Pensions bill derailed again as general election called
The pension schemes bill will face yet another delay as the UK seems set to have its third general election in five years on 12 December. The bill contains provisions on collective defined contribution...
View ArticleHalf of workers plan part-time employment in ‘retirement’
More than half of people say they plan to work at least part-time during their retirement with the average worker planning to leave their primary job aged 66, according to research. Fidelity...
View ArticleRP case studies: SSAS innovation harvests farming family tax saving
The Wilson family are third-generation farmers. They farm commercially through their limited company business structure, which owns large tracts of agricultural land of varying topography and quality....
View ArticleLimit choice to tackle unsuitable retirement decisions, says OECD
Britain is not alone in the challenge of getting people to save for pensions, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). While all 36 OECD nations face the same...
View ArticleLong-awaited Carey Pensions legal ruling ‘imminent’, lawyer says
A ruling in the long-running Carey Pensions legal wrangle is due “imminently” which will bring much-needed clarity to the law concerning the use of unregulated introducers, a lawyer has said. The...
View ArticleNEST members’ panel calls on government to reduce AE earnings threshold
The NEST members’ panel is calling on the government to start reducing the £10,000 auto-enrolment (AE) earnings threshold, before the move to start contributions from the first pound earned. The Panel...
View ArticleNigel Stanley: Govt must move to scrap AE earnings triggers
There is a strong case to start cutting the earnings threshold for auto-enrolment (AE) before the move to contributions from the first pound. To understand why, we need a little history. Initially,...
View ArticleLighthouse ordered to pay out compensation after delayed DB transfer
Lighthouse has been told to compensate a client after the advice firm missed the deadline to transfer out of a defined benefit (DB) scheme. Mr L approached Lighthouse for advice about transferring his...
View ArticleDavid Downie: Tackling the DB transfer ‘appropriate limit’ hurdle
Scrutiny from the FCA and rule changes now mean there is a lot to consider when advising on defined benefit (DB) transfers. In this climate, it is easy to overlook the extra hurdle of the ‘appropriate...
View ArticleData quality is pensions dashboard’s ‘weakest link’
The quality and availability of data is the “weakest link” for the pensions dashboard, according to the Society of Pension Professionals (SPP). The firm’s survey on the pensions dashboard project...
View ArticleScottish Friendly completes Canada Life closed book purchase
Mutual Scottish Friendly has completed the acquisition of a back book of life and pension policies from financial services provider Canada Life. The deal has seen its assets under management (AUM)...
View ArticleCollective action could prevent ‘Gen X’ retirement shortfall
Collective action from government, the financial services industry and employers could help ensure savers in Generation X do not retire with insufficient funds, a study has found. The report, published...
View ArticleGareth James: Standing up for the PLSA’s retirement living standards
The pensions industry hasn’t historically enjoyed the greatest of reputations when it comes to securing engagement from those saving for retirement. Issues highlighted have included the use of...
View ArticleAdviser calls for urgent death benefit rule reform
More than half of technical queries made to SIPP operator Curtis Banks by advisers concerned the subject of death benefits rules. The queries suggested that even though the rules can be flexible and...
View ArticleBritish Steel rescue deal gives workers ‘pension certainty’
A lifeline for British Steel in the form of a Chinese buyout would have positive implications for its workers caught up in its defined benefit (DB) pension scheme transfer saga. News this morning that...
View ArticlePolitics and pensions: A three-point manifesto wish-list
With the upcoming general election and the manifestos soon to be released, we have been considering our wish-list of what that we would like to see in terms of pension policy. The cost of pension tax...
View ArticleEx-trustee admits £250,000 pension scheme fraud
The former trustee of a charity for the disabled has pleaded guilty to fraud after transferring more than £250,000 from the organisation’s pension scheme. Patrick McLarry of Bere Alston in Devon took...
View ArticleStephen McPhillips: Navigating the world of unquoted shares
One of the less common types of investment that might be available through self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs) and small self-administered schemes (SSAS) are unquoted equities i.e. shares in...
View ArticleWomen saving for retirement face ‘stark’ pensions gap
Most self-employed women are not saving enough for retirement and remain at risk of running out of money after they finish work, according to Scottish Widows analysis. While auto-enrolment had raised...
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Greg Kingston: The uncomfortable history of SIPP regulation
The regulator has always had one eye on self-invested personal pensions (SIPP). Aware that the responsibility of regulating the industry has fallen to it, there has been a resounding interest in the...
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