Tag Archives: Guy Opperman

USS; are UCU and UUK missing the big picture?

Posted on November 15, 2020 by henry tapper

This is nonsense. If universities can’t pay the required #USS DB contribution, then simply move to DC, which was of course the original plan. Universities backed down in the face of strikes https://t.co/rYtU1azGjM via @timeshighered — John Ralfe (@JohnRalfe1) November … Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, CDC, USS, Value for Money | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Bob Compton speaks out on Pension Funding

Posted on November 11, 2020 by henry tapper

Bob Compton  MD of Arc Benefits is  quietly spoken  but an acute listener. He wrote to me yesterday this mail which provides a fascinating insight into the debate over how we fund our open and closed DB schemes and the … Continue reading →

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

Can our pensions build back better? Sunak paints a greener picture.

Posted on November 10, 2020 by henry tapper

Ricki Sunak’s first speech on financial services in the House of Commons came on the day we absorbed a Biden and a vaccine win. It was a bad day for viruses but a good day for the markets which bounced … Continue reading →

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

Sharon Bowles has thrown the Minister a lifeline, he should grab it with both hands.

Posted on November 8, 2020 by henry tapper

  The DWP is in an awkward spot over the funding of defined benefit pensions. The 130 responses to its regulator’s consultation paper are likely to be making uncomfortable reading to those scrutinizing them in Brighton and the Pensions Minister … Continue reading →

Posted in Big Government | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

DB pensions are in a hole, let’s swap the DWP’s spade for a ladder

Posted on October 24, 2020 by henry tapper

    Bowles my liege… It’s a great shame to read Guy Opperman excising Sharon Bowles amendment to the Pensions Act. The Bowles amendment  would give open pension schemes the capacity to be funded as ongoing concerns rather than being … Continue reading →

Posted in dc pensions, de-risking, DWP | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Opperman lays out his 2021 agenda at the PLSA

Posted on October 15, 2020 by henry tapper

How far we’ve come from ministers reading out statements at pension conferences with no questions flanked at entry and exit by flunkies. Yesterday we had an open- shirted Pensions Minister delivering , seemingly without notes and within the intimacy of … Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, age wage | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

What will be the Government’s pension agenda for 2021?

Posted on September 29, 2020 by henry tapper

This article is about the DWP’s pension policy agenda and my view of what matters to the Pensions Minister and his department. Opperman has shown considerable leadership in recent years and my view is that he is in a strong … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Spot on Steven Cameron – VFM needs radical innovation!

Posted on September 24, 2020 by henry tapper

I find myself in  agreement with Aegon’s Steven Cameron in his position on the FCA’s value for money proposals as reported in Pension Age Steven Cameron, has highlighted concerns with proposed responsibilities for Independent Governance Committees (IGCs) in the Financial … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Data in a dungeon

Posted on September 16, 2020 by henry tapper

    I’m pleased that Guy Opperman came out fighting for the dashboard when he addressed the Society of Pension Professionals yesterday. He identified two central problems facing the consumer wanting to find out about their pensions. That their data … Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, age wage, open pensions, Pension Freedoms | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Shape up or shape out” – DWP give small DC schemes one year’s notice

Posted on September 13, 2020 by henry tapper

   It is not acceptable for savers to be enrolled in arrangements that do not deliver value in terms of costs, investment returns or secure and resilient governance. Government would expect trustees acting in the best interests of their members … Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, age wage, DWP, pensions, Pensions Regulator | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment