November 2023
06Nov

UK. DWP urging almost a million people to claim extra £67 each week

People are being urged to claim extra benefits worth about £67 a week from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). X (formerly Twitter ) was used to send out an alert regarding benefits and pensions on Wednesday. As part of its efforts to encourage people to check if they are eligible for financial support worth thousands of pounds each year, the DWP continues to urge people to do so. A post from its official account said: "Don't miss out on #PensionCredit....

November 6, 2023
News, ,
Read more...
03Nov

UK. FCA bans Geoffrey Armin for failures in advice given to British Steel Pension Scheme Members, with £200k to be paid in compensation

The FCA found that Mr Armin, while running Retirement and Pension Planning Services Limited (dissolved), was seriously incompetent when advising on defined benefit (DB) pension transfers. Mr Armin advised 422 customers on the transfer of their DB pensions, including 183 members of the British Steel Pension Scheme – 174 of whom transferred out of the scheme following his recommendation. These fees added up to £2.2m for all DB transfer advice, 55% (approximately £1.2m) of which was retained by Retirement...

November 3, 2023
News,
Read more...
02Nov

UK must seize DC pension learning opportunities to address decumulation challenges

Defined contribution (DC) pensions provide new opportunities to address retirement income challenges, but the UK can take lessons from countries with more developed DC pension systems to improve member outcomes, according to a Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) report. The PPI’s latest research report noted that while the UK had the second largest stock of pension assets in 2021, it was some way behind Australia, the US and Canada on the path to a fully formed DC system. It also warned that...

November 2, 2023
News,
Read more...
01Nov

UK household wealth has tanked and it’s a sign of what could happen in the US

Household wealth in the UK has fallen sharply over the last two years in part thanks to high interest rates, and the factors that led to the drop suggest a similar scenario could be heading for the US. New research from the think tank Resolution Foundation found that median household wealth in the UK fell 21% from the start of 2022 through the third quarter of 2023, representing a loss of £2.2 trillion (US$2.7 trillion). The fall is due, in large...

November 1, 2023
News, ,
Read more...
01Nov

UK: Pensions Dashboards: Connecting The Pots

For the first time, members will have information about all their pension savings, including their State Pension, in one place. Pensions Dashboards will be a catalyst for change across the pensions industry. Are you ready? At WTW, we believe a key part of Pensions Dashboards being effective and successful is ensuring that they form part of an engagement and education framework. For pension scheme trustees and sponsoring employers, there are benefits to a powerful Dashboard framework and risks associated with...

November 1, 2023
News,
Read more...

October 2023
31Oct

UK trustees should challenge advisors but government needs to lead change

Around £1.2 trillion of UK pension fund assets lies in around 5,000 defined benefit schemes that primarily invest in Gilts and corporate bonds. With a suite of initiatives, the government is attempting to get the country’s fragmented DB (and DC) pension sector to invest more in illiquid assets and help fuel economic growth, as well as exploring how to consolidate these funds into larger pools. The biggest UK pension funds like Railpen, Nest and LGPS already invest in alternatives and nine...

October 31, 2023
News, Uncategorized, ,
Read more...
30Oct

Huge ethnicity pension gap revealed in UK figures

A UK individual from a minority ethnic background typically has a pension pot less than half the size of that belonging to the average white British saver, data reveal. The research from Legal & General’s investment arm claimed there was a sizeable “ethnicity pensions gap” in the UK that was being fuelled by “misconceptions” around pensions and a “significant distrust of employers”, as well as a lack of spare income. The average saver from a minority ethnic background has a pension pot of...

October 30, 2023
News, ,
Read more...
27Oct

UK. New charter calls on political parties for pension reform

The Building a Consensus for Better Pensions charter unifies voices from across the pension industry in calling on major political parties for reform. Organisations from across the pension industry signed a new charter last week calling for reform to the pension savings system. The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA), the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and Age UK were among signatories calling on major UK political parties to prioritise pension reform in their manifestos ahead of the next General Election. “It’s almost 20...

October 27, 2023
News,
Read more...
26Oct

Britain tells pension funds change needed to improve returns

Britain will not force pension funds to consolidate or invest in high-growth companies, but there must be change in the sector to give pension holders better long-term returns, finance minister Jeremy Hunt said on Wednesday. Hunt launched the "Mansion House Compact" in July to help channel cash from direct contribution pension funds into unlisted companies to boost Britain's economic growth. The government wants to persuade pension schemes to invest some of their funds in infrastructure as well as startups and green technology. Ten companies...

October 26, 2023
News, ,
Read more...
25Oct

MPs pension scheme abandons UK stocks

MP retirement savings have been pulled out of British companies – despite the Chancellor pushing pension schemes to invest tens of billions in UK business. Jeremy Hunt has called on pension funds to plough at least 5pc of their assets into British start-ups and private equity in a bid to boost growth. However, his own Parliamentary pension scheme now invests just 1.7pc (£14m) in British companies, down from nearly 12pc the year before. When Mr Hunt first announced the policy at his...

October 25, 2023
News, ,
Read more...