Monthly Archives: May 2015
Is auto-enrolment any more than a tax?
Speaking in Birmingham last week, former pension minister Steve Webb, commented on how hard it will be to raise the bar on employer auto-enrolment contributions from the current 1% of band earnings to 3% "Anything to get AE pension contributions … Continue reading
“I’m afraid we had no answers.. good luck! ..-..Steve.”
“Where are all the pension people?” Asked an accountant at #Accountex15 on Thursday. They were elsewhere listening to Steve Webb and Gregg McClymont looking back at the last five years, a neat metaphor for the pensions industry as another accountant pointed … Continue reading
Do you have to be demented to buy an annuity?
This tweet is not the first time I’ve heard this argument Interesting question about pension freedoms and dementia at #micuk – do annuities offer better protection to sufferers? @rosaltmann — Nick Britton (@NickBritton_) May 13, 2015 I heard it several … Continue reading
The tone from the top
Take a close look at the photo above, it’s taken from a Morningstar conference yesterday. The gentleman on the left is asking the question, the women on the right are listening and the gents on the right – well – they’re … Continue reading
Posted in pensions
Tagged Business, corporate governance, dc pensions, DWP, England, Financial services, MAS, Money Advice Service, NAPF, Pension Wise, pensions, Retirement, social media, TPAS, TPR
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Time to move on?
This election was brutal. Gregg McClymont knew his fate but Steve Webb’s defeat was a shock to us all – sadly electors don’t wear pension goggles. Just as we were resigning ourselves to BAU, David Cameron announced Ros Altmann’s appointment … Continue reading
Posted in pensions
Tagged ageing, BBC, change, Conservative, corporate risk, David Cameron, DWP, Government, NAPF, pensions, Ros Altmann, The Pension Regulator, TPR
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Will the lifetime allowance be scrapped- guest blog by Ralph Frank
he appointment of Ros Altmann as Minister for Pensions might well spell the end of the Lifetime Allowance (“LA”). The LA is aimed at limiting tax avoidance linked to pension saving but is, in my opinion, a fairly blunt and … Continue reading
For Ros Altmann, the best is yet to come.
Ros Altmann is our new pension minister, this is unequivocally good news. For years people have been poking fun at Ros Altmann for her claims to be a Government Advisor. Between 2001 and 2005 she was an advisor to no … Continue reading
Posted in pensions
Tagged auto enrolment, Business, Conservatives, corporate governance, David Cameron, David Gauke, dc pensions, Defined benefit pension plan, DWP, Employment, Financial services, National Employment Savings Trust, pension, pension minister, Pension new, pension playpen, Pension Wise, pensions, Retirement, Ros Altmann
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Important days for pensions
David Cameron will be announcing his new cabinet members and more junior ministers this week. Those of us who work in pensions already know that Ian Duncan Smith will remain Minister of State at the DWP, but who will be … Continue reading
Posted in pensions
Tagged annuities, annuity, auto enrolment, Business, Business and Economy, CDC, corporate governance, David Cameron, dc pensions, Drawdown, DWP, Employment, Financial services, Government, National Employment Savings Trust, pensions, Politics, Retirement, Ros Altmann, Steve Webb
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It’s so not about quitting Europe
I am in Europe, well Spain, well Barcelona. Being British makes me a topic of conversations for the very nice Spaniards I’m meeting. So when are you coming out of Europe? I turn on the TV, or read the local … Continue reading
We got scared
When the pencil was in my hand and I stared at those boxes, I must admit that I was scared. Not that it stopped me from voting for the party that I believed in, but because of the responsibility of … Continue reading
Posted in pensions
Tagged #ge2015, Cameron, Clegg, conservative Government, conservative party, Farage, Milliban, Steve Webb
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