Category Archives: Pensions Regulator
Con Keating on regulation and DB Governance
Con is a regular on this blog, here he discusses the Pension Regulator’s role in DB Governance. Our deconstruction of the narrative promoted by the Pension Regulator occupies around one third of our response to the Department of Work and Pensions … Continue reading
Posted in pensions, Pensions Regulator
Tagged Con Keating, DB, defined benefits, governance, pensions, The Pensions Regulator
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Con Keating; the purpose of a pension scheme
This article is published with the kind permissions of Dr Keating and Professional Pensions (in which it first appeared). Given its length and subject matter, Iain Clacher, Andrew Slater and I were surprised, and flattered, by the number of downloads … Continue reading
Posted in pensions, Pensions Regulator, Retirement, risk
Tagged acrual, Con Keating, DB, liabilities, pensions, Risk
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How do we value our large DB plans?
Today’s Pension Play Pen lunch (at the Hydrant pub not the Counting House) will discuss how best we value our large DB plans. What do we mean by large DB plans? I guess there are a number of big … Continue reading
Posted in Pension Freedoms, pension playpen, pensions, Pensions Regulator
Tagged Hydrant, Lunch, pension playpen, The Pensions Regulator
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Snap elections – people – and policy! #GE17
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
Don’t blame pensions for corporate mismanagement
The FT has come up with some excellent research on why pensions find their way into the Pension Protection Fund. It has discovered that a substantial proportion of the so-called “pension failures” over the past ten years, resulted from sale … Continue reading
Posted in Pension Freedoms, pensions, Pensions Regulator
Tagged Bernard Matthews, Financial Times, ft, Insolvency, ppf, Pre-pack, Silentnight
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Was DC the only choice for the Tata Steelworkers?
Speaking on the radio yesterday, John Ralfe called the decision of Tata Staff to accept the loss of future accrual into a final salary scheme in exchange for a 10% contribution into a DC pension fund as … Continue reading
Posted in actuaries, advice gap, FinTech, Jersey, pensions, Pensions Regulator, Politics, pot
Tagged British Steel, Defined Ambition, Freedoms, pension freedom, pensions, Ros Altmann, Steve Webb, tata, Tata steel, Technology
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Of nuclear deterrents, sledgehammers and nuts – (DWP Select on DB)
The 90 page report on the state of our defined benefit pension schemes is published this morning. From first to last it is the work of Frank Field, it begins with BHS and ends with BHS, the confrontation with Philip … Continue reading
Posted in defined ambition, DWP, pensions, Pensions Regulator, workplace pensions
Tagged Derek Benstead, DWP, FABI, Frank Field, knee jerk, Nut, ppf, Sledgehammer
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Why there is no “opt-out” for the self-employed.
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 auto enrolment, DWP, HMRC, Payroll, pensions, PSDs, self-employed, workplace Pensions
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A tragic tale of a split pension.
This is the sad story of how someone, intent on running her finances independently of her “ex”, destroyed her personal financial security. It relates to a former member of my family and I am desperately sorry for her, … Continue reading
Posted in advice gap, annuity, pensions, Pensions Regulator
Tagged divorce, emotion, Financial services, pension splitting, Retirement, separation, tragedy, Transfer
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The soft underbelly of master trusts
Many master trusts are absolutely rotten – they are not fit for purpose. Lots of advisers are using them as a back door way of bringing in commission, dressed up as high governance charges. The words of Barnett Waddingham’s … Continue reading
Posted in accountants, advice gap, auto-enrolment, pensions, Pensions Regulator
Tagged auto enrolment, charges, DWP, Employment, Financial services, governance, Government, master trust, National Employment Savings Trust, Retirement, soft underbelly, The Pensions Regulator, trust, underbelly
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