Monthly Archives: December 2016

All that I admire

Posted on December 26, 2016 by henry tapper

The main point of volunteering for Crisis at Christmas is to ease the pain of being homeless at this time of the year. But it also gives 11,000 people the chance to get to know each other without any of … Continue reading →

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A tale so sad I cried writing it down

Posted on December 25, 2016 by henry tapper

    I had my Christmas lunch with Brian. Brian is homeless. He is 69. He will not use hostels or night-shelters as this would mean mixing with people who drink. He does not drink as his family was a … Continue reading →

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Happy Christmas – VAR is over.

Posted on December 25, 2016 by henry tapper

The conventional approach to pension scheme asset management has been a powerful instrument of mis–education. Consultants and trustees are taught about matching assets to liabilities, the use of standard deviation and the Brinson axiom. They may be told something about … Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, pensions | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Sobriety at Christmas

Posted on December 24, 2016 by henry tapper

Crisis at Christmas Most of my 55 Chistmas’ have been “merry”, to the point of self-indulgence. This Christmas I am discovering that for other people, “merry” is a hard-earned word. Last night I saw people coming into Crisis At Christmas’ Bermondsey … Continue reading →

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Why pensions should become a big government obsession in 2o17!

Posted on December 24, 2016 by henry tapper

  In my article yesterday, I suggested we don’t need to change pension regulations, we need to stop looking at pensions as a threat but as a benefit. This applies to auto-enrolment too- where employers are not engaging with pensions, … Continue reading →

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Pensions -a benefit – or a threat?

Posted on December 23, 2016 by henry tapper

This is a record of a conversation had between me and my colleagues Hilary Salt, Rob Hammond and Derek Benstead, there were other parties to the conversation , I won’t name them, but they were interested and interesting. Essay question … Continue reading →

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Well the days are getting longer again…

Posted on December 22, 2016 by henry tapper

There is a cyclicality about the calendar that deflates the vanity of our earthly endeavours. We may feel we have reached rock bottom, our heads screaming for cold relief, party relief and release from the toad work, but guess what … Continue reading →

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Planning Finances or Selling Insurance?

Posted on December 21, 2016 by henry tapper

I’ve written a couple of blogs this week about my need for financial planning and my fear of wealth management. To repeat again, I don’t want to be treated as wealthy, but I do need help planning my saving and … Continue reading →

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Of nuclear deterrents, sledgehammers and nuts – (DWP Select on DB)

Posted on December 21, 2016 by henry tapper

The 90 page report on the state of our defined benefit pension schemes is published this morning. From first to last it is the work of Frank Field, it begins with BHS and ends with BHS, the confrontation with Philip … Continue reading →

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Can succession succeed? An everyday story of IFA folk.

Posted on December 20, 2016 by henry tapper

  Yesterday I published an article about my fears of putting my money into the hands of a wealth manager. They can be summed up as Financial – the “money” bit of value for money , was skewed against me … Continue reading →

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