Monthly Archives: March 2016
NEST’s secret digital agenda?
If you are American, NEST does not mean National Employers Savings Trust. it means an internet controlled household management system owned by the same people who own google. So don’t be confused by the title of this week’s … Continue reading
The late-pain robbery! (why pensions are still for the chop)
It’s been two weeks since the Treasury announced no change on pension tax-relief and everybody’s happy nowadays. The forestalling jamboree that had seen SIPP provider AJ Bell estimate £1.5bn flowing into wealth preservation schemes (sorry SIPPs) has been de-railed. We … Continue reading
Posted in pensions
Tagged Budget, Budget16, Chancellor, Financial services, Fudget, Hat, Osborne, Paddy Power, pension, rabbit, Retirement, tax relief
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Prudential’s IGC report – good stuff (with crap PR)
Prudential’s Independent Governance Committee has published its Chairman’s report and you can read it here. You cannot find this link on http://www.pru.co.uk nor has there been any notice of its publication to the public via either of Pru’s two … Continue reading
Posted in pensions
Tagged charges, IGC, Laurence Churchill, PR, Pru, Prudential, Tone, Value for Money
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A shocking lack of care. How AE providers invest our money.
A shocking lack of care Share Action has released this morning its findings into the care taken by leading master trusts and contract-based providers investing our money. The report called “Reclaiming Ownership” makes shocking reading. Of the 11 providers surveyed, … Continue reading
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A London Cyclist foresees his death
I Know that I shall meet my fate Somewhere upon Blackfriars Bridge The Routemaster I love to hate The cones – TFL’s privilege. My bike rack’s at Godliman Street, I cycle down to Waterloo;- And … Continue reading
Posted in pensions
Tagged bikes, Boris Johnson, busses, London, pension, Santander, Traffic
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Selling happiness by the pound
If I was Damian Stancombe, I wouldn’t be talking to me. Damian is a partner at a firm called Barnett Waddingham and I’m forever having a go at his firm. But he’s a tolerant fellow and we still … Continue reading
Posted in pensions
Tagged Damian, elderly, grey hair, Happiness, Happy Henry, love, Old age, pension, pensions, pound, Savings, Spend, the pension pound
6 Comments
There’s no shortcut to pension due diligence -Ros.
It’s reported in the FT that efforts to regulate the burgeoning master trust market have stalled and we’ll have nothing on the statute books this time 2017. This is no surprise, there is no legislative window till Pensions Act 2016 … Continue reading
Posted in pensions
Tagged due diligence, MAF, master trust assurance framework, pension, pensions, TPR, workplace pension
2 Comments
Playing pass the parcel with the pensions time bomb
Experts talk about Australia or the Nordics as countries which have “got pensions right”, but what do they mean by “right”? Can we de-fuse the demographic time-bomb? Or must politicians resign themselves to playing pass the parcel with a suspect … Continue reading
Posted in pensions, Politics
Tagged adequacy, international, pass the parcel, pension playpen, pensions, Play, Politics, time bomb
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Payroll’s good fortune or a pension administrator’s nightmare?
Many of us will have breathed a sigh of relief on hearing that the Chancellor did not intend to make any changes in the pension tax relief. Whether it was moving to a flat rate (possibly unaligned with any tax-band … Continue reading
Posted in pensions
Tagged administration, Business, Financial services, payoll, pension, pension tax relief, Retirement, RTI, scheme pays
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Buying our funds the Ottoman way. What British investors can learn from Turkey.
Last week at a meeting of the Transparency Task Force, I listened to Dr Chris Sier talk of his work in Turkey, understanding how that country’s regulators are getting to grips with fund costs and charges and ensuring that fund … Continue reading
Posted in pensions
Tagged AMC, Funds, Management charges, Transparency Task Force, TTF
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