Monthly Archives: January 2026
Q. “If DB pensions had been invested for growth?” A. “Actuaries would have a DB pension future…”
That’s my answer on what would happen if Pension Funds had followed a pathway modelled by Barnett Waddingham’s Andrew Smith This blog is his…apart from some comments from Andrew Young at the end. Andy Smith If UK private-sector DB pension … Continue reading
State Pension needs celebrating and updating – say Karen and Andrew.
The State Pension needs celebration says Karen Quinn The old-age pension has its birthday . Karen Quinn endorse this headline from the Economist. Here is her contribution (snipped from Linked in) and one of a triplet of blogs this morning … Continue reading
With pensions, we want things to be easy – says David Brooks
Here is David Brooks , finding his way back to the part pension experts find hardest to accept, that most of us do not want to have something that takes a lot of effort. This is a sister blog to … Continue reading
I understand my state pension but not these statements about my private pension pots.
Richard Smith is angry. He has five pension pots but he has no idea what income he will get when from 2027 there’s a default pension he will be able to draw. That is apart from Scottish Widow’s explanation that … Continue reading
Posted in pensions
Tagged Complicated, Pension Dashboard, Pensions, pots, Richard Smith, SMPI, state pension
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Dan Mikulskis and Martin Lewis have a simple story, an investment message!
This needed to be said. The article in question can be read from here Dan talks of DC master trusts but you could have got roughly the same returns whether you were invested in a the default of a DC … Continue reading
Posted in pensions
Tagged Dan mikulskis, growth, Martin Lewis, National Employment Savings Trust, Pensions, Peoples Pension, shares
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Risk preferences in DC pensions.
The Pension PlayPen coffee morning on Tuesday 7th January was a father and son act with Arun and Sid Muralidhar talking with us. Here is the video We were delighted to hear Dr Arun Muralidhar and his son outlining a … Continue reading
Can trustees go against the laws of parliament? Members elect Governments.
So runs this morning’s headline in the FT (Mary McDougall). The argument that has been put forward by Pensions Minister Torsten Bell and argued for by political economists such as Will Hutton. The debate by an FT journalist (Jo Cumbo) … Continue reading
The scandal of our “DB capitulation” to “de-risking”.
Meg Baynes’ piece in the Times which I featured on this blog is beginning to get some traction around the world Astounding. I think because investment literacy is so low in the UK and saving-via-homebuying is so embedded, people don’t … Continue reading
Posted in pensions
Tagged British Airways, BT, CDC, de-risking, LDI, Pensions, returns, Shell, USS
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Why unions should take CDC to employers and their under pensioned members
A large part of the British workforce have trade unions working for them to provide them with decent conditions at work, pay for work and benefits when work ends and retirement begins. We had in unionised companies a DB culture … Continue reading
Posted in pensions
Tagged CDC, David Pitt-Watson, Jackl Jones, Neil Walsh, Pensions, TUC, unions
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The legacy of risk aversion haunts superfunds
I no longer have anything to do with superfunds, of whatever form, but I am sorrowful that part of the Government has yet again shown it is captured by an aversion to growth. There is nothing that superfunds are exempted … Continue reading