Category Archives: Fiduciary Management

Meaningless choice

“choices should only be offered where they are meaningful, timely and can be taken in the full understanding of both up and downside”.
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Posted in annuity, corporate governance, customer service, de-risking, Fiduciary Management, Liability Driven Investment, NEST, Retail Distribution Review, Retirement | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The man from Yamaichi said no

Sometime in 1993 I was advising a bunch of traders at Yamaichi Securities a now defunct Japanese trading house in the City. The Japanese equity markets were in a tailspin (from which they have not recovered) but the markets they were trading … Continue reading

Posted in Bankers, corporate governance, Fiduciary Management, NEST, pension playpen, pensions, Retirement | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Sacred cows at the abattoir

In her 45 minute talk, Debora led us to an abattoir of sacred cows where we saw strung up on meat hooks our most cherished hopes. Continue reading

Posted in annuity, corporate governance, customer service, dc pensions, Fiduciary Management, NEST, OECD, pension playpen, Retirement | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Rising to Beecroft’s challenge- can we make pensions work for micro-employers?

Scanning the Pension Press as one does when having breakfast these days, I came across an excellent piece of reporting on Pension Insight (fast becoming one of  the best on-line pension publications). New laws are to be introduced which will … Continue reading

Posted in annuity, corporate governance, customer service, dc pensions, de-risking, Fiduciary Management, mallowstreet, NEST, Nick Clegg, pension playpen, pensions, Personal Accounts | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Will the Big Society sort pensions?

When people get to their sixties, they are faced with some big choices. There are life-style choices as they face up to their bodies not being able to do what they once did and their brains not being quite as quick as they … Continue reading

Posted in annuity, corporate governance, customer service, dc pensions, de-risking, Fiduciary Management, NEST, Retirement | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Le Pension Crisis est Arrivé

Image via Wikipedia PWC report today that the value of DC pension pots has fallen by 30% in the last three years. This Telegraph article gives the grim details. This is not a paper loss which can be reversed if markets recover, … Continue reading

Posted in annuity, corporate governance, customer service, dc pensions, de-risking, Fiduciary Management, NEST, OECD, pension playpen, Retirement | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The Regulator, wisdom and the crowd

The Pension Regulator, it needs be said , did not have a good Professional Pension Show. Things started well enough with a keynote speech that laid out its 2012 agenda Get DB solvent Get DC sorted Get Auto-Enrolment in Simples… And that … Continue reading

Posted in annuity, corporate governance, customer service, dc pensions, de-risking, Fiduciary Management, Liability Driven Investment, NEST | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

A pound spent on pension’s as good as salary – the new golden rule

I published a blog recently on the need for the DWP to take notice of the real concerns of the ASA. It got some  really interesting comments made on various sites mainly opposing the ACA’s pessimism. Interestingly the pessimism of the actuaries mirrors … Continue reading

Posted in annuity, corporate governance, dc pensions, Fiduciary Management, pension playpen, pensions, Retirement | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Just watched the Wigan West Ham game on radio

Watching a Premier League Game is a marketing not a football experience. Continue reading

Posted in Fiduciary Management | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A massive failure of nerve – the sad state of our DC pensions

Last year 460,000 people bought annuities from their DC pensions, Two thirds of these people did not bother to get the best rate for their accumulated funds and as a result suffered on average a 10% lower pension than those who did. Continue reading

Posted in corporate governance, dc pensions, de-risking, EU Solvency II, Fiduciary Management, Liability Driven Investment, NEST, pensions, Personal Accounts, Retirement | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments