Tag Archives: dc pensions

Consistency and Simplicity (guest blog – Ralph Frank)

  The current UK pension taxation regime gives preferential treatment to Defined Benefit (“DB”) savers relative to Defined Contribution (“DC”) savers at both theAnnual Allowance (“AA”) and Lifetime Allowance (“LA”) levels.  The current taxation system is overly complex, with two … Continue reading →

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Whose risk is it anyway?

No matter how we look at it – we do not- and will not- live in a command economy. That means we have to take decisions for ourselves rather than be told how to live our lives. If you want … Continue reading →

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“I’m afraid we had no answers.. good luck! ..-..Steve.”

“Where are all the pension people?” Asked an accountant at #Accountex15 on Thursday. They were elsewhere listening to Steve Webb and Gregg McClymont looking back at the last five years, a neat metaphor for the pensions industry as another accountant pointed … Continue reading →

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The tone from the top

Take a close look at the photo above, it’s taken from a Morningstar conference yesterday. The gentleman on the left is asking the question, the women on the right are listening and the gents on the right – well – they’re … Continue reading →

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For Ros Altmann, the best is yet to come.

Ros Altmann is our new pension minister, this is unequivocally good news. For years people have been poking fun at Ros Altmann for her claims to be a Government Advisor. Between 2001 and 2005 she was an advisor to no … Continue reading →

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Important days for pensions

David Cameron will be announcing his new cabinet members and more junior ministers this week. Those of us who work in pensions already know that Ian Duncan Smith will remain Minister of State at the DWP, but who will be … Continue reading →

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Pension pandemonium within 12 months!

  “F*ck the file” that’s what I say- or what I would say if I wasn’t in an office full of people who live, eat and breathe Excel. I’d like my office to be file-less within 5 years (make that … Continue reading →

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Do we need another pension commission? #IRSC

A call for inclusion from the pension elite? The NAPF have launched a call for an Independent Retirement Savings  Commission. I went to hear the arguments yesterday morning and came away with a nice booklet but without much more enthusiasm … Continue reading →

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What’s inside the wrapper’s – what matters! Guest blog from Ralph Frank

  I often find myself bemused, and/or confused, when I see investment portfolios specified in terms of product wrappers (e.g. unit trusts, exchange traded funds, structured notes etc.) instead of the underlying investments (e.g. equities, bonds etc.).  The underlying investments, … Continue reading →

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How pensions restrain public sector pay and services.

The latest discussions about how we will manage the nation’s finances are focussing on public sector pay.Nick Clegg tells us that his party will make sure   wages would rise in real terms for two years from 2016, and then … Continue reading →

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