Monthly Archives: November 2012

Why we don’t need to fear a pension “advice gap”.

Last night it was the House of Lords, this morning it was a Parliamentary Select Committee. Both were concerned that an “advice gap” has been created that will mean poor people do not get financial advice on retirement planning. The argument goes that … Continue reading

Posted in auto-enrolment, dc pensions, NEST, pension playpen, pensions, Popcorn Pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Do investment consultants need qualifications?

failure cannot be attributed to poor investment consultancy, more to an absence of investment consultancy where it matters Continue reading

Posted in actuaries, auto-enrolment, Bankers, corporate governance, dc pensions, de-risking, Financial Education, Liability Driven Investment, mallowstreet, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

DO GPPs need governance committees?

When Group Personal Pensions (GPPs) first became popular in the early 1990s, one of their chief selling points was that they needed little or no governance from an employer, the governance was applied centrally by the provider who operated as … Continue reading

Posted in pensions | 3 Comments

Mark is a colleague and a mate- I love this blog even though it lives in a thought paradigm I don’t inhabit

Posted in pensions | Leave a comment

Project managing auto-enrolment

I received a polite e-mail from a company’s Finance Director yesterday. “I see First Actuarial are offering a project management service for small and medium sized companies staging auto-enrolment in 2014; I’ve got four questions for you 1. Why should I … Continue reading

Posted in actuaries, auto-enrolment, Payroll, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Why the DC “game is up” for the active fund managers

Like landed salmon , they flap around on the bank, hoping they may get thrown back in the water. Continue reading

Posted in auto-enrolment, corporate governance, dc pensions, de-risking, infrastucture, Management, pensions, Personal Accounts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

We won’t reinvigorate workplace savings like this

This paper has the watermark of a Department, Government and Minister that has run out of steam. Time to reinvigorate the DWP. Continue reading

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Succinct and to the point

“Digital communications” have moved from Silicon Valley into our coat pockets in a decade. Continue reading

Posted in auto-enrolment, pensions, Popcorn Pensions, Retirement, social media | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

It worked for Wendy- how Morrisons staged auto-enrolment

If I had a vote for “pensions personality of the year, I’d give it to Wendy Taylor of Morrisons and I’d give her understudy Claire Ramus a “highly commended”! They’ve inspired their Board, their staff and they’ve brought a breath of fresh air to the … Continue reading

Posted in actuaries, annuity, club pension, David Pitt-Watson, dc pensions, Henry Tapper blog, Martin Lewis, pension playpen, pensions, Popcorn Pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

A defined ambition scheme that would work

Members want two things from their pensions, a decent retirement when they knock off work and certainty that they’ll get it during their working lives. It is extremely expensive to achieve these things and beyond the means of most people. If … Continue reading

Posted in actuaries, annuity, David Pitt-Watson, dc pensions, de-risking, Management, napf, NEST, pensions, Popcorn Pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments