Monthly Archives: February 2022

Pension Bee buzzes off MaPS’ investment pathway tool

Posted on February 28, 2022 by henry tapper

      There are three good reasons for personal pension providers offering unadvised drawdown to  participate in MaPS/ MoneyHelper’s “Investment pathway comparison tool”. It helps consumers make informed choices It is commercially advantageous Non-participation risks public censure. In a … Continue reading →

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Pension savers and their “information black hole”

Posted on February 28, 2022 by henry tapper

Mind the information gap The words below were written in September 2014 by financial journalist Jeff Prestridge , following a meeting with Steve Groves, then CEO of Partnership (thanks to Steve for reminding me of them). You can still read … Continue reading →

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The West must learn fortitude.

Posted on February 28, 2022 by henry tapper

The world is living through a perilous moment. Ukrainians are offering it a lesson in fortitude. Birdsong above Kyiv. Soon, the curfew on the city will lift. And millions can emerge from their bunkers. From our conversations over this weekend, … Continue reading →

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“What’s Putin’s game?” – Simon explains (simply).

Posted on February 27, 2022 by henry tapper

Simon Kuestenmacher is one of the smartest commentators on twitter, he uses data to create charts and maps that give insights based on fact. Here he is , explaining to us the facts behind Russia’s demographics (and how they impact … Continue reading →

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UKrainians

Posted on February 27, 2022 by henry tapper

Slovak authorities said in the 24 hours until 06:00 GMT on Saturday, some 10,000 people entered the country at their three crossings with Ukraine. This is almost ten times the normal figure. More than 43,000 Ukrainians have fled to Romania … Continue reading →

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Count the pennies and the SIPP will look after yourself.

Posted on February 27, 2022 by henry tapper

Most of us pay pension fees for things that don’t matter. Funds that we don’t choose, pension features we don’t use and cross-subsidies we don’t benefit from. But for a significant number of people, running into millions, the principles of … Continue reading →

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Ros Altmann v the Plowman over 13 rounds

Posted on February 26, 2022 by henry tapper

Ros Altmann and I are at loggerheads, I side with Paul Lewis in seeing the current version of Pension Wise as a basket case that should either be revamped along the lines of the FCA’s proposed guided sales model…. or … Continue reading →

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What would we do without bloody difficult women?

Posted on February 25, 2022 by henry tapper

Messaging Gina Miller before I went to the launch of a new play about her and Theresa May, Gina told me that she was “Very nervous about the play!  People will think it’s all true” She needn’t have been. The … Continue reading →

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Swift – does Russia get the message?

Posted on February 25, 2022 by henry tapper

This blog is about Swift, I don’t use it but you may – so skip the explanation if you do – it’s for the non-bankers among us! With the rapid deterioration of the Russia/Ukraine situation, you’re going to hear a … Continue reading →

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“Who sells financial guidance – and who buys it?”

Posted on February 24, 2022 by henry tapper

Does guidance have to be sold? If we are to understand the FCA’s latest informal consultation, we need to start with that question as it is posed by the provocative title of the FCA’s initiative. FCA are looking at the … Continue reading →

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