All Towers Watson/WTW articles – Page 11
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News
Retirement adequacy slips down DC agendas
DC consultants have called for a refocus on retirement adequacy as new figures show two-thirds of employers prioritise compliance requirements over traditional benefit drivers.
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Opinion
Global equities survey – part two
In part two of our analysis of the global equities market, Gill Wadsworth considers how the wider trend, performance and current valuations are influencing UK schemes’ attraction to the asset class.
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Opinion
How is UK pension schemes’ appetite for smart beta changing?
KPMG's Simeon Willis, Towers Watson's Stephen Miles, State Street Global Advisors' Richard J Hannam, Cambridge Associates' Alex Koriath and Indexx Markets' Ronan Kearney, debate the popularity of smart beta among UK institutional investors in the first of a four-part roundtable.
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News
NAPF call for pension commission wins support, practical barriers remain
Industry experts have backed the National Association of Pension Funds’ call for a long-term plan to protect savers’ interests, but question the viability of extricating pensions from politics.
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News
Just months left to tackle contracting-out costs, consultants say
Consultants have urged defined benefit scheme trustees and sponsors to take action as the one-year countdown to the end of contracting-out approaches.
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News
Lifetime allowance cut a blow for DC savers
Budget 2015: The reduction of the lifetime allowance to £1m will hit defined contribution savers hardest say experts, who anticipate a rise in members exiting pension saving.
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NewsHow the 2015 Budget affects your scheme
Chancellor George Osborne’s ‘cost-neutral’ Budget announcement today still managed to herald further changes to the pensions landscape, including plans for a secondary annuities market and a hefty 20 per cent cut to the lifetime allowance.
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News
How Devon is approaching its alt equity smart beta strategy
Devon Pension Fund has set out its approach to its mixed alternative equity index, using the smart beta strategy as a middle way between active management and the fund’s large passive allocation.
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News
Regulatory overhaul creates ‘perfect storm’ for DC schemes
Defined contribution schemes were hit with a slew of regulation last week across contract-based and trust-based provision, as the government and the City watchdog attempted to unify standards in these two areas.
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Features
How UK mastertrusts are designing DC benchmarks
The growing mastertrust sector has created a range of investment benchmarks, but pressure to demonstrate value has led consultants to call for more focus on performance yardsticks that reflect scheme memberships.
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News
MNOPF: captive insurance longevity swap saved £10m
The Merchant Navy Officers Pension Fund has said the use of a captive insurance company halved the cost of its £1.5bn longevity swap, and opened the door for smaller scheme derisking.
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Opinion
Where is innovation coming from in fiduciary management?
Barnett Waddingham’s Simon Cohen, Buck Consultants’ Brian McCauley, Goldman Sachs Asset Management’s Carolyn Tavares, Russell Investments’ Shamindra Perera, Sackers’ Stuart O’Brien, and Towers Watson’s Pieter Steyn compare experiences of innovation within the fiduciary management arena, in the final part of this discussion.
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Opinion
What are the relative strengths of asset managers and delegated consultants?
Barnett Waddingham’s Simon Cohen, Buck Consultants’ Brian McCauley, Goldman Sachs Asset Management’s Carolyn Tavares, Russell Investments’ Shamindra Perera, Sackers’ Stuart O’Brien, and Towers Watson’s Pieter Steyn try to understand the differences between traditional asset management and delegated consultants, in the third of this fiduciary management series.
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Opinion
Does fiduciary management have a transparency problem?
Barnett Waddingham’s Simon Cohen, Buck Consultants’ Brian McCauley, Goldman Sachs Asset Management’s Carolyn Tavares, Russell Investments’ Shamindra Perera, Sackers’ Stuart O’Brien and Towers Watson’s Pieter Steyn cover transparency of fees and information, in the second part of this fiduciary management debate.
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Opinion
Is it possible to compare fiduciary managers on performance?
Barnett Waddingham’s Simon Cohen, Buck Consultants’ Brian McCauley, Goldman Sachs Asset Management’s Carolyn Tavares, Russell Investments’ Shamindra Perera, Sackers’ Stuart O’Brien and Towers Watson’s Pieter Steyn discuss performance, reporting models and metrics, in the first of a four-part panel debate on fiduciary management.
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News
Smaller schemes combine service provision to reduce legacy burden
Leading benefit consultancies have reported more small to medium-sized schemes are bundling services under a single provider in response to a growth in legacy arrangements and to benefit from economies of scale.
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News
Saul: convertibles could spread as schemes look to reduce volatility
Saul's outgoing chief executive has predicted that its use of convertible bonds to dampen pension fund volatility could catch on at other schemes, but some advisers remain sceptical of the benefits offered.
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Opinion
Longevity risk: Is the 1000-year-old man (or woman) a member of your scheme?
Advances in biomedical sciences have dramatically increased lifespans, which poses a real risk to a lot of schemes, with many now looking at the best ways to reduce such a risk.
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NewsReturning volatility could threaten illiquid fixed income holdings, experts say
Pension scheme investors holding illiquid fixed income assets should beware the effects should increased volatility in global financial markets return, bond experts have urged.
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Opinion
Checking the price tag: evaluating the charges obsession
Data analysis: The Budget reforms signal an age of greater plurality in retirement possibilities for members.