Monthly Archives: January 2013
NEST Insight; what the 11m+ “unpensioned” think.
NEST has produced a chunky report that “takes the temperature of automatic enrolment”. This promises to be the first of a series and as the first has five years of accumulated insights to lay before us. I thoroughly recommend it … Continue reading
Posted in auto-enrolment, corporate governance, customer service, David Pitt-Watson, First Actuarial, leadership, Liberal Democrats, napf, NEST, Payroll, pensions, Personal Accounts, Retirement
Tagged Cassandra, Employment, Financial services, Government, National Employment Savings Trust, pension, Steve Webb, Tim Jones
8 Comments
Who’ll pay the price for an auto-enrolment train crash?
So far – so good! Large companies that have staged auto-enrolment have thrown money at the problem (Lloyds Bank claim more than £1m). But we haven’t had a failure – yet! The DWP thought the average enrolment costs for large … Continue reading
Posted in auto-enrolment, pensions
Tagged Business, Company, DWP, Employment, National Employment Savings Trust, OFT, pension, Small and medium enterprises
17 Comments
The sunny uplands of Wiltshire
Above the Donheads and the villages of the Chalk Valley rises White Sheet Hill the western end of a ridge that runs 16 miles to Salisbury. Few buildings are on this ridge other than agricultural barns protecting hay, straw and … Continue reading
Posted in pensions
Tagged Christmas, Dorset, England, London, Ridgeway, Salisbury, Saudi Arabia, Wiltshire
2 Comments
Don’t worry – be happy!
“It’s a worry – such a worry..” Like mother Hen I was clucking around the farmyard worrying about auto-enrolment. “Calm down Plowman” – I told myself, it might never happen, as yet the sky has not fallen on my head nor … Continue reading
Taking meaningful investment choices off the shelf
I’m pleased to hear that NEST is planning to explain its investment plans that everyone can understand.I visited their offices last week and spoke with their chief investment officer about this. I hope that as part of this explanation , he’ll … Continue reading
Dear OFT….
I see you are looking into pensions and will be completing a “market study” by August that will focus on value for money and the size of pension pot savers end up with at retirement. I hear it will look … Continue reading
Posted in auto-enrolment, dc pensions, First Actuarial, NEST, pensions, Retirement
Tagged AMC, August, Dublin, Employment, Financial services, Office of Fair Trading, pension, Pension Regulator
18 Comments
From aubergines to Amazon- the unstoppable Vivi Friedgut
I had been hoping to make an Amazon bulk purchase of Vivi Friedgut’s book “Money Smarter- a Family Guide” but have been frustrated by the book’s being virtually sold out. It’s turning into a phenomenon and is on the verge of breaking into Amazon’s top … Continue reading
Why we must get resolution on pension charges
We shouldn’t underestimate the task the 14 members of the ABI have set themselves in promising to fully disclose charges and costs (see previous blog). 14 insurers have made the pledge but there are many insurers that haven’t nor are … Continue reading
Vertical disintegration
14 of the largest insurer offering pension plans have agreed to publish the true costs of the funds they off to people buying the personal and company pensions they run. These funds sit on “platforms” which provide investment administration , keep … Continue reading
OFT rattles pension consultant’s cage -shock!
There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. – Machiavelli There’s a lot of change … Continue reading
Posted in pensions
20 Comments