Tag Archives: Investment management

Poor execution – a pigsty – not a playpen

A researcher I was speaking to yesterday asked whether I considered the bad practices associated with the poor execution of trades by fund managers as criminal fraud. His argument was that indirect benefits such as the receiving of rugby tickets from … Continue reading

Posted in David Pitt-Watson, dc pensions, First Actuarial, governance, pensions, Retirement | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Bothered about your pension wealth?

In the past few days I’ve had some fruity exchanges with Tom McPhail of Hargreaves Lansdowne about when people should start getting interested in managing their pension pot. Tom’s view is “as soon as savings begin, mine “when you can be bothered”. Hargreaves … Continue reading

Posted in auto-enrolment, Bankers, dc pensions, Financial Education, First Actuarial, governance, hargreaves lansdowne, one pound fish, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Light in the lifestyle tunnel!

The way in which your DC pot magically turns from investing in shares to investing in cash and Government bonds is called lifestyle and it involves hundreds of transactions in 60+ months before you buy your pension. All of these transactions involve … Continue reading

Posted in actuaries, dc pensions, defined aspiration, First Actuarial, governance, Henry Tapper blog, life insurance, NEST, pensions, target date funds | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Do investment consultants need qualifications?

failure cannot be attributed to poor investment consultancy, more to an absence of investment consultancy where it matters Continue reading

Posted in actuaries, auto-enrolment, Bankers, corporate governance, dc pensions, de-risking, Financial Education, Liability Driven Investment, mallowstreet, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Why the DC “game is up” for the active fund managers

Like landed salmon , they flap around on the bank, hoping they may get thrown back in the water. Continue reading

Posted in auto-enrolment, corporate governance, dc pensions, de-risking, infrastucture, Management, pensions, Personal Accounts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 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

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

Too important to hide;- why the Government has to investigate pension default charges

LCP, the pensions consultancy, yesterday published its first DC Fees Survey and very good it is too. It confirms what we knew, that the investment fees and charges for some DC funds are not transparent, that they can be as much as 100% … Continue reading

Posted in actuaries, annuity, auto-enrolment, Bankers, Change, corporate governance, customer service, dc pensions, de-risking, happiness, Henry Tapper blog, NEST, pension playpen, pensions, Popcorn Pensions, Treasury | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Savvy punters will drive down pension charges.

Inefficient markets – don’t you just love ’em! We all love a bargain whether at the local boot or in the stock market. There was a time when I believed I could pick a stock or a horse and beat … Continue reading

Posted in auto-enrolment, Bankers, dc pensions, defined aspiration, economics, Horse racing, leadership, Management, Martin Lewis, NEST, pensions, Retail Distribution Review | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

“These charges are no more- they have ceased to be”

      Tell me about your Charges Sir Can’t do that …they’re hiddeen Tell me about your hidden charges then Don’t know what you’re talking about Sir.   Much of the problem rests with the word “discretionary”. If you … Continue reading

Posted in Bankers, dc pensions, FSA | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments