Tag Archives: National Employment Savings Trust

Freddy Flumper gets savvy!

  It’s been some days since I’ve reported on the fabulous Freddy Flumper -“fabulous” in the sense that he lives only in the fable on this blog. For anyone who missed the instructive fable of Freddy and Tony Lamborghini , we … Continue reading

Posted in actuaries, advice gap, Australia, auto-enrolment, pension playpen, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Please don’t discourage saving (guest blog from Ralph Frank)

  The Department for Work and Pensions (“DWP”) recently released its latest “scenario analysis of future pension incomes” (the “Analysis”). A key finding of the Analysis is that the proportion of people under-saving for retirement increases as income rises. Part … Continue reading

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The instructive tale of Freddy Flumper and Tony Lamborghini

As I didn’t dare hope, the Treasury continue down the pension reform fairway. Having hit a 325 yard drive into position A with their Budget reforms, they’ve hit a 275 yard second to the heart of the green with ‘uncrystallised … Continue reading

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Good pensions need good bosses!

. My friend Steve Bee has produced a marvellous cartoon this morning. The need to save between 15 and 20% of lifetime earnings hasn’t changed. The numbers being crunched to come up with the 17.5% recommended lifetime contribution rate should … Continue reading

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Fungibility

One of the great words of the English language, fungibility means that something is replaceable. What’s fungible and what’s not? If I give you a tenner, that note is fungible with 10 £1 coins or two fivers. If I am … Continue reading

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Will CDC be available to everyone with a DC pot – or just a lucky few?

A snag has emerged in the Drafting of the Pension Schemes Bill (that will introduce Defined Ambition and with it CDC). It’s one of those little things that seems easy to fix but which has potentially huge consequences, a bit like … Continue reading

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If we can provide health screening – we can provide pension guidance

  Organising the Guidance Guarantee is a daunting task but it is no more daunting than many public welfare initiatives. Each year the NHS screens and advises millions of us on a variety of health issues. From STDs to Breast … Continue reading

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How retirement products evolve (and revolve).

  There are three drivers that shape the evolution of financial products – supply, demand and Government intervention. Between the mid 80s and today Britain has seen a Financial Services Revolution that has been no less dramatic than the agrarian … Continue reading

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Time to ditch the “institutional” from pensions

  There has always been a gulf between retail and institutional pensions. But I have never felt it so inappropriate . Retail pensions were sold on commission, organised by insurance company and regulated by the Treasury via the FCA and its … Continue reading

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10 things we’d see in Monday’s Guidance Guarantee!

  Tomorrow (Monday 21st July), the Government will announce how it intends to deliver the guidance guaranteed to those reaching state pension age. We want an independent process that helps people  take decisions rather than telling people what to do. We can’t … Continue reading

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