Tag Archives: Ralph Frank

Pension administration – a tale of two cultures

Posted on September 30, 2021 by henry tapper

This afternoon I’ll be chairing a session of a “strategic summit” on pensions that’s happening in the City of London .It’s good to be doing something live again and I hope to meet with more people I’ve missed.  London is … Continue reading →

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Is contract-based versus trust-based really the question? Guest Blog from Ralph Frank

Posted on August 3, 2016 by henry tapper

Automatic Enrolment (“AE”) has resulted in an increase in Defined Contribution (“DC”) pension saving through Master Trusts (“MTs”).  This trust-based approach has overtaken contract-based arrangements, such as Group Personal Pensions, as the most popular form of DC saving.  A key … Continue reading →

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Can an incentive be more effective than compulsion? Guest blog from Ralph Frank

Posted on May 12, 2016 by henry tapper

  The Individual Savings Account (“ISA”) seems to be the savings vehicle of choice of the current Chancellor.  There were two types of ISA, cash and stocks & shares, when the Chancellor took office back in 2010.  The maximum subscription … Continue reading →

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Secondary annuities – who benefits? RALPH FRANK

Posted on April 29, 2016 by henry tapper

Another great guest blog from Ralph- keep them coming Ralph – your reader stats are awesome!(Pension Plowman) The seemingly inexorable march towards the creation of a secondary annuity market passed two significant milestones last week.  HMRC published a consultation covering the … Continue reading →

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Ozzyshambles might have delivered a winner -guest blog from Ralph Frank.

Posted on March 23, 2016 by henry tapper

The 2016 Budget has not gone down as George Osborne’s finest hour, thus far.  However, among the resignations, U-turns and widespread grumbling, there has been (at least) one positive development.  The announcement in the Budget that the Government will ensure … Continue reading →

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Budget 2016 – strengthening the incentive to -what? -Fiery stuff from Ralph Frank

Posted on March 17, 2016 by henry tapper

The first leg of the bi-annual tinkering with Britain’s savings’ environment, historically referred to as the Budget, has recently had its instalment for 2016.  The Chancellor of the Exchequer has maintained his record of increasing the complexity of the savings … Continue reading →

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The UK is saving too much…not! (guest blog from RALPH FRANK)

Posted on January 7, 2016 by henry tapper

The Office for National Statistics released the latest Quarterly National Accounts during the Festive Season.  These Accounts, covering July to September 2015, reveal that the Savings Rate for households and non-profit institutions serving households fell to 4.4% over the quarter – … Continue reading →

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Advice. Implementation. Management. What service are you getting? – Guest Blog from Ralph Frank

Posted on November 4, 2015 by henry tapper

The savings and investment industry is littered with TLAs (three letter acronyms), buzzwords and a reasonable amount of obfuscation, some intentional and some not.  This uncertainty often begins at the point the investor, whether individual or institutional, starts to contract … Continue reading →

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Shouldn’t we be accountable for the decisions we take? -Guest blog from Ralph Frank

Posted on September 22, 2015 by henry tapper

The concept of accountability, particularly when it comes to financial decisions and their consequences, seems to be becoming increasingly vague.  There appears to be a trend towards decision-makers wanting a release from decisions they have voluntarily made.  Why should this … Continue reading →

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What are you trying to achieve, Chancellor – guest blog from Ralph Frank

Posted on September 2, 2015 by henry tapper

The Government’s current consultation on “strengthening the incentive to save” seems to be missing some key background information around what the Government is trying to achieve.  The Consultation seeks to “encourage people to save enough during their working lives to … Continue reading →

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