Monthly Archives: May 2019

We all love disruptors till we feel disrupted!

Posted on May 31, 2019 by

Yesterday I wrote a blog in favour of annuities and Britain’s favourite annuity broker – Retirement Line. My argument was that some of the best retirement income ideas and one of our best brokers are unknown. What a hullaballoo ensued! … Continue reading →

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Pension Income’s best kept secret

Posted on May 30, 2019 by

Did you know that when you buy an annuity you can change your mind? No? Well neither did I. I thought that once you handed your money over to an insurer that it was it, an income for life with … Continue reading →

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

Con Keating questions the value of “limited liability”.

Posted on May 29, 2019 by

It’s been a while since this blog has featured Con’s incisive thinking. This article calls into question the capacity of shareholders to have their returns and have someone eat the risk. There’s a lot of easy talk about the “governance” … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiduciary Management, governance, pensions | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Risk-taking , ground-breaking academics in our universities

Posted on May 28, 2019 by

I have been impressed by the way academics , through their unions, took on university employers and the received wisdom of the pension industry and refused to let their defined benefit scheme close to future accrual. I’m pleased that one … Continue reading →

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Who says European elections don’t count?

Posted on May 27, 2019 by

The turn out for the Euro-elections saw a sharp rebound this week – for the first time in 25 years, more than 50% of Europe voted. Turnout in the UK was just below 37%. That puts it on course to … Continue reading →

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“Storms pass” – UK politics in 2019

Posted on May 27, 2019 by

The results of the European election polls give us a picture of the voting public’s current respect for the people who govern us. Around 75% of the votes cost were for parties who have minimal representation in Westminster, less than … Continue reading →

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Retail platforms – a boat worth missing?

Posted on May 26, 2019 by

I hadn’t realised until yesterday that the FCA has a SIPP and Platform team in the Retail Investment supervision department. For most of us , the idea that we are buying into a platform when we save into a pension … Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Grand designs from Dolphin Trust

Posted on May 25, 2019 by

If you want to invest in Dolphin Trust , you can still do so by following the link behind the advertisement above.(though the telephone number doesn’t work and you’ll just be handing your contact details to a sales team if … Continue reading →

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

These aren’t “apples and oranges” – just pension pots

Posted on May 24, 2019 by

There came a point as I was reading another article in the FT (about the time it takes to switch pension pots) that I lost my temper. That point was when I read this Mercer says comparing individual pension policies … Continue reading →

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You want to help people engage with pensions? WATCH THIS!

Posted on May 24, 2019 by

Wow! Quietroom have put together a short video of clips of  people confronted by the investments in their pensions. The video also sees what happens when people see a “stunning list of good things” There are a couple of clips … Continue reading →

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