Monthly Archives: February 2013

Honest! Open Government in operation!

Posted on February 28, 2013 by

The word “transparent” is a syllable too long to be “honest”. Continue reading →

Posted in auto-enrolment, brand, dc pensions, de-risking, ezra pound, NEST, Ricky Gervais, social media, TS Eliot | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Bill – get some DC resource into the Regulator now!

Posted on February 27, 2013 by

Bill, t tPR need a gong-worthy head of DC asap. Continue reading →

Posted in actuaries, auto-enrolment, dc pensions, de-risking, defined aspiration, NEST, pensions, Retirement | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

The problem with actuaries

Posted on February 26, 2013 by

The closest most actuaries get to the beneficiaries of pensions is behind a one way mirror watching a focus group arranged by a marketing company. Continue reading →

Posted in actuaries, Australia, auto-enrolment, Financial Education, First Actuarial, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Better ways to diversify the default.

Posted on February 25, 2013 by

When people see the jigsaw being put together , we may even get better public confidence in workplace pension schemes – something devoutly to be hoped for! Continue reading →

Posted in actuaries, David Pitt-Watson, dc pensions, de-risking, defined aspiration, Financial Education, First Actuarial, leadership, NEST, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Accentuate the positive (Dr John)

Posted on February 24, 2013 by

Gather ’round me, everybody Gather ’round me while I’m preachin’ Feel a sermon comin’ on me The topic will be sin and that’s what I’m ag’in’ If you wanna hear my story The settle back and just sit tight While … Continue reading →

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Some of our insurers are missing

Posted on February 24, 2013 by

What have all these insurers got in common?
Answer, you can’t buy one of their personal pensions today.
Continue reading →

Posted in Change, club pension, governance, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Time to look at VAT on pension costs

Posted on February 23, 2013 by

OK – not the most exciting topic but it’s an important one! I’ve seen no discussion about VAT on pension fees and that’s troubles me as we put together our strategy to sort out the pension challenge facing the 1.2m … Continue reading →

Posted in auto-enrolment, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

For an unexpected treat – turn left at Robert Mugabe

Posted on February 21, 2013 by

Sometimes you find something in the course of your working day that cheers you up. Yesterday around 5pm I was flagging, I had much still to do and I had been at it since the early hours. I suspect that … Continue reading →

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There’s a lot we can learn from town planning

Posted on February 20, 2013 by

Many towns around the western world started out as Roman garrisons. Primitive stockades gave way to fortified settlements which attracted local residents who set up communities outside the fort’s walls. In time, the communities became protected by the Romans and the distinctions … Continue reading →

Posted in auto-enrolment, pensions, town planning | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Reading through the palm of my hand

Posted on February 19, 2013 by

To suppose that we will be purchasing financial services  in 2014 as we did five years ago or even today could be a mistake. Walk down your high street and the only discretionary businesses are social clubs (coffes shops hairdressers and nail bars) – oh … Continue reading →

Posted in brand, customer service, dc pensions, Management, pensions, Retirement | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment