for doctors and senior clinicians. Sir Steve, now partner at Lane Clark & Peacock, and Lydia Fearn, head of defined contribution and financial well-being at Redington, discuss, among other topics, the possible changes for pensions to be introduced by the chancellor.
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PodcastsPodcast: Regulator should take ‘softly-softly’ approach to DC consolidation
Podcast: The Pensions Regulator should take a “softly-softly” approach to defined contribution consolidation, similar to what happened with master trusts during the authorisation process, where subtle conversations occurred and schemes decided to exit in an orderly manner, according to Adrian Boulding, director of policy at Now Pensions. He and Rosalind Connor, partner at Arc Pensions Law, discuss the response from the watchdog to its consultation of the future of trusteeship and governance, among other topics.
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PodcastsPodcast: Govt and regulators urged to review chair statements
Podcast: Government and regulators should rethink schemes’ chair statements, as they have become a regulatory compliance tool for the pensions industry, according to Darren Philp, director of policy and communications at Smart Pension, and Judith Fish, professional trustee at Dalriada Trustees. The experts discuss, among other subjects, the recent fine received by the Financial Conduct Authority from the Pensions Regulator due to pension failures.
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PodcastsPodcast: Vegan case flags importance of heeding members
Podcast: Trustees and employers should consult members on their beliefs, and incorporate the investment views of the majority in their pension default fund, according to Romi Savova, chief executive at PensionBee, and David Brooks, technical director at Broadstone. The experts discuss the impacts of a landmark ruling finding that veganism is a philosophical belief, alongside other topics, in this week’s podcast.
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PodcastsPodcast: What falling sterling means for pension funds
Podcast: It has been a rocky few months for sterling, with the currency falling more than 7 per cent since May. In this podcast, Shoqat Bunglawala, head of Goldman Sachs Asset Management’s global portfolio solutions business, and Simeon Willis, chief investment officer at XPS Pensions, discuss the main reasons behind the decline, and what it means for pension funds.
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PodcastsPodcast: Tackling the 'long tail' of underperforming smaller schemes
Podcast: The Pensions Regulator’s latest defined contribution survey revealed that only 4 per cent of micro schemes and 1 per cent of small schemes are meeting all of the watchdog’s governance standards. David Fairs, TPR’s executive director for regulatory policy, analysis and advice, has previously described the “long tail” of underperforming smaller schemes as “unacceptable”. In this podcast, Mr Fairs talks to Pensions Expert about what the survey’s findings mean, and how the DC landscape might change.
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PodcastsPodcast: The future of trusteeship
Podcast: Is there a big difference in governance standards between boards with a professional trustee and boards without? Should lay trustees have to demonstrate how they have acquired a minimum level of knowledge and understanding? And what can be done to increase diversity on boards? In this episode, Laura Andrikopoulos, head of governance consulting at Hymans Robertson, discusses some of the Pensions Regulator’s ‘Future of trusteeship and governance’ consultation proposals, and what impact they might have on the industry.