October 2019

22Oct

UK. FCA calls for pension policy simplification

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has called on pensions policy to be simplified for consumers due to the overly complex nature of defined contribution schemes. Speaking at the Cicero event on the future of regulation, FCA executive director of strategy and competition, Christopher Woolard, said that choices that members may not understand can make a “huge difference” to their retirement outcomes. He outlined the importance of advice for consumers in making these decisions and helping them understand the...

October 22, 2019
News, Slider, , ,
Read more...
17Oct

UK. Breaking pension dashboard rules will carry £50k fine

Pension providers that fail to provide data for the pension dashboards could be fined up to £50,000 by The Pensions Regulator, according to the proposed legislation underpinning the project. Part of the Pension Schemes Bill is devoted to the creation of a framework to support the dashboard project, including new rules to compel pension schemes to provide accurate information to consumers. According to the 187-page document, published yesterday (October 16), the regulator will have powers to issue compliance notices and penalty notices to parties that don’t...

October 17, 2019
News, Slider,
Read more...
17Oct

UK. What does the Brexit deal mean for your personal finances?

At long last, the Government has secured an exit deal with the European Union.  Prime Minister Boris Johnson said this morning he has secured a “great new deal” with the EU which “takes back control”.  There is still a long way to go before it is agreed – the details are currently not clear, the legal wording is still being worked on and the deal will need to be passed by both the EU and British parliament – but it is undoubtedly a step forward. The key benefit...

October 17, 2019
News, Slider, ,
Read more...
15Oct

UK. Queen’s Speech: Govt announces Pensions Bill

The Pensions Bill announced in the Queen’s Speech today (October 14) will see new rules for pension dashboards, collective defined contribution schemes and new powers for The Pensions Regulator. Queen Elizabeth said: “To help people plan for the future, measures will be brought forward to provide simpler oversight of pension savings. "To protect people savings for later life, new laws will provide greater powers to tackle irresponsible management of private pension schemes.” The government does not have a majority...

October 15, 2019
News, Slider, , ,
Read more...
11Oct

UK. Pensions tax relief set to cost government almost £40bn

Pensions tax relief will cost the government almost £40bn this year, up more than £2bn on the previous year, illustrating the growing cost of subsidising retirement saving. According to new statistics from HMRC, tax relief on employee pension saving is set to rise to £21.2bn while the tax giveaway on employer contributions to occupational pension schemes hit more than £18bn. The increasing cost of providing pensions tax relief follows a surge in the number of employees paying into company...

October 11, 2019
News, Slider, ,
Read more...
10Oct

UK. Penfold launches digital pensions aimed at the self-employed

Penfold, a digital pension scheme built specifically for freelancers and runner-up at AltFi’s Fintech Pitch Off Competition at the AltFi London Summit 2019, launched today. The startup is focused on helping self-employed workers start a pension in just a few minutes, and then works around educating and supporting customers who might not have additional employer-supported pension schemes. “We’re aiming to make pensions not just easier, but more attractive for self-employed people to start planning for later in life,” says...

October 10, 2019
News, Slider, , ,
Read more...
09Oct

UK. Two in five employers concerned by ageing workforce

After surveying employers with over 500,000 staff between them, the researchers found that 44% are worried about older employees that cannot afford to stop working. This has become particularly concerning after the default retirement age was scrapped in 2011, making it increasingly necessary for companies to provide pension support. However, most defined contribution (DC) pension schemes do not have adequate levels of contributions needed to maintain a similar standard of living for many employees. “The impact of an ageing...

October 9, 2019
News, Slider, , , ,
Read more...
07Oct

UK. The Guardian view on women’s pensions: a feminist issue

Some means must be found to ease the hardship faced by the 1950s-born women worst affected by pension age changes. Last week the high court rejected the arguments in a judicial review brought by the campaign group BackTo60. The group argued that changes to the law in 1995 and 2011 were discriminatory on grounds of sex and age, and that 3.8 million women should be compensated. But while last Thursday’s loss was a setback, the campaign is far from...

October 7, 2019
News, Slider, , , ,
Read more...
04Oct

UK. Defeat for women in state pension age challenge

Campaigners have lost a significant legal battle against the government's handling of the rise in women's state pension age. The retirement age for women rose from 60 to 65, in line with men, and will go up to 66 by 2020, and to 67 by 2028. Women born in the 1950s claim the rise is unfair because they were not given enough time to make adjustments to cope with years without a state pension. They argued the changes were...

October 4, 2019
News, Slider, , ,
Read more...
03Oct

UK. Opperman says Pensions Bill is ‘good to go’

The minister for pensions and financial inclusion has detailed the main areas that will be covered in the upcoming Pensions Bill, which he said is “completely ready and good to go”. Speaking at a fringe event at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester yesterday (October 1), organised by the Social Market Foundation and The Institute And Faculty Of Actuaries, Mr Opperman said his work on the bill was done, although he noted he was waiting for the Queen’s Speech...

October 3, 2019
News, Slider, , ,
Read more...