Tag Archives: GAD

Triple lock? – easy!

Posted on February 13, 2020 by

With a deft tweet , former Pensions Minister Steve Webb wakes us up to a startling economic revelation. Doesn’t seem long since we were reading doom-laden warnings about the National Insurance Fund ‘running out of money’ in a few years. … Continue reading →

Posted in actuaries, happiness, pensions | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Government’s pension stealth tax

Posted on April 11, 2019 by

What are we to make of the disenfranchisement of Stagecoach from rail contracts? I am extremely concerned by this statement , reported in the Financial Times  Stagecoach said its recent bids had been non-compliant “principally in respect of pensions risk”. … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Schools staring into a pension “abyss”

Posted on October 2, 2018 by

  Contrary to indications that the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) employer contributions for 2019-20 would be set at 19.1%, schools have now been told  that the figure from September 2019 will be 23.6%. The Teachers Pension Scheme, along with all … Continue reading →

Posted in accountants, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

“Spanish steps” – ideas on pension funding from Jon Spain.

Posted on November 20, 2017 by

Jon Spain is an eccentric brilliant actuary who has worked for many years worked at the Government Actuary’s department. I am proud he has asked me to provide a précis of his response to Charles Cowling’s Sessional Paper to the Institute … Continue reading →

Posted in actuaries, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Innovative pensions for the mass of us!

Posted on July 14, 2017 by

In its Retirement Outcome Review (interim report), the FCA were clear on  evidence of a problem The blame lies not with thick consumers but with lack of competition If competition is not working effectively and consumers make uninformed retirement income decisions this could lead to … Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, auto-enrolment, DWP, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Actuaries – many ears here to listen!

Posted on May 14, 2017 by

I am glad that I had a go at the actuarial experts arguing in the FT.  It didn’t change the way  people behaved yesterday – (although several hundred people appear to have spent time reading it) – but  it solicited … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

A pensions dashboard brings its own risk.

Posted on April 16, 2017 by

A need for pension I am keen not to pour cold water on the pensions dashboard, but I am not having it promoted as the game-changer to savings behaviour. The pensions dashboard is what Martin Clarke, the Government Actuary, refers to … Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Andy Young OBE

Posted on January 5, 2017 by

Andy Young – an outstanding actuary! One of the less sung OBE’s awarded in this year’s honours was to Andrew Young. Andrew is a friend of mine and a friend to this blog. I am not sure that is this … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

GAD shows you can’t take “company” out of “company pensions” #TATA

Posted on September 26, 2016 by

So the mysterious volte face by the Government over the Tata Steel pensions rescue package is a mystery no more. The FT, led by super-snooper Jo Cumbo have unearthed the GAD submission to the DWP consultation on solutions to the … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

“10 years too early, 10 years too late” – CDC stands on on an empty platform

Posted on December 6, 2015 by

Nearly eight years ago, the Government Actuary ‘s Department produced  a paper that effectively killed CDC. It argued that CDC could not be relied upon to deliver benefits with the same certainty as our DB system and that there was no … Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, CDC, Pension Freedoms, pension playpen, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment