All Towers Watson/WTW articles – Page 9

  • Features

    DWP silence on GMPs blocks Smiths implementation

    2016-10-05T00:00:00Z

    Two UK defined benefit schemes operated by technology company Smiths Group have said they will implement guaranteed minimum pension equalisation but need further clarification from the Department for Work and Pensions to do so.

  • Opinion

    How has fiduciary management changed in the past year?

    2016-09-30T00:00:00Z

    Which areas of the market is fiduciary management moving towards, and how is it defined? Six experts discuss what has happened in the fiduciary arena in the past year.

  • Features

    Retirees avoid overspending yet more become insolvent

    2016-09-28T00:00:00Z

    Analysis: New figures suggest defined contribution savers reaching retirement might be overspending and increasing their risk of poverty in later years, but experts warn this could be a false alarm.

  • Features

    PPF deficit figures presage hard times for funding and dividends

    2016-09-16T00:00:00Z

    Analysis: Following the Pension Protection Fund’s news of yet another record deficit in defined benefit pensions, many schemes can expect to gear up for challenging funding negotiations, amid growing fears for company dividends. 

  • Richard Farr
    Opinion

    IRM: Nouvelle cuisine or sing a song of sixpence?

    2016-09-12T00:00:00Z

    Integrated risk management is a tool that was designed to help trustees identify and manage the factors that influence the prospects of a pension scheme meeting its objectives.

  • Opinion

    The shape of things to come: Could robo-advice transform pensions?

    2016-08-19T00:00:00Z

    Would you take pensions advice from a robot? Robo-advice may be the flavour of the month, but not everyone in the pensions industry is convinced the future is fintech.

  • Getty Images
    News

    Railways scheme on track with cost management

    2016-08-04T00:00:00Z

    The Railways Pension Scheme has saved £100m in fees, having restructured its external management and pooled fund arrangements, but despite being cost-conscious, the fund remains focused on net returns.

  • Opinion

    Annuity v drawdown: Dispelling myths

    2016-06-24T00:00:00Z

    From the blog: The lead-up to the launch of the pension reforms in April last year created pent-up demand in the market, resulting in many opting to take advantage of the new freedoms and draw down a lump sum. 

  • Opinion

    Member communications: How much information is too much?

    2016-06-08T00:00:00Z

    Showing interest in their defined contribution pension pots can be a struggle even for seasoned industry professionals, so how and what should schemes communicate to get maximum engagement from their members?

  • Getty Images
    News

    Should you pay higher DC contributions to spur retirement?

    2016-06-01T00:00:00Z

    Any Other Business: Lower employer contributions to defined contribution pension schemes can lead to “massive” challenges in paving the way for older workers to retire and injecting new blood into a business, experts have said. 

  • News

    Illiquidity premiums move up agenda, but questions over cash flow remain

    2016-05-26T00:00:00Z

    The new market liquidity regime will make it harder for pension schemes to access credit, says a new report, which recommends they take steps – in particular, to exploit illiquidity premiums – to protect themselves.  

  • Fixed Income Live
    Opinion

    Opportunities, risks and manager selection in fixed income

    2016-04-19T00:00:00Z

    Fixed Income Live: Five industry experts discuss fixed income investment – the direction of interest rates, where the opportunities lie and how schemes can make sure they get the right manager to profit from them.

  • Opinion

    How schemes can pick the right manager

    2016-04-13T00:00:00Z

    How can schemes know which manager will perform? In the last part of the Fixed Income Live series, Dalriada’s Simon Cohen, Hymans Robertson’s John Walbaum, Mercer’s Joe Abrams, PGIM’s Edward Farley and Willis Towers Watson’s Chris Redmond discuss whether schemes should let their consultant worry about finding the right specialists and what trustees should be spending their time on.

  • Features

    GKN continues derisking with £53m buy-in

    2016-04-04T00:00:00Z

    Global engineering group GKN signed off a second pensioner buy-in during 2015, insuring an additional £47m of pensioner liabilities, as part of a broad strategy to manage asset and liability risk as the groups UK schemes mature.

  • 4imprint hits home straight with buy-in conversions
    News

    4imprint hits home straight with buy-in conversions

    2016-03-23T00:00:00Z

    Trustees of 4imprint’s defined benefit pension scheme have reached agreement to convert two previous buy-in arrangements to a buyout, as the US-focused company looks to tackle its UK legacy obligations.

  • News

    Honeymoon for DGF performance could come to an end, experts warn

    2016-03-17T00:00:00Z

    Experts have warned diversified growth funds could suffer from lower returns in the future and called for increased innovation among providers, but others still expect the asset class to grow in coming years.

  • Getty Images
    News

    RPMI dedicates staff to cost investigation

    2016-03-09T00:00:00Z

    PLSA Investment Conference: The Railways Pension Scheme has hired a full-time employee to investigate investment costs paid by the scheme, after discovering it was paying four times what it had thought.

  • Opinion

    The top three pension priorities

    2016-03-02T00:00:00Z

    From the blog: With the introduction of the pension freedoms in April 2015, employees were given far greater flexibility to draw down their pension pot. But, despite it being nearly a year since the freedoms, many people are still unaware of just how their options have broadened.

  • Getty Images
    Features

    Financial pressures and demise of DB affect millennials' pension expectations

    2016-02-05T00:00:00Z

    Feature: Three-quarters of UK employees expect to be be poorer in retirement than their parents, reversing the apparent laws of financial progress.

  • ACA report
    News

    Cost and complexity increase support for multi-employer schemes

    2016-02-02T00:00:00Z

    The cost and complexity of running a pension scheme is increasing the appeal of multi-employer schemes, experts have said, as a survey shows industry support for government-backed scheme consolidation.