UK Archives - Page 97 of 196 - Pension Policy International

15AugAugust 15, 2022

UK. New DB funding rules risk forcing schemes into ‘straitjacket’

New funding rules for defined benefit (DB) pension schemes risk forcing all schemes into a ‘one-size-fits-all straitjacket’, leading to potential employer insolvencies in some cases, LCP has warned. In July, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) published its consultation on new regulations for DB scheme funding, whereby schemes would be required to have long-term plans set out in a funding and investment strategy. Schemes will be required to reach a funding level where no additional funding is expected to be...

August 15, 2022

News2022, Defined Benefit, UK

12AugAugust 12, 2022

U.K. pension regulator calling on plan sponsors to support pension scam prevention strategy

The Pension Regulator, the U.K. government body that oversees defined benefit pension plans, is calling on plan sponsors to help advance a three-pronged strategy to fight pension fraud. “Over many years, we have worked to prevent savers’ losses and put fraudsters in prison: running large-scale public awareness campaigns, leading a multi-agency response to the threat through [the pension scams action group]. . . . But the truth is, we must all do more to combat pension scams,” said Nicola Parish,...

August 12, 2022

News2022, Regulation, UK

11AugAugust 11, 2022

More than 13,000 sign petition calling for guaranteed £200-a-week UK pension

More than 13,000 people have signed a petition demanding a guaranteed pension of £200-a-week in the UK. A group of pensioners is calling for the weekly rate to go up in light of the cost of living crisis The Silver Voices group, which successfully fought for free TV licences for the over-75s, wants the Government to set a new floor for the amount OAPs receive. It comes as households are engulfed by soaring energy costs, runaway inflation and food price...

August 11, 2022

News2022, Income, UK

11AugAugust 11, 2022

UK. TPR advises employers to shield schemes from refinancing costs

Companies and pension scheme trustees should take steps to protect their schemes and their employer covenant from the fallout of any refinancing that they have undertaken, according to David Fairs, the Pensions Regulator’s executive director of regulatory policy, analysis and advice. In a blog published on August 10, Fairs acknowledged the trend of employers seeking to boost their liquidity in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic. This, he noted, would include the agreement of new borrowing facilities, or extension of...

August 11, 2022

News2022, Occupational Pensions, Regulation, UK

10AugAugust 10, 2022

UK. Pensions: More than 1 million workers not participating in workplace scheme

Around a fifth of workers at small medium sized (SMEs) enterprises that are eligible for a workplace pension are not participating in schemes, a new research shows. Analysis of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) data from Broadstone found nearly 1.2 million SME employees could be falling through the "pension accumulation gap". Read also U.K. pension regulator calling on plan sponsors to support pension scam prevention strategy It also found pension participation is "stalling" at SMEs, warning employers at these companies to...

August 10, 2022

News2022, Occupational Pensions, savings, UK

09AugAugust 9, 2022

UK. Property a ‘risky’ investment for retirement pots

High interest rates and low capital growth could reduce retirement property pot savings by as much as 38 per cent, research by wealth manager Netwealth has found. While property investment has been a favoured option for boosting cash in retirement, the research found investment in additional properties or buy-to-let was usually outperformed by pensions. Analysis of different values of property growth, compared with the average pension projected growth over 20 years, showed property investment could significant reducing retirement pot savings by...

August 9, 2022

News2022, Investment, UK

08AugAugust 8, 2022

UK. How to help the self-employed boost their pension savings

Just prior to the pandemic the self-employed made up about one in seven of the workforce, and while that is likely to have dipped somewhat through the pandemic, this remains much larger than a generation ago, driven by growth in self-employment in the decade after the financial crisis. Despite the growth in the number of people who are self-employed over the years, pension savings for this group have continued to fall. A recent report from the Office for National Statistics paints...

August 8, 2022

News2022, Informal Sector, savings, UK

05AugAugust 5, 2022

The Misery of Spending Down the Nest Egg: The Effect of Annuitization on Consumption and Wellbeing

By Yu Gao, George Loewenstein & Xianghong Wang We study the effects of annuitization compared to spending down a lump-sum on consumption and subjective wellbeing. Analyzing longitudinal data on UK retirees before and after the pension reform that provided greater freedom to draw down savings, we find that annuitization increased retirees’ consumption and life satisfaction. To further examine the behavioral channel of these effects, we conducted a field experiment with college students, giving them a flow or lump-sum payment. As...

August 5, 2022

Articles, Payout, Pension design, Savings2022, Income, Pension Reform, UK

05AugAugust 5, 2022

UK. TPR revamps guidance on fiduciary management tender processes

The Pensions Regulator has published updated guidance on the tender process for fiduciary management services and trustees, setting objectives for investment consultants as it prepares to take over regulation of these duties this autumn. Since December 2019, trustees have been legally required to run a competitive tender process when appointing fiduciary managers for a fifth or more of scheme assets, and have had to set strategic objectives for their investment consultancy provider. From this October, TPR will take over compliance-reporting and...

August 5, 2022

News2022, Regulation, UK

03AugAugust 3, 2022

UK. DWP adds new way for people of State Pension age to claim income boost of up to £3,300

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) recently confirmed that new claims for Pension Credit made between April 1 and July 3, took an average of 40 days to process. This means those over State Pension age who submit an application this week, could receive financial support by the end of September. To help even more people over 66 claim support worth around £3,300 on average each year, DWP has introduced a new interactive Pension Credit claim form which can...

August 3, 2022

News2022, Payout, UK

August 2022