Category Archives: Bankers

The dashboard is dead – long live dashboards!

Posted on September 4, 2018 by henry tapper

  The following statement was made by Simon Kirby, then a Treasury Minister , in my presence on 12th September 2016  I think there are three main principles that must underpin (the dashboard’s) whole design. Firstly, it will need to be open. No single … Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, age wage, auto-enrolment, Bankers, Big Government, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bill Whitehead – well remembered.

Posted on July 27, 2018 by henry tapper

Yesterday was a very moving day for those of us who knew Bill (Will) Whitehead. Thanks to Liz and the children for sharing such a dignified day with grace and humour. I met Bill while at Gissings. We worked with him at … Continue reading →

Posted in Bankers, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Financial Scientologists

Posted on July 20, 2018 by henry tapper

  Paul Lewis is absolutely right in attacking the dogmatism that religion creates. People may be spiritual, without imposing their views on others, but when someone’s dogma overtakes their sense of humanity, they become strangely inhuman. This is what accounts … Continue reading →

Posted in actuaries, Bankers, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

RBS remains a national disgrace. It will reach a “milestone” when it shows itself sorry.

Posted on May 10, 2018 by henry tapper

There has been some good banter on linked off the back of my blog on hand-outs to kids. The Resolution Foundation’s proposals to up taxes for those working longer and hand-out a tidy wedge to kids (to get them owning … Continue reading →

Posted in Bankers, pensions | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

“A decision to take a transfer cannot be reversed and should not be rushed”

Posted on October 31, 2017 by henry tapper

This blog is mainly written for deferred members of the British Steel Pension Scheme, but many other people may find it interesting. There’s no doubt that what is going on in Tata-land, will go on with other employers who feel … Continue reading →

Posted in accountants, advice gap, Bankers, Change, drawdown, Facebook, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

The legitimate concerns of BSPS members

Posted on October 25, 2017 by henry tapper

‘ From the little time I have spent talking online with BSPS members, I have been impressed with the matter of fact way they are dealing with the choices presented to them. Here is a case study of the complexity faced … Continue reading →

Posted in annuity, Bankers, BSPS, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , | 14 Comments

TPR- the price of pensions can fall as well as rise.

Posted on October 12, 2017 by henry tapper

The Pensions Regulator appears to have forgotten one of the fundamental laws of gravity-  “what goes up, must come down”. In consumer finance this translates into “the value of investments can fall as well as rise” and in the case of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bankers, pensions | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

Diversity, Narratives* and Pensions (Con Keating)

Posted on January 20, 2017 by henry tapper

This blog first appeared in Professional Pensions, if you’ve read it before, read it again. “What we observe is not nature itself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning.”    W. Heisenberg, Physics and Philosophy: The Revolution in Modern … Continue reading →

Posted in actuaries, advice gap, Bankers, pensions | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

“Breaking ranks” with a pernicious orthodoxy.

Posted on December 12, 2016 by henry tapper

  In a significant interview with the FT, Michael Higgins, former chair of the Pension Regulator and chair of a £12bn pension trust argues that valuing pension liabilities using the gilt yield is leading to a …. “significant misallocation of resources — … Continue reading →

Posted in accountants, Bankers, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

“Why do we see pensions like that?” Assumptions behind the FAB Index

Posted on October 19, 2016 by henry tapper

This week we published the FAB index (FABI) which shows the way we see the state of this nation’s defined benefit pensions. “We” means First Actuarial, I work for First Actuarial. We want to paint a picture of the pensions … Continue reading →

Posted in Bankers, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments