Monthly Archives: June 2021
Keep finance “open” – an open letter to the CMA.
Posted in pensions
Tagged CMA, fintecch, OBIE, Open Banking, open finance initiative
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FCA delivers tardy providers and their IGCs a sucker punch
In a surprise statement, the FCA has accepted it my not given providers of workplace Group Personal Pensions (GPPs), sufficient clarity on what the FCA is looking for them to disclose. Some stakeholders think that costs and charges data should … Continue reading
Does the FCA’s consumer duty help or hinder the pensioner?
How Jane can give £10,000 to an insurer for an annuity and not benefit a penny Gareth, “the Ferret” Morgan is a fintech consumerist who stands up for those who are excluded from mainstream financial advice (and mainstream regulation). … Continue reading
Posted in pensions
Tagged annuity, Ferrett, Gareth Morgan, housing benefit, Pension Credit, state pension
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Can you make an informed choice on how to draw your pension?
I’m returning to the questions put to us by the Work and Pensions Select Committee. The call for evidence has closed but the questions remain just as relevant. One question , chair Stephen Timms is putting to us is Including … Continue reading
Why I’m unimpressed by the FCA’s new consumer principle
The FCA launched an update to its over-riding principle “treating the customer fairly” on May 14th. I am underwhelmed and have struggled to find anything to say about the initiative which is positive. There is nothing wrong in the … Continue reading
COST- One good reason to close your company pension scheme
Yesterday I wrote about the specious reasons put up by many in the pension industry for running pensions schemes for the use of one employer’s staff – what used to be called the “company pension scheme”. Today I look at … Continue reading
Five bad reasons for running your own workplace pension.
The Government has made it’s agenda plain. Small (that is sub £100m) occupational DC schemes do not offer the governance, do not have the capacity to diversify into private markets and offer poor value to members , relative to larger … Continue reading
Pension PlayPen posts progress
Steve Goddard, the new CEO of Pension PlayPen tells me that the new Pension Playpen platform is coming soon and is set to cause a chain reaction by connecting pension professionals from junior to Managing Directors, all of which can … Continue reading
Evidence of how the DC workplace market is changing (in the right direction)
My post yesterday pointed to the mixed messages I was picking up from regulators. government and trustees with regards the investment in illiquids. Today I am a lot less confused thanks to contributions from tPR (David Fairs’ blog can be … Continue reading
Private markets – pension’s friend or foe?
Two articles appeared in the FT over the bank holiday weekend that show just how fractured pension investment strategy over private markets is becoming. In the one, David Fairs, the Pension Regulator’s policy Director expresses concern that small defined … Continue reading
Posted in pensions
Tagged Andrew Warwick-Thompson, BT, David Fairs, DWP, ft, private, public, TPR, USS
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