Category Archives: customer service

How shares work (for us and our pensions)

Posted on April 22, 2012 by henry tapper

Shares haven’t worked well for us over the past twelve years. World stock markets, especially the mature markets in Britain , Japan and the US, are worth less today than they were at the turn of the millenium. While some company’s shares … Continue reading →

Posted in auto-enrolment, Bankers, Change, corporate governance, customer service, dc pensions, defined aspiration, FSA, happiness, Henry Tapper blog, Retirement | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Hose down RBS and Coutts before you put them on the forecourt.

Posted on March 27, 2012 by henry tapper

There is a Coutts cash point in my high street – Eton High Street. It charges other bank’s customers for the privilege of using it. You can do that if you have the banking cachet that Coutts believes it has. Most … Continue reading →

Posted in Bankers, Change, corporate governance, customer service, Fred Goodwin, Management, RBS, Retail Distribution Review | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

It’s not what you say – it’s what you do!

Posted on March 23, 2012 by henry tapper

Here is a heart warming story about a man named Barry who works for Kwikfit in Brentford. He is the the hero of this blog – there are some nameless villains but they shall be forgotten – this blog is about Barry. About … Continue reading →

Posted in customer service, Management | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Building an online community

Posted on March 12, 2012 by henry tapper

  The Kings Men I am sitting on a misty Cotswold hill in utter tranquility. Only the pad of the keys breaks the silence. The morning is still and there is a prospect of a beautiful day. I am alone. … Continue reading →

Posted in cheltenham festival, customer service, Facebook, Henry Tapper blog, Horse racing, pension playpen, Pension Rocks III, pensions, social media, twitter | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Define your aspiration.

Posted on February 13, 2012 by henry tapper

Last week, the brotherhood  of DB and DC pensions got a little sister when Steve Webb introduced the prospect of DA to the family. There is nothing new about the search for a third way, indeed it is the pensions equivalent of the … Continue reading →

Posted in annuity, corporate governance, customer service, dc pensions, de-risking, defined aspiration, EU Solvency II, NEST | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

How’s this for a rip-off?

Posted on February 7, 2012 by henry tapper

I’m not sure if it’s my job to whistle blow and so far they have only followed 82 people on twitter (including me) – but don’t you reckon this kind of offer is a little dubious? Continue reading →

Posted in customer service, dc pensions, de-risking, happiness, Henry Tapper blog, Management, Martin Lewis | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

WE’VE GOT OUR POPCORN PENSIONS!

Posted on February 4, 2012 by henry tapper

There have been a few times in my life that I have felt completely happy, the birth of my son, winning a scholarship to Bryanston and a telephone call received yesterday evening are three that spring to mind. Moments when your sense of self-worth is captured completely in the realisation that something wonderful has happened. Continue reading →

Posted in customer service, Henry Tapper blog, Management, pension playpen, pensions, Popcorn Pensions, social media | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Selling NEST and auto-enrolment to the pension weary

Posted on February 2, 2012 by henry tapper

The issue of fatigue is high on my agenda this morning – especially Regulatory Fatigue. Yesterday the DWP published a host of documents that can be accessed through this link http://www.dwp.gov.uk/consultations/2011/workplace-pension-reform-2011.shtml It dots the “i”s and crosses the “t’s” on a … Continue reading →

Posted in auto-enrolment, corporate governance, customer service, dc pensions, NEST, pensions, Personal Accounts | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Popcorn Pensions III – transforming the business of Pensions

Posted on January 28, 2012 by henry tapper

If you’ve been following my posts recently, (thanks) you’ll be aware of a thread defined by the phrase “Popcorn Pensions” that refers to my friend Peter Shellswell’s KFC moment. Peter told me over the Popcorn Chicken that he’d decided to move on from … Continue reading →

Posted in annuity, customer service, dc pensions, Fiduciary Management, Management, pension playpen, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

A hunger to educate – more on Popcorn Pensions

Posted on January 25, 2012 by henry tapper

Hunger is not a word you’d associate with actuaries. One of our clients described the team working for her as “happy puppies” who approached the task of educating members with ” hunger“. These are not words that exist in the … Continue reading →

Posted in annuity, auto-enrolment, customer service, dc pensions, happiness, Henry Tapper blog, mallowstreet, Management, pension playpen, pensions, social media, Treasury | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments