Category Archives: Retail Distribution Review
Japanese Knotweed – the spread of passive defaults.
While investment consultants ponder the fifty shades of grey of diversification, I ponder just who , outside a small number of “experts” is prepared to take a decision on the default investment option of a company’s defined contribution pension scheme. This question … Continue reading
How to buy a pension
Buying your pension is one if not the biggest financial decisions you will take (or have taken). It’s fearfully difficult and most people take it with little help and – worse-information. Almost everyone is going to have to do it and that so … Continue reading
Posted in annuity, Bankers, Change, Consolation, dc pensions, defined aspiration, happiness, pensions, Public sector pensions, Retail Distribution Review, Retirement
Tagged Actuary, Cash flow, Consumer price index, Defined benefit pension plan, Government, Income, Inflation, Insurance, Life annuity, Mark, pension, Prediction, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Retirement, Steve Webb, Tesco Clubcard
6 Comments
Who pays for a register of pensions?
I’ve been writing this week about the small pension policies that most of us have “lying around” in some drawer or other. Maybe they came from well intentioned pension savings plans that just couldn’t be kept up, maybe from company DC schemes that … Continue reading
Posted in annuity, auto-enrolment, Management, Martin Lewis, pensions, Popcorn Pensions, Retail Distribution Review, Retirement, social media, Treasury
Tagged Association of British Insurers, DC Comics, Government, Insurance, National Employment Savings Trust, pension, Scheme, Steve Webb
54 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 Government, Insurance, Open Market Option, pension, Pensions Management Institute, Retirement, Single-stream recycling, Solvency II, Stream, Tom McPhail, Treasury
10 Comments
Don’t tell me what to do – give me advice!
In a recent polldaddy poll I asked whether people would pay for advice to get information, find out their options or to be told what to do. 60% of people wanted options , 30% wanted to be told what to do and 10% … Continue reading
Posted in corporate governance, customer service, dc pensions, de-risking, pensions, Retail Distribution Review, Retirement
Tagged Actuarial science, Business, finance, Financial adviser, Financial services, Financial Services Authority, Independent Financial Adviser, Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, National Employment Savings Trust, pension
5 Comments
Unexpected risks – people just don’t get pensions (education).
We’re all aware that investing in the stockmarket is a “risky” business, it’s easy to understand how the sharp falls in stock markets impact on your savings and as stock market falls are the staple of media reporting, it’s not surprising that … Continue reading
Posted in annuity, Bankers, corporate governance, customer service, dc pensions, de-risking, Fiduciary Management, FSA, NEST, pension playpen, pensions, Retail Distribution Review, Retirement, Treasury
Tagged Financial services, Government Actuary's Department, Holborn, National Employment Savings Trust, pension, Solvency II, Stock market, Sunday Telegraph
6 Comments
Why pay for advice? Take the poll!
[polldaddy poll=5703072] This is a question that troubles me – not surprising as I’m a pensions adviser who reckons his job is to get people to the point when they can manage their pension affairs by themselves. If advisory self sufficiency is … Continue reading
Posted in corporate governance, dc pensions, NEST, pension playpen, pensions, Retail Distribution Review, Retirement, social media
Tagged Actuary, Employment, Financial adviser, Financial services, Government, Little Boys, National Employment Savings Trust, pension, Retirement, Technical support, Time immemorial, WB Yeats, Yeovil Saturday
6 Comments
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”.
Continue reading
Posted in annuity, corporate governance, customer service, de-risking, Fiduciary Management, Liability Driven Investment, NEST, Retail Distribution Review, Retirement
Tagged Business, Debora Price, Decision making, Eagle Star, Eagle Star Insurance, Einstein, Employment, Fiduciary Management, Financial Capability, Financial literacy, Financial services, Galileo, Gallileo, Newton, pension, Quantitative easing, Social group, trustee, United States, Wittgenstein
6 Comments
Perverse incentives; Sexycash or prudent pension?
The problem we all face when we are asked to choose between cash or pension is very complicated. It is possible to put a cash price on a pound’s worth of pension but that’s just the beginning of the story. … Continue reading
Posted in annuity, corporate governance, customer service, dc pensions, de-risking, mallowstreet, NEST, pension playpen, pensions, Retail Distribution Review, Retirement, social media
Tagged Alan, Employment, Financial adviser, National Employment Savings Trust, pension, Pension Protection Fund, Retirement, Steve Webb, trustee
13 Comments