April 2025

Longevity v interest rates – which poses the biggest risk for schemes?

Rising life expectancy poses a greater risk to UK corporate pension schemes than low interest rates, a report this week has suggested, but some industry experts have challenged the finding. Low interest rates have wreaked havoc on many schemes’ funding levels as liability calculations are revised up. Earlier this month the aggregate deficit of the Pension Protection Fund’s 7800 Index reached £254.2bn, up from £93.2bn a year ago. The cost of not hedging longevity in a low interest rate environment is proportionately greater...

UK pension system is at a tipping point

The UK faces a pensions time bomb that could detonate within a generation. Unlike all good suspense movies, there is not going to be a cutting of the red or blue wire in the final seconds of a digital countdown; solutions are complex, multi-faceted and wide reaching. For decades, the UK pension system has been regarded as a stable safety net, ensuring workers can retire with dignity. But beneath this illusion of security lies a crisis in the making. The combined pressures of...

Adequacy of future retirement incomes: new evidence for private sector employees

By Jonathan Cribb, Laurence O'Brien & David Sturrock In this report and the accompanying report on policy recommendations (Cribb et al., 2024a), we focus on the outlook for the adequacy of employees’ retirement incomes and changes to automatic enrolment. We do not here consider reforms that we broadly define as aimed at changing investments, costs and returns (including ‘pot for life’ and collective defined contribution pensions) but will return to consider these later in the Pensions Review. A separate report...

UK. Bill for underpaid state pensions set to hit £1 billion

New figures from DWP suggest that the total amount of state pension arrears to be paid out by the Government because of multiple errors is set to pass the £1 billion mark this year. Following the government's plans to consolidate small pension pots, it has also published the latest update of how much has been underpaid in state pensions to date. There are two separate correction exercises currently underway. The initial correction exercise which started in January 2021 and is nearing conclusion relates...

UK. Mind the gap: younger DC members care about the planet, their pension funds should take note

Today, we manage pensions for members living very different lives, different ages, different time horizons, different priorities. Yet too often, we rarely ask them: "What do you want from your money?" Younger members are already telling us. Over 80% of under-40s in the UK care about climate change. They want their savings to deliver purpose, impact, and value not just financial return and they want to be able to retire into a liveable world, not have to adapt just to survive in...

Aviva study reveals critical knowledge gap about UK pensions

New research from Aviva reveals a concerning gap between perceived and actual knowledge around pensions in the UK, reinforcing the need for greater financial literacy and support. Addressing these areas will help bridge the knowledge gap and ensure that more people are prepared for a financially secure retirement. The survey of more than 2000 UK adults uncovered widespread confusion about the basics of pension planning. While more than half (53%) claim to be knowledgeable about pensions, only a third can...

Brits reject pension gamble, choose stability over high-risk bets

In an era of economic uncertainty and shifting retirement expectations, British savers are making one thing clear: when it comes to their pensions, stability prevails over speculation. Rather than chasing high returns through risky investments, most UK pension holders are opting for steady growth, transparent management, and long-term financial security. This trend is underscored by new research from PensionBee, which reveals just 8% of savers are willing to invest in high-risk assets. The majority are risk-conscious, with 49% preferring a moderate-risk strategy,...

‘Will Britain’s state pension still exist when I retire in 30 years?’

The debate over the state pension – such as what should happen to the triple lock – seems to entirely focus on people who are in receipt of it, or will be soon. However, it ignores people like me who are in their 30s and have no idea what it might be worth when we finally reach retirement, or when we might get it. Is there any certainty at all about whether the state pension will still exist in 30 years, or should...

UK. TPR turns to AI in effort to detect scammers but government can do more to help

Tom Selby, director of public policy at AJ Bell, comments on The Pensions Regulator (TPR) and Pension Scams Action Group (PSAG) adopting the use of AI to detect scam websites: “Stopping pension scammers is a perpetual game of whack-a-mole. Whenever one scam is shut down another soon starts up in its place. That means it is vital that regulators and bodies like Action Fraud use every tool at their disposal to fend off scams as they emerge, closing down fraudulent...

2025 ‘key year’ for pension schemes considering their endgame strategy

Following recent regulatory and market developments, 2025 represents an important year for schemes reviewing their endgame strategy, Aon has suggested. Withsignificant improvements in funding for defined benefit pension schemes over the last two years, many sponsoring employers and trustee boards have already reconsidered their scheme’s endgame, the firm claimed. However, it said the rest of the year represented an important period for schemes that have yet to commit to a particular approach. “There are several factors at play,” explained Aon associate partner and...