Tag Archives: Financial Services Authority

Never mind the width – feel the quality!

  In the heyday of occupational pension provision, offering membership to a company pension scheme sent a clear message to staff that the company was confident in its future and cared for its human resource. When defined benefit schemes were first … Continue reading

Posted in auto-enrolment, Consolation, dc pensions, Financial Education, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

2 cheers for the Regulator’s new clothes

Not before time, the Pension Regulator is getting to grips with its responsibilities to protect members of UK DC plans. I am pleased that the Regulator is getting involved (one cheer) and I’m pleased that they are concentrating on outcomes (two … Continue reading

Posted in actuaries, annuity, Australia, auto-enrolment, pension playpen, pensions, Retail Distribution Review, Retirement | Tagged , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

The RDR has scotch’d the snake not killed it!

the FSA has “scotched the snake not killed it”. Continue reading

Posted in actuaries, governance, Martin Lewis, pensions, poetry | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

RDR and AE – what future for commissions and advisor-charging?

Every week we get a few more enquiries from concerned employers who are being told by their pension advisers about the changes coming next month from the Retail Distribution Review. There is variation on the theme but the overall message is clear. Pensions “advice” is … Continue reading

Posted in actuaries, auto-enrolment, club pension, dc pensions, de-risking, FSA, Payroll, pensions, Retirement | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Tsunami – make haste to higher ground!

You don’t need to be particularly clever to work out that in 2013 and 2014 , there are going to be a lot of purchasing decisions by employers if the “victorious” unblemished start to auto-enrolment is to be continued among … Continue reading

Posted in actuaries, auto-enrolment, customer service, dc pensions, NEST, social media | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The New Dawn Fades (for IFAs)

For twenty five years we have been sold the need for independent financial advice. I was an IFA once and never for a moment reckoned I was offering independent advice – one product looked pretty much like another and if product … Continue reading

Posted in Financial Education, joy division | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why can’t we select a pension like we buy a car?

I’ll give you three good reasons While we can get reliable comparative data on the performance , reliability and fuel efficiency of a car, we can’t for pensions While cars are road-tested and best-buy lists published in magazines , on … Continue reading

Posted in auto-enrolment, dc pensions, jeremy clarkson, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Is honesty contagious? More on pension charges.

I’ve just read an excellent blog by Alastair Conway of Cofunds published on FT Advisor. It deals with the issues IFAs are facing as they enter the new world formed by the Retail Distribution Review and focusses on the adoption … Continue reading

Posted in auto-enrolment, Change, dc pensions, NEST, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

An amnesty on pension charges is not the answer!

It seem that Aviva are to review the legacy charges on pension charges. Tom Mcphail is calling for a general amnesty on charges that hints that there is currently a “charges war”. There isn’t a charges war Tom, if there was … Continue reading

Posted in actuaries, auto-enrolment, Bankers, Change, corporate governance, customer service, dc pensions, Financial Education, pensions, Popcorn Pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Send in forensic actuaries to sort out these “rip-off” pensions!

Spookily, a couple of hours after I’d published yesterday’s blog about how the DWP had ducked the dodgy question of how to sort out legacy pension charges, Steve Webb, the Pension Minister issued an appeal to the pensions industry to … Continue reading

Posted in actuaries, annuity, auto-enrolment, corporate governance, customer service, dc pensions, Fiduciary Management, Financial Education, leadership, Retirement, Treasury | Tagged , , , , , , , | 18 Comments