Monthly Archives: October 2017

There are no rats and the ship is not sinking (a message for BSPS members)

Thanks to the moderators of the BSPS Facebook groups for access and to the poll’s author for permission to publish. This is a very worrying post from a BSPS member. The poll is recent and is the only data I … Continue reading

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

We need to learn to love the PPF more

Hilary Salt asks “rather than designing new DB superfunds, wouldn’t it be better to grow to appreciate and improve our existing superfund?” It must be frustrating for the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) when the public perception is that to end … Continue reading

Posted in actuaries, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Luvvies warm to sustainable investment!

  A group of high-profile actors and performers have voiced support for a campaign by members of the British actors’ union. It seeks to encourage its pension provider to move their money away from fossil fuels which harm the planet and financial … Continue reading

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Time-bound decisions; the tough choices facing BSPS members

Supporting the Steel Workers in their decision making Over the weekend I was asked to join two important Facebook Groups, one is for those still working at Tata and the other for former employees, what links them is that both … Continue reading

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

How small schemes can win (with no surrender)!

I’m listening to Bruce Springsteen – “no retreat, baby no surrender” A useful note about “the consolidation opportunity” sits in my inbox. It’s from Con Keating who had been studying the ONS data on how pension schemes invest their money.  He … Continue reading

Posted in advice gap, napf, pension playpen, pensions, Pensions Regulator | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Less sales – more trustees please.

I was jogged out of my Friday night lethargy by this picture. Aon’s master trust has just been awarded a “Pension Quality Mark” by the PLSA.  I find this picture quite disturbing. The pensions minister Guy Opperman (right) is featured … Continue reading

Posted in advice gap, pension playpen, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

A lot not happening! PLSA update

  As the PLSA conference winds down and attendees return home, they will be left wondering what hasn’t happened. A lot of debate didn’t happen because those most wanting to debate were not at the Conference. Thankfullly we had expert … Continue reading

Posted in pensions, Politics, Popcorn Pensions, Retirement | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

You wait years for good pension communications and then…..

All the best documents can be digested at a glance- think P60 ( or P45 if you’re more used to them)! Simple lay-out , necessary information, few words, maximum impact as it’s all there on one sheet. You wait years … Continue reading

Posted in advice gap, annuity, later life, pensions | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Does financial incapacity matter?

We are a nation of financial incompetents.- or so FCA research tells us. A quarter of the people who have accessed a defined contribution pension in the past two years do not know how they did so.  The Financial Lives survey, … Continue reading

Posted in advice gap, pensions | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Am I irrationally exuberant (about my pension)?

Irrational exuberance is unsustainable investor enthusiasm that drives asset prices up to levels that aren’t supported by fundamentals. The term “irrational exuberance” is believed to have been coined by Alan Greenspan in a 1996 speech, “The Challenge of Central Banking … Continue reading

Posted in advice gap, investment, pensions | 4 Comments