Category Archives: FSA

“These charges are no more- they have ceased to be”

      Tell me about your Charges Sir Can’t do that …they’re hiddeen Tell me about your hidden charges then Don’t know what you’re talking about Sir.   Much of the problem rests with the word “discretionary”. If you … Continue reading

Posted in Bankers, dc pensions, FSA | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Auto-enrolment – working out who does what.

The hard part in establishing a process to stage auto enrolment and manage it each payroll period is not working out what needs to be done. Process maps exist that will help you understand the scope and complexity of the task. It’s the … Continue reading

Posted in auto-enrolment, customer service, de-risking, FSA, Management, NEST, pensions, Personal Accounts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Heard the one about the actuary, the investment consultant, the IFA and the lawyer?

At precisely the same time, the Pension Play Pen debated the relative value of actuaries, investment consultants, lawyers and financial advisers to Britain’s future pensioners, but in two different towns. These lunches , which have been taking place since 2009, bring … Continue reading

Posted in actuaries, Financial Education, FSA, pension playpen, Retail Distribution Review, social media | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Regulator Strikes Back – Barclays, fund platforms and the FSA

I quote some of an article by matthew.vincent@ft.com  which is quite brilliant (link here) – I won’t ever write this well! The Financial Times continues to provide the world’s best coverage of financial issues – thank goodness we live in a world … Continue reading

Posted in Bankers, customer service, economics, Fiduciary Management, FSA, Greece, Horse racing, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

How shares work (for us and our pensions)

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

I’ve just worked out why wrap rhymes with crap

I had an interesting meeting yesterday with a fellow who has accumulated over £4bn on an investment platform within a few years. The money comes from high net worth individuals who invest in funds. The service he provides allows IFAs to … Continue reading

Posted in auto-enrolment, corporate governance, dc pensions, de-risking, defined aspiration, FSA, pensions | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

SHOULD INVSTORS BE PREPARED TO PAY FOR CORPORATE ENGAGEMENT?

This is the question we’ll be debating at today’s pension play pen lunch. I’m a little daunted . I’ve read Professor John Kay‘s excellent paper about how equities work, should work and why they could work better. He’s in the middle … Continue reading

Posted in Bankers, Change, corporate governance, FSA, happiness, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Search “my pensions”!

Steve Webb is right in reckoning we would value our personal pension saving more if it were in one big pot. He is right that this would make the job of converting pension saving into an income stream for life easier. … Continue reading

Posted in annuity, corporate governance, dc pensions, defined aspiration, FSA, happiness | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The NAPF point the finger at the £1bn annuity scandal

The picture shows the current view of member behaviours in DC and it’s been around long enough for us to feel reasonably confident that it works . The diagram promotes investment strategies that suit the needs of the three member … Continue reading

Posted in annuity, dc pensions, FSA, Henry Tapper blog, NEST | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Sorting the pensions of the “squeezed middle”.

There are three distinct streams among those old enough to work and young enough not to, Stream One is for  those who can look forward to retirement with a degree of confidence because their employer is guaranteeing it. They are primarily … Continue reading

Posted in annuity, Bankers, corporate governance, dc pensions, de-risking, EU Solvency II, Fiduciary Management, FSA, Henry Tapper blog, Liability Driven Investment, Martin Lewis, NEST, pensions, Personal Accounts, Retail Distribution Review, Retirement | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments