Gresham House launches a platform for pension funds that want to make an impact February 21, 2017 Mammoth pension funds are to be able to invest into smaller, socially responsible projects through a new platform announced today. The initiative has been created by AIM-quoted investment house Gresham House and has attracted cornerstone interest from Berkshire's local government pension fund, alongside a 20 per cent shareholding the fund has agreed to take in Gresham House itself. Larger pension funds [...]
Government mulls handing watchdog more powers over struggling pension schemes, but experts warn suggestions not enough to prevent another BHS-style fiasco February 20, 2017 The government is considering handing the pensions watchdog more powers to regulate struggling or badly governed pension schemes. The Department for Work and Pensions' green paper on 'Security and Sustainability in Defined Benefit Pension Schemes', which was published today, is asking for feedback on a variety of pension issues. These include whether to extend the Pension [...]
BMW bosses meet union reps for crunch talks to avoid strike chaos at Mini and Rolls-Royce February 20, 2017 BMW bosses meet with union representatives today in a bid to avoid industrial action in a row over what Unite has described as "pensions robbery". Unite has warned BMW to brace itself for "serious industrial action" involving some 7,000 car workers should the car company "continue to ignore their concerns". Strikes are on the horizon at BMW [...]
OAP (Old And Partying): UK pensioners have higher average incomes than their working age children, and spend more on having fun February 15, 2017 For the silver generation, this truly is a golden age. Two reports released in the last week indicate that pensioners have never had it better. The first, Tilney’s “The Cost of Tomorrow”, debunks the myth that supposedly frivolous twenty-somethings spend more on having fun than retirees, either in absolute terms or as a percentage of their [...]
Xafinity wants to take on the big boys with its London IPO February 14, 2017 The £190m float of a mid-tier actuarial and consulting firm will help it break the stranglehold of the largest three market players, its boss said today. Xafinity announced plans earlier this morning for a London listing and intends to make an official admission to the exchange on Thursday. Paul Cuff, the company's co-chief executive, told City PM he hopes the [...]
Older people must shoulder their share of government spending cuts February 14, 2017 Given general improvements in technology and prosperity, younger generations should, in theory, always be better off than their parents. But with pensioner households now earning more than their working age equivalents, according to a new report from the Resolution Foundation, this can no longer be taken for granted. It is of course good news that older [...]
Tesco Bank’s chief exec says lenders don’t pay customers enough interest on current accounts February 2, 2017 The boss of Tesco Bank has hit out at high street rivals, claiming they make billions of pounds by skimping on the rate of interest paid to customers. Benny Higgins, who led the lender through a mammoth cyber attack on Tesco Bank last November, said the amount of switching between providers remains "stubbornly low", something lenders [...]
How can we get ourselves to save more? Use behavioural economics February 1, 2017 It's a convenient excuse – we all vow to save more when we earn more. A new survey by YouGov for Zurich UK of British adults in work found that more than two fifths (42 per cent) said that earning more would encourage them to save more into a pension. Unfortunately, they rarely actually do [...]
Slow and steady? Pension deficits need not be closed as report reveals trustees need to refocus January 31, 2017 Spiralling pension deficits are distracting those empowered to manage schemes away from making sure members receive the correct payouts. Almost all pension trustees do not see paying members as a key strategic driver, with many getting bogged down in the detail and failing to see the bigger picture, according to a report by actuarial specialists [...]
With over £9.2bn cashed in since April 2015, have pension freedoms been an unequivocal success? January 26, 2017 Ros Altmann, the former minister of state for pensions, says Yes. Pension freedoms could be the most popular pension reform ever. Suddenly, instead of having to lock into inflexible, potentially unsuitable insurance company annuities, you can choose how and when to use your fund. The average amount withdrawn was just around £5,000. If that’s all [...]
