Tag Archives: ONS

Is the UK institutionally ageist?

Posted on May 14, 2020 by henry tapper

This week we hear that numbers in England and Wales dying in care homes is exceeding those in hospital. In March Government told these homes the risk of death in homes was “most unlikely”. How did it come to this? … Continue reading →

Posted in actuaries, advice gap, age wage, later life, pensions, Ros Altmann | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The elephant in the care home

Posted on April 13, 2020 by henry tapper

New paper looks at early evidence of care home mortality in different countries. Provisionally concludes that about half (42% to 57%) of COVID-19 deaths are taking place in care homes. As a reminder, the 11,329 deaths announced by DHSC are … Continue reading →

Posted in actuaries, advice gap, Consolation, coronavirus, pensions | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Boomers are farmers.

Posted on January 5, 2020 by henry tapper

I grew up in a rural area of Dorset where the farmers were considered rich but acted poor. The farmers explained that though they might own the land, they could only extract from it the income that came from dairy … Continue reading →

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

The nations wealth is in pensions but not in DC pots

Posted on December 8, 2019 by henry tapper

Private pension wealth is the largest component of household wealth, marginally bigger than total property wealth, and its value has increased by more than that of property wealth too. This reflects a slight cooling in the housing market, while the … Continue reading →

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Is Britain full up?

Posted on October 23, 2019 by henry tapper

Reading the Office of National Statistics “National Population Projection“, I’d answer that question “no”. If anything it seems we are not growing as a population as fast as we’d expected. The UK’s population is projected to increase by 3 million … Continue reading →

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We are not saving enough – official.

Posted on April 24, 2019 by henry tapper

  What this chart from the FT shows is that UK Companies and Households are spending more than they are saving. They join our Government in this. We are not like the rest of the world that saves more than … Continue reading →

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Are some schemes over-paying on Transfer Values?

Posted on August 29, 2018 by henry tapper

Royal London have requested and got the notorious letter sent earlier this year to certain schemes perceived to be vulnerable to pension transfers. It includes the following sections. There is nothing new about this guidance; Steve Webb is spot on … Continue reading →

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

By George, I just shrunk the pension!

Posted on April 19, 2018 by henry tapper

While “workplace pensions” go from strength to strength in terms of coverage, the amount of money being paid as “pensions”, certainly in the private sector, is likely to shrink. this article looks at why and asks some awkward questions about … Continue reading →

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

Are DB pensions benefiting from CETV de-risking?

Posted on March 26, 2018 by henry tapper

  It’s a fair question for a blogger to ask. I don’t have the answer and suspect that you’d get a different reply depending on who you asked. Here are the facts According to Hymans Robertson , The total value … Continue reading →

Posted in annuity, Big Government, BSPS, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

How can we expect the young to save? Here’s how!

Posted on July 3, 2017 by henry tapper

The odds are stacked against our kids. Low interest rates make paying a mortgage a cinch But tight credit makes getting a first-time  mortgage a nightmare House price inflation makes first-time buying near impossible And pushes up rents as demand … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments