Tag Archives: Business and Economy

A race to the top?

We will not get this problem sorted out in a meeting room in the DWP, though the DWP can clear the decks and allow us to operate with a clean sheet of paper. Continue reading →

Posted in actuaries, annuity, CDC, Change, dc pensions, de-risking, defined aspiration, happiness | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

In praise of young actuaries – #Momentum13

Momentum is an event organised by the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries for nearly or newly qualified actuaries, I was there yesterday speaking on the Future of Pensions. Being around talented committed people who have yet to lose the bright … Continue reading →

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Let’s rid us of financial carnage at retirement

I’m really interested in why pension schemes don’t provide more support. Any views out there on what the biggest barriers to providing more support than basic communication and a signpost to MAS or TPAS or Unbiased? Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, annuity, auto-enrolment, customer service, dc pensions, de-risking, defined aspiration, pensions, Popcorn Pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Charging with confidence ; the proper price for the job

Much has been made of the opacity of costs and charges in financial services. Less has been made about the reluctance of customers to pay up front for the services they commission. This article explores the dip in confidence in … Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, annuity, auto-enrolment, pension playpen, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Do employers have a duty of care to their staff when they retire?

If you take the Daily Express, you will have been reading a series of front page headlines about “rip-off pensions”. Here’s this Thursday’s edition http://www.express.co.uk/news/retirement/423869/Millions-hit-by-scandal-of-pensions-rip-off . The argument is based on some recently released figures “A 65-year-old with average pension … Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, annuity, auto-enrolment, brand, club pension, customer service, dc pensions, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

John Tapper’s retirement plan

The Auction catalogue tells us “Mr Tapper’s cows are a very nice lot, all young, of good size and colour and good milkers Continue reading →

Posted in doctors, Henry Tapper blog, pensions, Popcorn Pensions, religion | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why bother to save? – Invest instead!

What this policy is about is getting people to invest in real assets for the best interests in society Continue reading →

Posted in annuity, auto-enrolment, Bankers, Change, club pension, Management, Mark Carney, pensions, social media, workplace pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How safe is my pension?

This is one of the five most commonly asked questions I’ve been asked in my time advising members of workplace pensions in the past 25 years. In that time I have only advised on one scheme where members lost their … Continue reading →

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Why pensions do need quality standards

If you buy a kettle, you look for the BSI Standard kitemark, if you get out a gas engineer – you look for the Corgi sign and if you buy fresh food you look for the red tractor Continue reading →

Posted in auto-enrolment, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Let’s give pensions leaders the chance to lead

I asked him whether he thought the Dutch pension system superior to the UK’s and he laughed “of course it is, it delivers better outcomes”. Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, auto-enrolment, Personality, Popcorn Pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment