Category Archives: leadership
Paying for other people’s pensions
I’ve said it before on this blog, but I’ll say it again. The amount of Council Tax many people pay to fund other people’s pensions exceeds their own contributions into pensions, even when they’ve been auto-enrolled into “workie”. “You … Continue reading
Posted in de-risking, Financial Education, governance, infrastucture, investment, leadership, pensions
Tagged auto enrolment, Centre for Policy Studies, change, CPS, LGPS, Michael Johnson, pensions
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Can the pension insurers win back their customers’ respect?
IGCs are ours to use and not the insurers to castrate. Continue reading
Posted in governance, investment, later life, leadership, Pension Freedoms, pension playpen, pensions
Tagged advosors, Fiduciary, Government, IFAs, IGC, Inurer, pension, Pension Freedoms, Politics, Ros Altmann
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Terry Smith – What I have learned from Fundsmith in the Past Five Years
Fundsmith is my favourite fund manager. Like Aberdeen (another favourite whose conference I’m going to today), it is an organisation with a strong purpose (moral and social). Terry Smith is an extraordinary man who’s views are always worth reading. He … Continue reading
Posted in investment, leadership, Management
Tagged fund management, Fundsmith, Investment, moral purpose, purpose, social purpose
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Everything you wanted to know about the AE Common Data Standard (in 500 words)
What’s the point? There are around 30 pension providers an employer can choose to set up their workplace pension and around 40 further providers who will convert their existing workplace pension into a scheme that qualifies for workplace pension. … Continue reading
Posted in auto-enrolment, leadership, pensions, Pensions Regulator, Retirement
Tagged Andy Agethangelou, auto enrolment, Business, Capacity crunch, common data standard, dc pensions, Defined benefit pension plan, DWP, Financial services, FofAE, Government, National Employment Savings Trust, PAPDIS, Pension new, pensions, Retirement
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Time to be clear on what’s a good workplace pension.
We are losing sight of what the charges consultation is about. It is about improving pension outcomes. Continue reading
Posted in advice gap, auto-enrolment, David Pitt-Watson, dc pensions, leadership, Payroll, pensions, Personal Accounts, stock lending
Tagged Business, charges, Consultation, costs, custody, DWP, Employment, Financial services, Government, National Employment Savings Trust, novarca, pension
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It looks like we won’t get a cap on pension charges – do we need one?
A battle may have been lost but there is still a war to be won. Continue reading
Posted in leadership, pension playpen, pensions, steve webb, target date funds
Tagged annuity, Business, Cass, corporate governance, dc pensions, Debbie Harrison, DWP, Employment, Financial services, National Employment Savings Trust, pension, Pension Insitute, Pension new, pensions, Retirement, Steve Webb
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“Innovation – what innovation?” – Pension PlayPen confounded by DC investments
The 50th London Pension PlayPen lunch took place as ever at the Counting House (attendees listed below). At the opening show of hand six of us could see no great innovation happening in UK DC and three saw “potential” or … Continue reading
A promise or a guarantee?
If Steve Webb wants AE to work, he should stop turning promises into guarantees and burdening employers with unforeseen liabilities and huge consultative and administrative costs. Continue reading
Posted in actuaries, auto-enrolment, corporate governance, EU Solvency II, Fiduciary Management, leadership, Liability Driven Investment, pension playpen, Popcorn Pensions, steve webb
Tagged Benefit, Business, Business and Economy, dc pensions, de-risking, Defined benefit pension plan, Guarantee, pension, Pension new, pension playpen, Retirement, Steve Webb
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How Large Pension Schemes raise standards for all
One of the odd things (asymmetries) about pensions is that 90% of the attention is focussed on 10% of the schemes. The top 100 pension funds in Britain have more assets under management than the next 900 . And if … Continue reading
Posted in investment, leadership, London, NEST, pensions
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Whatever happened to insurance?
If the man on the Clapham Omnibus was able to feel secure that he was insured against living too long, dying too soon or losing an income through sickness, mightn’t we have a simpler and more stable platform on which to build? Continue reading
Posted in annuity, Bankers, brand, leadership, Payroll, pensions, workplace pensions
Tagged Actuarial science, annuity, annuity purchase, Business, pension, Pension new, Retirement
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