A very timely and important message to all employers and employee benefit consultants, whatever the size of the employer! In…
It seems to me that a pensions think tank, funded by pension industry stakeholders, will naturally scope the question as…
The idea that a pensioner has "complete control over cash flows" is naive because it omits the awkward fact that…
Sadly we allowed the "lay trustee" to be written into our law eg the Trustee Act 2000. And rather than…
Tag Archives: Pension Freedoms
IFAs take the lead in sorting the transfer blockage.
BIG THINKING Two things I’m really looking forward to in September are threesixty’s two “Big Thinking Days”. One’s in Edinburgh and one’s in London and if you’re going, you;re in for a treat. Threesixty are a pretty pucker outfit (IMO) and … Continue reading
Pot follows member – over a cliff?
There’s a great saying in racing “I’d follow that horse over a cliff”. It’s a morbid comment on most gambler’s instinct to chase losses for sentimental rather than economic reasons. When conviction sets in, then rationality is the loser and … Continue reading
Posted in pensions, Pensions Regulator, Personal Accounts, Popcorn Pensions
Tagged advice, annuity, auto enrolment, Ben Cocks, big-fat-pot, DWP, Employment, insurance companies, insurance company, Pension Freedoms, Pension new, pension playpen, pensions, Politics, Pot, Pot follows member, Retirement, Steve Webb
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What the great fall of China does to my pension.
The falls in the world stock markets since April appear huge, our own market has fallen 15% , market in Asia, much more. But the equity market that has fallen the most is China. The great fall of China is … Continue reading
Posted in pensions
Tagged CDC, collectives, DGF, diversify, Drawdown, Freedom, George Osborne, Longevity, Paul Lewis, Pension Freedoms, pensions, Tax, Treasury
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The ground moving under us.
What I like about August is that it gives you a little space. Nothing much gets done because at least one decision maker is away and we’re all waiting for September. The French just forget about working in August. Because … Continue reading
Posted in advice gap, annuity, pensions, Pensions Regulator
Tagged advice, alignment, auto enrolment, change, EET, FAMR, Pension Freedoms, pensions, Retirement, Strategy, strategy group, Tax, TEE
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If that’s all there is my friends – well let’s keep working!
The numbers are out , extracted by the tenacious Josephine Cumbo @henryhtapper @citizensadvice @tpas Only 18,000 TPAS/CAB appointments. 925000 people checked out Pension Wise online. — Josephine Cumbo (@JosephineCumbo) July 22, 2015 Jo and I probably share differing levels of … Continue reading
Posted in pensions
Tagged annuities, annuity, CDC, Drawdown, DWP, Noah's ark, Pension Freedoms, Pension Wise, pensions, retirement savings
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Lassitude or laxitude – 100 days of pension freedoms
“Lassitude” or “Laxitude” – what’s your judgement on how we’re carrying on? Or is this all just fine? Lassitude is a “proper” word that describes a lazy behaviour resulting from world weariness, laxitude is a made up word that describes … Continue reading
Posted in CDC, pensions, Popcorn Pensions
Tagged advice, annuity, Business, CDC, dc pensions, Employment, income drawdown, Investment management, lassitude, laxitude, old, pension, Pension Freedoms, Pension new, pension playpen, pensions, Retirement, retirement savings, Saving, spending, young
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Supply-side woes , buy-side goes; the disappearing pension billions
It’s not hard to spend a billion, not if you’re a nation that knows how to spend but finds it hard to save. As Osborne found, a generation of planning can be unwound in a minute. Were the tax rules … Continue reading
Posted in pensions
Tagged Actuarial science, annuity, auto enrolment, Business, CDC, DWP, Freedoms, Pension Freedoms, pension playpen, pensions, Retirement, Ros Altmann, Steve Webb, TPAS
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Don’t say I didn’t tell you…
This blog predicted last year and this , that within the first three months of the “pension freedom grant”, there would be a Daily Mail front page telling us that we may be (pension) free – but everywhere we are … Continue reading
Posted in pensions
Tagged annuities, CDC, Dail Mail, Freedom and Choice, Insurers, luddite, ludditism, master trusts, Pension Freedoms, pensions, Ros Altmann
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Whose risk is it anyway?
No matter how we look at it – we do not- and will not- live in a command economy. That means we have to take decisions for ourselves rather than be told how to live our lives. If you want … Continue reading
Posted in CDC, dc pensions, defined ambition, Management, Money Advice Service
Tagged apples, choice, dc pensions, de-risking, DWP, Employment, Financial services, Government, pension, Pension Freedoms, Pension new, Pension Wise, Retirement, Ros Altmann, Tax
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The freedom to transfer your pension benefits
The freedom to transfer pension benefits has since the 5th April been denied to millions of those with deferred pensions. If you are a member of an unfunded Government pension scheme (any scheme other than the Local Government schemes), they … Continue reading
There may be more fundamental issues with the US markets. In a recent article Smithers is highly critical of the 2013…