Category Archives: advice gap

“My pension offer” – explaining CDC to a confused sceptic 12 years ago!

Posted on September 21, 2026 by henry tapper

This is a blog I published 12 years ago on 28th September 2014. It is now 12 years old and shows that the debate has been broadly the same for some time! Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, auto-enrolment, CDC, pensions, with-profits, workplace pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Take the small DB scheme seriously?” We don’t and we won’t- at this rate.

Posted on December 22, 2025 by henry tapper

In some brooding over the small DB schemes left in the private sector yesterday, I prompted an email that I will quote from. I gave six reasons for there still be nearly 5,000 of the expensive to run and questioned … Continue reading →

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

Rethinking How We Fund Later-Life Care: Time for a UK “CareSaver”? – Alexandra Miles

Posted on November 30, 2025 by henry tapper

This is good, really good and it is I hope , going to be read by those who control the spending on welfare in this country. Adult social care in the UK is under real pressure — underfunded, means-tested, fragmented. … Continue reading →

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Insurers competing for pensions using leverage to boost annuities? Surely not.

Posted on November 6, 2025 by henry tapper

The bulk purchase annuity market comes under the scrutiny of the FT this morning. They are reporting what we have heard rumoured but have had no solid evidence of. The insurers say this has nothing to do with the leveraged … Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, pension genome | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The FCA tell us how far DC “pots” are from being pensions (pt 1)

Posted on May 17, 2025 by henry tapper

At 162 slides, the FCA’s Financial Lives survey of the nation’s understanding of private pensions is a phenomenal publication. It’s the document that was mainly researched this time last year from ordinary people, not those put forward by insurers, advisers … Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, auto-enrolment, dc pensions, pensions | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

CDC for those who want more certainty? We call it “shared ambition”.

Posted on May 11, 2025 by henry tapper

The move to CDC looks happily inevitable. I hope that by 2030 most people in workplace pensions will have access to a pension and the amount of certainty from their pension will be dependent on fiduciaries (trustees and personal pension … Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, age wage, auto-enrolment, pension playpen, pensions | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Competition will not drive good funded pensions; that’s over.

Posted on March 16, 2025 by henry tapper

Waking up to a new pensions world I am sorry to read arguments on social media and in Pension Age lamenting the loss of the competition we have today. The mess of GPPs, single employer DC schemes and the majority … Continue reading →

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Is People’s now a “fully agile internal manager” of our savings?

Posted on February 7, 2025 by henry tapper

Toby Nangle is a good guy, he comes from the investment community and he’s trying to turn People’s Partnership and other savings organisations into the kind of investment houses that make for happy Chancellors. This report is from Pension Age … Continue reading →

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Thoughts on death, tax and pension dashboards

Posted on November 2, 2024 by henry tapper

  In the Autumn Budget 2024, the government announced several measures to reform Inheritance Tax and deliver what it calls “a fairer and less economically distortive tax treatment of inherited wealth and assets”. This includes a measure to make most … Continue reading →

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Stick to the shopping list

Posted on January 29, 2024 by henry tapper

It being a Sunday afternoon and England playing netball on the box, I offered to do the shopping for my partner. The list was short and accurate, detailing exactly what I should be paying for a red pepper, loose tomatoes, … Continue reading →

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