Monthly Archives: March 2013

This is no country for old women

Posted on March 23, 2013 by henry tapper

I haven’t been a great fan of academic pensions research or researchers for that matter. The research is typically a big whinge about people not getting a fair deal, the researchers comfortably cocooned in university sponsored sinecures or pensions. So I … Continue reading →

Posted in actuaries, annuity, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

DC4Good; ABdc and the Pension Trust get it.

Posted on March 22, 2013 by henry tapper

  DC just took a little step forward… Here’s AllianceBernstein‘s press release (with the flim-flam deleted and my comments in blue) AllianceBernstein has launched a range of ethical target date funds for the  UK DC market.   Good news, we all know that … Continue reading →

Posted in actuaries, annuity, corporate governance, dc pensions, defined aspiration, pensions, target date funds | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Budget – Becalmed in the middle of the lost decade!

Posted on March 21, 2013 by henry tapper

This wasn’t really a budget about pensions and the usual scare stories about threats to pension saving proved groundless. It certainly didn’t do much for those in retirement. Continue reading →

Posted in auto-enrolment, dc pensions, Treasury | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“We grow old, we grow old” – a budget day blog

Posted on March 20, 2013 by henry tapper

It’s budget day. I was asked to be a commentator on a budget briefing this afternoon but I’m not good on economics – more interested in nuts and bolts. All the same, it’s useful sometimes to stick your head up and … Continue reading →

Posted in dc pensions, doctors, Henry Tapper blog, pension playpen, pensions, Treasury | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

It’s a “no” to that Royal Charter from the Plowman

Posted on March 19, 2013 by henry tapper

In case you are wondering, the views of the pension plowman are not necessarily those of First Actuarial and quite often aren’t. Continue reading →

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Beeb forces closure of offshore payroll loophole

Posted on March 19, 2013 by henry tapper

A good news story all round (except for the man and the goat on Sark). Continue reading →

Posted in auto-enrolment, dc pensions, Henry Tapper blog, Jersey, pensions, Retirement, smelly | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Spurgeoning

Posted on March 18, 2013 by henry tapper

This morning the river spurgeoned under Windsor bridge. “Spurgeoning is” a word created by Anthony Burgess to describe the motion of a fast flowing river as it eddies after passing a fixed impediment (such as Windsor or Stratford bridge). Watching the … Continue reading →

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By your clicks shall ye be known – the self-immolation of Gavin Barwell MP

Posted on March 17, 2013 by henry tapper

Thanks to the Guardian for this… Conservative MPGavin Barwell thought he was exposing a particularly shameless piece of political moneyspinning when he clicked on a link tweeted by Labour and found a press release accompanied by an advert saying “date … Continue reading →

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What to do about commission

Posted on March 16, 2013 by henry tapper

Debbie O’ Donovan who blogs as DOD has written a definitive comment on commission and the shameful shenanigans of Q4 2012 which saw advisory firms filling their boots at the expense of the members of workplace pension schemes. Many years ago … Continue reading →

Posted in auto-enrolment, corporate governance, dc pensions, pensions, Retirement | 9 Comments

Cometh the hour;- the Regulator gets its man

Posted on March 16, 2013 by henry tapper

I’m really pleased that they have chosen as their new Executive Director for DC – Andrew Warwick-Thompson Continue reading →

Posted in auto-enrolment, dc pensions, FSA, NEST, pension playpen, pensions, Personality, Retail Distribution Review | 9 Comments