All Towers Watson/WTW articles – Page 7
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Features
Bulk annuities: How should schemes approach the market?
Analysis: 2018 has been a very busy year so far for buy-ins and buyouts, with plenty of competition and attractive insurer pricing.
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News
Mid-market direct lending approach 'too constraining', WTW says
Mid-market direct lending is “now demonstrating signs of material deterioration in credit underwriting and future return potential”, according to a report by consultancy Willis Towers Watson, which is instead recommending its clients invest in debt for US real estate and UK commercial real estate.
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Features
Automation improves insurer scheme admin but work still to do
The Royal Insurance Group Pension Scheme has reported a “considerable improvement in service” from administrator Willis Towers Watson, after two years of problems that have hurt the scheme’s ability to service transfer requests.
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Features
How can pension schemes support banks?
Analysis: Around 30 banks have entered into bank capital relief transactions with institutional investors, according to consultancy Aon, with the size of the market estimated at about £20bn, and continuing to grow rapidly.
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News
Less than a third of trustees think TPR will monitor fairly
Just 31 per cent of trustees are confident the Pensions Regulator will police funding agreements fairly and effectively in future, according to a survey by consultancy Willis Towers Watson.
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Features
Isle of Wight fund tackles 'problematic' data records
The Isle of Wight Pension Fund has implemented an improvement plan in relation to approximately 1,500 records containing “significantly problematic” conditional data, as it grapples with longstanding issues over member information.
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OpinionIs it time to trim your hedge funds?
Analysis: Since 2000, there has been an extraordinary rise in hedge fund investment. While only 2.1 per cent of large institutional investors had money in hedge funds in 2000, cost analysis service CEM Benchmarking says that this figure surpassed 50 per cent in 2016.
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Features
Are diversified growth funds the place to be?
Analysis: Experts remain divided over the value offered by diversified growth funds. While DGFs offer a source of return that comes with reduced risk and daily pricing, they have come in for criticism in recent years over a perceived lack of performance and value.
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News
CMA: Fiduciary management not overly concentrated
Neither the investment consultancy or fiduciary management industries show signs of excessive concentration, the Competition and Markets Authority has found, but the vertical integration of the ‘big three’ firms could distort the market in future.
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News
UK assets up but savers still look to bricks and mortar
UK occupational pension assets grew 16.9 per cent over 2017 to cement Britain’s position as the second-largest market in the world, but concerning trends in saver attitudes suggest market returns may be masking fundamental problems.
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Opinion
Market Outlook 2018: Storms in the distance?
For a bull run that has been thought of as the most hated in history, the years since the global financial crisis have been kind to pension scheme asset values.
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News
Consultants commit to flagging ESG factors
Sixteen investment consultancy firms have said that they will seek to ensure that pension schemes take into account environmental, social and governance factors where they are financially material.
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OpinionHas the interest rate hike affected annuities?
From the blog: Planning for retirement is as important now as it has ever been. With the ageing workforce, interest rate hikes and the changing pension landscape, there are a lot of external factors weighing down on the retirement saving plans of savers.
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OpinionData Crunch: Why DC market measures are so confusing
Each year we set about estimating the assets in workplace defined contribution schemes in the UK. Our latest conclusion is that the UK DC workplace market contained £338bn in assets in 2016.
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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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News
AE review: Welcome reforms not due until mid-2020s
The government will introduce a package of measures to address issues with auto-enrolment, but questions remain over multiple jobholders and the self-employed, while the timescale has drawn criticism.
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FeaturesReuters adds MAC fund as trend expected to continue
The Reuters Pension Fund has invested in a second multi-asset credit fund and dropped a loans fund, as the lure of high risk-adjusted returns continues to draw investors to MAC products.
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News
Could DGFs deliver a better DC experience?
Analysis: The perceived wisdom of defined contribution investment had always been one that places an emphasis on simplicity.
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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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NewsScottish Widows switches DC defaults to target drawdown
Scottish Widows has changed the default investment strategy of its group personal pension plan clients to target flexible access drawdown instead of an annuity, as member demand continues to shift away from guaranteed income.