Tag Archives: Human Resources

What would you give the block chain to do?

Think about what you hate most. I bet work has a lot to do with it! The “toad work” as Philip Larkin used to call it! I would like to do an audit of the things I hate most at … Continue reading

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

Is commission really dying?

There has been nothing that has so harmed the image of pensions over the past thirty years as the deception of commission. I don’t want to use phrases such as “lack of transparency” or words like “opacity” words like these … Continue reading

Posted in annuity, Payroll, pension playpen, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Preparing the pocket to pick; a great guest blog from Ralph Frank

  Multiple changes to the regulations governing the UK pensions landscape were announced in 2014. The most positive of these changes, in my opinion, related to the issues of transparency and governance. The ‘charges cap’ enjoyed the greatest prominence of … Continue reading

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

Can we afford financial services in times of austerity?

  Thomas Philippon , the celebrated economist, gave a lecture on Tuesday Morning as part of London University’s Leading Minds series. The gist of his talk is that the cost of financial services (the collective name for everyone who is an … Continue reading

Posted in FCA, Fiduciary Management, Financial Conduct Authority, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

So much for the “haves”, what of the “have nots”?

It has now been well over a year since the OFT published this comment   Since this warning, not a lot has been done to improve the quality of purchasing by employers. The DWP is introducing legislation in April which will … Continue reading

Posted in actuaries, auto-enrolment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Disclosing costs – we are almost there!

The Financial Services Consumer Panel have issued a damning condemnation on the £5tr British Funds Industry for failing to tell people what they are paying for and how much they are paying when they invest their money in British Funds. … Continue reading

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

Does Generation X really trust the Internet?

  I laugh at my Mum who goes to Shaftesbury library to find out what to do. She’s 84 and you’d have thought she’d have learned how to use an iphone by now. I mean my 17 year old kid … Continue reading

Posted in advice gap, Martin Lewis, pension playpen | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Pensions are yours to spend – but how do you get to the shops?

Ours to spend! If I were to give you £100,000 and tell you that that was to bide you over to the end of your life you might initially be excited – you might then become apprehensive and you might … Continue reading

Posted in advice gap, pension playpen, pensions, Pensions Regulator, Personality, social media | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Double vision – a startling new blog from Ralph Frank

The latest Command Paper, ‘Better workplace pensions: Putting savers’ interests first’, has recently been published.  This Command Paper follows prior consultations by the Department for Work and Pensions (“DWP”) on charges, transparency and quality standards in workplace defined contribution pension … Continue reading

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

Young People and Pensions

This is a blog by Vivi Friedgut of @blackbullion; she is also responsible for the picture and its contents!   Pensions don’t make for the most thrilling conversations. Like verrucas, funerals or the dream you had last night, talking about … Continue reading

Posted in advice gap, annuity, corporate governance, dc pensions, NEST, pension playpen, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment