Author Archives: henry tapper

About henry tapper

Founder of the Pension PlayPen,, partner of Stella, father of Olly . I am the Pension Plowman

TPR – comfortable that VFM will help people make decisions – (they listen to the “right channels”)

In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to The Pensions Regulator’s Ben Gunnee. As well as being an Arsenal fan, Ben is TPR’s Executive Director for Market Oversight and is responsible for TPR’s engagement and interaction … Continue reading

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“Are consumers being taken for a ride on price comparison sites?” asks Johnny Timpson

Johnny Timpson is one of our greatest consumers champions and he doesn’t get the recognition that he and his work deserve, Last week he was serving consumers well again. This weekend , I’ve been arguing that Moneysupermarket could be broadening … Continue reading

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What a day of fun and night of sport!

I’d been out the pub most of the afternoon enjoying the Windsor Ukulele Orchestra ripping through a two hour set in celebration of it being a July Christmas. To remind me that it was not December I needed 30 degrees … Continue reading

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Are different supermarket’s strawberries fungible? Is there VFM but in price?

I have been pondering this, My partner, who doesn’t like strawberries says they are and I say that Waitrose No 1 strawberries are different and are not fungible with Aldi strawberries which are half the price. I want to have … Continue reading

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I didn’t get advised to cash my equities in – did I?

More people are worrying about equities crashing that at any time recently; in my opinion. When Martin Wolf writes a paper for the FT  that predicts an imminent crash, people take note but not in hoards, not like this Why … Continue reading

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Come and debate the future of DC with the Prospect union.

We will discuss how unions are getting to grips with CDC as a way forward to what are currently DC workplace pensions. The event is at 10.30 am on Tuesday 21st July. You can get into the meeting on this … Continue reading

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Triple Lock Revisited : Approximate Costs over 15 Years From 2024/5 -Jon Spain

Revisited : Approximate Costs Over 15 Years From 2024/25   Outline understanding large numbers triple lock background major UK state expenditure 2024/25 UK state pension pensioner population triple lock definition wages growth prices growth random numbers used results conclusions Understanding … Continue reading

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Why the Aberdeen-Stagecoach Transaction Does Not Threaten Bulk Annuities – Gordon Aitken

A Different Direction: Why the Aberdeen-Stagecoach Transaction Does Not Threaten Bulk Annuities Understanding the mechanics behind the deal and why it does not change the endgame landscape Gordon Aitken Dec 10, 2025 Note: These are my personal views and do … Continue reading

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“We’re getting older and we’re working better” – say us over fifties!

During the hottest day ever in June, I spoke to a group of pension accountants about what the future of pensions would be to those looking forward to one. This was before the announcement last week that the state pension … Continue reading

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Is what Moneysupermarket’s unveiling this weekend – a benchmark for tomorrow’s SIPP?

The platforms DC saving offer us are quite different from what a google search for UK investment services offers. Talking to my son I realised that that he and his friends are investing  using trading apps and platforms that I … Continue reading

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