Monthly Archives: June 2012

Lady Lucy in Henley day one

It didn’t rain- well it hardly rained! That’s a positive The river does strange things to your sense of time and place since the compass of your travel is limited to a narrow band of water threading through the countryside. … Continue reading

Posted in henley | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Thank RBS for a Pension and Payroll lesson .

The last few days have not been good for those relying on RBS – be it their own , their employers’ or of their creditors’ RBS bank account. We have become reliant on our banking system and as Robert Peston put it … Continue reading

Posted in auto-enrolment, Bankers, Financial Education, Management, NEST, pensions, RBS | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Gloriana through Hurley Lock in midsummer sunshine

Posted in gloriana, henley, jubilee | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Sponsor affordability and the use of security

This is an excellent article from my friend Simon Kew who trades as the Pensions Jackal on twitter. The subject may seem obscure but it isn’t – if you are in a Defined Benefit Pension Scheme you should know about … Continue reading

Posted in de-risking, defined aspiration, Financial Education, Pension Rocks III, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pensions Bindweed- pretty and deadly

Management is a carrot and stick affair. If you are managing a company  pension plan you can reward your pension manager with ongoing support or you can give it the sack. That’s  governance for you. But if you are sponsoring a … Continue reading

Posted in dc pensions, pensions, Popcorn Pensions, Retirement | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Japanese Knotweed – the spread of passive defaults.

While investment consultants ponder the fifty shades of grey of diversification, I ponder just who , outside a small number of “experts” is prepared to take a decision on the default investment option of a company’s defined contribution pension scheme. This question … Continue reading

Posted in dc pensions, Financial Education, NEST, pensions, Popcorn Pensions, Retail Distribution Review | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

What do Jimmy Carr, the FTT and the film industry have in common?

Simples- they are today’s top stories and they’re all about personal greed. This article condemns that greed and suggests that people can have fun without ripping off others. Jimmy Carr has been caught using K2 – a Jersey loan back arrangement that left … Continue reading

Posted in corporate governance, Cruise boats, customer service, happiness | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The economic history of the world in one little graph

  That headline is a big promise. But here it is: The economic history of the world going back to Year 1 showing the major powers’ share of world GDP, from a research letter written by Michael Cembalest, an analyst … Continue reading

Posted in economics, Facebook, Financial Education, twitter | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Performance enhancing rugs

News is coming in that Wayne Rooney has tested positive for a performance enhancing rug.  His magnificent header from all of 6 inches crowned another fab night’s footie in Ukrania. And this in a game that but for Capello’s pleading, our … Continue reading

Posted in Euro 2012, football | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pensions or Porn? – The Jury’s out

The choices we have when we have time to ourselves vary from immediate sensual gratification (porn) to deferred financial gratification (pensions). Put like that it’s not surprising that porn sites get rather more hits than pension sites. This post is … Continue reading

Posted in pension playpen, pensions, Retirement, social media | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment