Category Archives: dc pensions

Snap elections – people – and policy! #GE17

Posted on April 20, 2017 by

Snapping people The cost of a snap general election will be highest for the politicians, their advisers  and their families who lose their livelihoods on June 8th. It is tough on MPs, especially those who joined since the 5 year term … Continue reading →

Posted in dc pensions, pensions, Pensions Regulator, Popcorn Pensions, Public sector pensions, workplace pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Pensions Resurgent! The merit of the CWU’s proposals to the Royal Mail

Posted on March 16, 2017 by

For the third day I am returning to the CWU’s proposals to the Royal Mail which I now consider the most important break through in pension scheme design we have seen in Britain this century. I base this on three … Continue reading →

Posted in actuaries, advice gap, David Pitt-Watson, dc pensions, defined ambition, defined aspiration, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why there is no “opt-out” for the self-employed.

Posted on November 21, 2016 by

  I get annoyed when I hear pension experts opine on including the self-employed in auto-enrolment (1). I don’t see much self-employment on their CVs, I certainly don’t see many of them being self-employed out of necessity. But most of … Continue reading →

Posted in accountants, advice gap, auto-enrolment, dc pensions, pensions, Pensions Regulator, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“The Gold Star DC Pension Plan” – awaiting conception!

Posted on October 14, 2016 by

    That good chap Jonathan Stapleton     who runs mags for Incisive has asked me for my view on what makes for a gold star DC pension scheme. I’ve submitted 150 words which I hope will find their way into a … Continue reading →

Posted in CDC, dc pensions, defined ambition, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tax-subsidies on retirement advice; a waste of public funds!

Posted on September 5, 2016 by

The Government intends to extend tax breaks on pensions to allow those with pension pots to use them to pay for advice. The details are in this consultation document. The fundamental premise is that taking financial advice on retirement matters … Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, consultant, dc pensions, de-risking, defined ambition, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Good retirement outcomes depend on collective solutions

Posted on July 17, 2016 by

The FCA have called for evidence on the likely success of our current “at retirement” strategy, this response is consistent with what this blog has been saying for some years, collective problems need collective solutions, the market is not enough, … Continue reading →

Posted in CDC, David Pitt-Watson, dc pensions, defined ambition, defined aspiration, FCA, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Secondary annuities- more questions than answers

Posted on May 7, 2016 by

  I’ve been asked for my views on secondary annuities. I asked myself would I trade my annuity. Of course, I wouldn’t, I wouldn’t buy one. I wouldn’t sell my state pension, I wouldn’t sell my rights to my defined … Continue reading →

Posted in annuity, dc pensions, de-risking, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

So what would a pension exit charge cap look like?

Posted on January 24, 2016 by

Yesterday I spoke on Money Box in support of a cap on exit fee penalties from legacy personal pensions. Claire Trott spoke well in opposition and I’m quite sure that the ABI will take comfort in her argument that a … Continue reading →

Posted in actuaries, dc pensions, Pension Freedoms, pensions, Pensions Regulator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Companies count the cost of pension freedoms

Posted on October 26, 2015 by

Pension freedoms are … creating a human resources burden, the CBI said, as company leaders try to ensure their older staff do not spend their pension pots early and face hanging on to their jobs when they should have retired. “Even … Continue reading →

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What passing bells for those who work as cattle?

Posted on August 24, 2015 by

It’s currently cool to talk about treating your workforce as a commodity. Evidence- Jeff Bezos can get on the Front Page of the New York Times for his experiments in office cruelty. “Amazon is successful right now- Bezos must be getting … Continue reading →

Posted in auto-enrolment, dc pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments