Pensions

There can be few people with a clearer perspective on how the UK pension system compares with those in the rest of the world than Edward Whitehouse, principal administrator, directorate for employment,...

Several convergent forces are driving the need to revisit DC default fund design. Falling bond yields and equity markets highlight major shortcomings in current DC default fund provision, and regulatory change hastens...

The DWP consultation paper “Workplace Pension Reform - Completing the legislative framework for Automatic Enrolment”, published in July 2011, contains a short paragraph which could give employers more options and have a...

While major international blue chips already participate in multinational pooled network for international group risk, or a captive insurer (see box below), experts believe there is potential for further coverage.Many companies with...

In March of last year Legal & General gave me a preview of the work they were doing with Mastek to implement the Elixir system in order to radically reduce the time...

Fund charges are in the spotlight - national newspapers have been cluttered with reports of fund managers charging excessive fees lately and the economic climate isn’t helping.Dicey stock markets are lowering returns...

Catastrophe limits in group life insurances that underpin employee benefit programmes have been part of our lives since that truly tragic day in September 2001 that has become universally known as ’9/11’....

The Liberal Democrat pension minister Steve Webb is adamant this will not happen. Speaking at an NAPF trustee conference in early December, he said: “The change of moving employers with fewer than...

Auto-enrolment places employers firmly in the forefront of financial provision. The recent decision to defer implementation until after May 2015 for companies with fewer than 50 employees will no doubt be welcomed...

Employers are currently disincentivised to deal with sickness absence for basic rate taxpayers, and so the Treasury should offer tax relief on medical treatments and vocational rehabilitation aimed at this group of...