Tag Archives: Dutch

Can we get our business leaders to bother with pensions?

Our business leaders, a unique band of not more than a couple of thousand men (mostly), have not been leading the debate on workplace pensions. While Steve Webb and the DWP have proclaimed auto-enrolment as a transformational event, those charged … Continue reading

Posted in auto-enrolment, CDC, Change, corporate governance, David Pitt-Watson, dc pensions, de-risking, defined aspiration | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Getting CEOs and Chairmen “seriously relaxed” about pensions.

I don’t normally hob nob with FTSE 30  Chairmen so when I met one at a party over the weekend I hit on him about pensions…this is the nub of the conversation Me-What do you know about auto-enrolment? Chairman-My pension person … Continue reading

Posted in auto-enrolment, corporate governance, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Challenging “received ideas”

Psittacism is the act of repeating something parrot fashion and I’ve seen a lot of it in the past couple of days. Received ideas are concepts that have been so often repeated that they can hardly be challenged. We know when we … Continue reading

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Can pension saving really grow the economy?

Putting a stealth tax on an employer’s wage bill of 3% and frog-boiling millions to reduce their take home by up to 4% doesn’t fit comfortably with a growth strategy for the economy. Less money to spend. Many regard UK pension policy … Continue reading

Posted in auto-enrolment, dc pensions, de-risking, defined aspiration, happiness, Henry Tapper blog, NEST, Payroll, pension playpen, Popcorn Pensions, Retirement | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

So you want better pensions?

I’m going to Holland next week to talk to European Fund Managers about how they engage with the UK DC market, it could be a short presentation. Ironically, the Dutch  pension system is delivering 50% more pension – per pound … Continue reading

Posted in annuity, auto-enrolment, Change, Management, Martin Lewis, pensions, Personal Accounts, Retirement | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The Spurious Certainty of Chicken Licken

There are two certainties – death and taxes; oh – add to that a pension in payment! Or so the officers of the DWP , the Government Actuary and the Pensions Regulator would have it. GAD tried to knock the idea … Continue reading

Posted in annuity, dc pensions, de-risking, defined aspiration, Management, NEST, pension playpen, pensions, Retirement | Tagged , , , , , , , | 126 Comments

Whatever happened to “stakeholder economics”?

When Blair swept to power in 1997, Will Hutton‘s vision of a stakeholder economy was central to New Labour‘s vision. While the idealism of those years is now derided, I prefer it to the negativity of today’s commentary. Listening to … Continue reading

Posted in Bankers, corporate governance, Henry Tapper blog, Jersey, pension playpen, pensions, Popcorn Pensions, Retirement | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Aspirational pensions – popcorn pensions!!

There are going to be a lot of objections to aspirational pensions over the weeks and months to come, but for me they are popcorn pensions – delicious, affordable and while they may not be the haute cuisine of the guaranteed Final Salary plans pragmatic.

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Posted in annuity, auto-enrolment, dc pensions, de-risking, EU Solvency II, happiness, Henry Tapper blog, Management, pension playpen, pensions, Popcorn Pensions, Public sector pensions, Retirement, Treasury | Tagged , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

To get better pensions we need to share risk

Yesterday, Steve Webb announced he was  to review the level of protection that needed to be provided to private pensions in payment. His  intention is to help the solvency of defined benefit schemes which might need to reserve less for future guarantees. He is … Continue reading

Posted in annuity, corporate governance, dc pensions, de-risking, EU Solvency II, Fiduciary Management, Management, NEST, pensions, Retirement | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Who made that choice for you?

Put the question “why are pensions guaranteed?” into google and you will not get an answer. I reckon it’s because no-one asks the question. Why is nobody asking the question? Is someone guaranteeing the value of your house? Is there … Continue reading

Posted in annuity, auto-enrolment, corporate governance, customer service, EU Solvency II | Tagged , , , , , , , | 13 Comments