Category Archives: Financial Education

Who’s been sleeping in my bed? Shocking stuff on stock lending.

Storage companies do not lend out your property, but fund managers do! Continue reading

Posted in dc pensions, Fiduciary Management, Financial Education, First Actuarial, NEST, pension playpen, pensions, stock lending | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The problem with actuaries

The closest most actuaries get to the beneficiaries of pensions is behind a one way mirror watching a focus group arranged by a marketing company. Continue reading

Posted in actuaries, Australia, auto-enrolment, Financial Education, First Actuarial, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Better ways to diversify the default.

When people see the jigsaw being put together , we may even get better public confidence in workplace pension schemes – something devoutly to be hoped for! Continue reading

Posted in actuaries, David Pitt-Watson, dc pensions, de-risking, defined aspiration, Financial Education, First Actuarial, leadership, NEST, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Pension agnostic?

An “agnostic” is someone who knows he cannot know and so gives up trying to find out. You hear the phrase “pension agnostic” bandied around at the moment, mainly from the providers of ancillary services that help companies auto-enrol. If you key … Continue reading

Posted in actuaries, Consolation, corporate governance, dc pensions, defined aspiration, Fiduciary Management, Financial Education, First Actuarial, hargreaves lansdowne, pension playpen, pensions, Retirement | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

People get ready!

If “wave one” so far looks a success, what about waves 2 and 3 and what can the employers preparing to stage in late 2013 and onwards learn? Continue reading

Posted in auto-enrolment, brand, Financial Education, First Actuarial, Payroll, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Bothered about your pension wealth?

In the past few days I’ve had some fruity exchanges with Tom McPhail of Hargreaves Lansdowne about when people should start getting interested in managing their pension pot. Tom’s view is “as soon as savings begin, mine “when you can be bothered”. Hargreaves … Continue reading

Posted in auto-enrolment, Bankers, dc pensions, Financial Education, First Actuarial, governance, hargreaves lansdowne, one pound fish, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

It’s a wrap trap – but who’s been caught?

If you thought you were sick of pensions, imagine  the nausea of the life company CEO. If you are such a beast and reading this, you are probably are American or European and your company brought into the UK a few years back … Continue reading

Posted in auto-enrolment, dc pensions, Financial Education, First Actuarial, NEST, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

From aubergines to Amazon- the unstoppable Vivi Friedgut

I had been hoping to make an Amazon bulk purchase of Vivi Friedgut’s book “Money Smarter- a Family Guide” but have been frustrated by the book’s  being virtually sold out. It’s turning into a phenomenon and is on the verge of breaking into Amazon’s top … Continue reading

Posted in Australia, auto-enrolment, Bankers, dc pensions, Financial Education, governance, leadership, Linkedin, mallowstreet, pension playpen, pensions, Retirement | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Never mind the width – feel the quality!

  In the heyday of occupational pension provision, offering membership to a company pension scheme sent a clear message to staff that the company was confident in its future and cared for its human resource. When defined benefit schemes were first … Continue reading

Posted in auto-enrolment, Consolation, dc pensions, Financial Education, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

“Comply or explain” – will “bottom up” regulation work for pensions?

“Comply or Explain” is a phrase that crept into the “corporate governance” lexicon after the 1992 Cadbury report. The idea’s that rather than demand compliance with Government standards, regulators give companies the option to comply or explain why they haven’t. … Continue reading

Posted in auto-enrolment, club pension, corporate governance, customer service, Fiduciary Management, Financial Education, napf, NEST, pension playpen, pensions, Retirement | Tagged , , , , , , , | 11 Comments