Category Archives: Big Government

We almost got a pensions dashboard….

Posted on October 30, 2019 by

It now seems unlikely that parliament will complete reading the Pensions Bill. The Bill introduces compulsion on employers to provide data to a pensions dashboard and it gives CDC the green light, at first for the Royal Mail and later … Continue reading →

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Re-deploying our pension winners!

Posted on December 8, 2018 by

Webb for Regulator? This rumour has sparked a twitter storm among those who think Steve Webb is conflicted in potentially exercising the powers of the Pensions Regulator on policies he initiated as pensions minister. Exclusive: Sir Steve Webb, the former … Continue reading →

Posted in Big Government, Blogging, pensions | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Why pensions must bank on change! We need Open Pensions not a data monopoly.

Posted on November 14, 2018 by

Bounding on stage like he’d just won the 3.15 at Hexham, Guy Opperman exclaimed The occasion – a Prospect discussion called “Banking on Change; the discussion “what open banking could mean for you”. On an evening where BREXIT was whistling … Continue reading →

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The dashboard is dead – long live dashboards!

Posted on September 4, 2018 by

  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

Thinking the unthinkable – Frank’s at it again!

Posted on August 5, 2018 by

For a third inquiry in a row, Frank Field and the Work and Pensions Committee (WPC) – are asking difficult questions that need proper answers. Firstly they asked if the pension freedoms were working – a question that led to … Continue reading →

Posted in Big Government, Carillion, CDC, Dashboard, dc pensions, pensions | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Frank Field helps us spend our pensions

Posted on April 4, 2018 by

  Here is the main recommendation of Frank Field and  the Workplace Pension Select Committee’sfinal report of its inquiry into Pension freedom and choice published today. We recommend every pension provider offering drawdown is required, by April 2019, to offer a default … Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, auto-enrolment, Big Government, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Are DB pensions benefiting from CETV de-risking?

Posted on March 26, 2018 by

  It’s a fair question for a blogger to ask. I don’t have the answer and suspect that you’d get a different reply depending on who you asked. Here are the facts According to Hymans Robertson , The total value … Continue reading →

Posted in annuity, Big Government, BSPS, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Could a Local Government Pension Scheme go bust? NO

Posted on March 11, 2018 by

  Well the answer “no” as has been explained to me by Colin Meech of Unison – who makes the following points; LA’s can not go bust in the way you suggest – they would be taken over by government … Continue reading →

Posted in Big Government, corporate governance, governance, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Nice perk if you can get it! Pension Exclusion in the UK.

Posted on November 10, 2017 by

When Guy Opperman became Pensions Minister , he close to have the words ” financial inclusion” inserted into his title, now is the time for him to prove his title’s worth. According to Government statistics, there are 675,000 of us … Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, Big Government, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Small employers are sorting the pension problem – but they need some help!

Posted on August 21, 2017 by

  There are a lot of organisations taking the credit for auto-enrolment and it’s true it has worked because Government , providers and business advisers have worked together. But the heavy lifting has been done by getting on for a … Continue reading →

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