Clik here to view.
Bringing down the cost of advice #FAMR
The Financial Advice Market Review asks whether Britain can bridge the advice gap for those people who “want to work hard, do the right thing and get on in life but do not have significant wealth”,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Why I think we’ll avoid a capacity crunch.
The predictions are dire – mass non-compliance – auto-enrolment brought into disrepute and pensions marched out of the last chance saloon and replaced by ISAs. It is as if some of my colleagues...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Financial advisors need better retirement products
Better products that deliver what they say I had the pleasure of Chris Radford’s company over the weekend. Chris is a consultant to pension providers , a regular at our Pension lunches and someone who...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Auto-enrolment – now get stuck in!
Auto-enrolment is 3 years old but the real fun only starts here. In the coming quarter, we will be preparing for the big spikes in staging that begin in January 2016. Whether you are an accountant,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The tricky job of enrolling the self-employed into pensions
The estimate from the Citizen’s Advice Bureau that some 460,000 extra workers are currently missing out on auto-enrolment because employers deem them independently self-employed seems reasonable. When...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How do you compare pension default funds?
An old colleague contacted me yesterday with a simple (but great) question. “how do you compare pension default funds”. I can speak on this for First Actuarial, who provide the investment ratings...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Pot follows member – over a cliff?
There’s a great saying in racing “I’d follow that horse over a cliff”. It’s a morbid comment on most gambler’s instinct to chase losses for sentimental rather than economic reasons. When conviction...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The markets are back but the damage is done.
There are those who thrive on the ups and downs of the stock market; high frequency traders take fractional advantage of moves up and down and like wind farms, make most when it’s stormy. You can buy...
View ArticleClik here to view.
If the deal is good – why not shout about it? Guest Blog From Ralph Frank
Pension savers in the UK benefit, and have done so for some time, from tax relief on their contributions. This perk has been a key driver in incentivising these savers to defer a portion of their...
View ArticleClik here to view.
State Street and People’s – a lack of “emissional” intelligence?
I am not very happy that People’s Pension has chosen State Street to manage the money under its master trust. In early 2014, State Street were found guilty of over-charging a variety of pension funds...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Doubt is not a pleasant condition , but certainty is absurd
The quote’s from the French philosopher Voltaire and was sent me by my friend Derek Benstead . Derek’s been ill all year, never stops thinking about how to make my and his client’s lives better! We...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“Pension PlayPen – more serious than it sounds!”
Today I’m off to Newcastle to see a large company that helps people get paid. I’m travelling with a spring in my step after listening to Paul Lewis introduce me as Founder of “Pension PlayPen –...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How can auto-enrolment help those that most need it?
This morning I’m off to the House of Commons to discuss this question with some policy people, Prospect Magazine, my friends Alex Rowson of QTAC and Darren Philp of People’s Pension and Nigel...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A lot more people earning £10k or less are “in” and some don’t even know it.
Don’t ignore it – Workie! I was talking to an auditor recently who had questioned why someone who cleaned her client’s office in the morning and was on £120 pw had been considered an eligible jobholder...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Nigella Lawson of workplace pensions
I met Hayley Jaggers at a recent Capacity Crunch Conference and linked in with her. We agreed to meet at our Tonbridge offices and we had a business meeting yesterday. She has re-defined my...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Why I’m excited about second hand annuities.
According to Royal London, we’ll be able to buy and sell each other’s annuity payments from next April. Presumably this article is on pre-release as I read April 2017 but who am I to argue with...
View ArticleClik here to view.
60% of UK wealth manager’s customers getting “unsuitable advice”?!?
This arrives in an email from my friend Per Andelius. It refers to the FCA thematic review that can be found here. It’s a brilliantly written article and if anyone knows its source, please send it me,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“Confusion rife!” and not just over the new state pension.
The DWP Select Committee has published its report “Understanding the New State Pension” this morning. The accompanying Press release calls for clear statements of entitlement while stopping short of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Pensions need to be sold for the sausage not the sizzle.
A great observation from Steve Groves, CEO of partnership this morning. @henryhtapper @tcfDAN @clivewaller healthy people were buying to early. Lie expectancy increased 10yrs and annuitisation age...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Secondary annuities – who benefits? RALPH FRANK
Will it all blow up? Another great guest blog from Ralph- keep them coming Ralph – your reader stats are awesome!(Pension Plowman) The seemingly inexorable march towards the creation of a secondary...
View Article
