pensionsandsavings.com

  • PENSIONSANDSAVINGS.COM

    From Ros Altmann:economist and pensions,
    investment and retirement policy expert

    • pensionsandsavings.com

    pensionsandsavings.com

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    Category: Pensions

    Proposals to allow pension withdrawals for house purchase are dangerous

    Proposals to allow pension withdrawals for house purchase are dangerous

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    Encouraging younger savers to spend their pensions before retirement runs huge risks. Confusing shorter-term cash savings for house deposit with long-term investing for pensions will damage retirement prospects for many. People need pensions to supplement very low State Pension in retirement. More money for house deposits may be popular short-term but could just raise house prices further – boosting demand without expanding supply of homes for sale is not a solution. Don’t muddle pensions with house-buying: Policy proposals suggesting people…

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    Regulators and Government need to improve consumer protection – consider banning unregulated investments in SIPPs

    Regulators and Government need to improve consumer protection – consider banning unregulated investments in SIPPs

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    New Report highlights loss of trust in financial services, as savings rates reach record low.   Calls for regulators to put consumer interests first and pre-empt problems in pensions and finance, rather than dealing with losses after they’ve happened.   For example, banning unregulated investments in SIPPs could protect consumers better. Ros Altmann delighted to be appointed as Transparency Task Force 100th Ambassador.  Saving and investing for the future are an important part of social protection, to help people provide…

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    Today’s news that auto-enrolment has reached the ten million milestone

    Today’s news that auto-enrolment has reached the ten million milestone

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    Auto-enrolment has been a huge success so far, but plenty more to do to ensure it works well. Significant milestone reached as 10 million workers are newly saving in a pension scheme but many women and part-timers lose out. Low earners face unfair 25% surcharge for their pension in Net Pay scandal. Incorrect contributions must be corrected urgently to ensure pensions dashboard is reliable. It is great to see the auto-enrolment programme continuing its successful path. So far, it has…

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    Amber Rudd is right to warn employers about pension funding – trustees also need to increase their scrutiny too

    Amber Rudd is right to warn employers about pension funding – trustees also need to increase their scrutiny too

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    Amber Rudd is right to warn employers to take pension funding seriously. As most schemes are closed, employers have little business interest in the open-ended legacy liabilities – so important for trustees to increase funding sooner rather than later. DWP and Regulator should also encourage trustees to consider corporate finance advice to scrutinise employer business. Trustees, not employers, run investments and control balance of risks. Amber Rudd has today put employers on notice that they must take their pension liabilities…

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    Potential Pensions Bombshell as Brexit puts State Pensions for British pensioners in the EU at risk

    Potential Pensions Bombshell as Brexit puts State Pensions for British pensioners in the EU at risk

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    As UK has decided to uprate State Pensions in EU this April, even if there is No Deal, they could agree to uprate all frozen pensions in other countries if they wish to solve this ongoing scandal. Government says State Pensions will only be uprated if host countries reciprocate but is abandoning that rule for Brexit.  340,000 British pensioners would need uprating, while hardly any EU citizens retire to the UK.  British pensioners could lose their pension increases if there…

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    Pensions Predictions for 2019

    Pensions Predictions for 2019

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    What 2019 will bring for Pensions 2018 has seen the start of some important pension policy trends, which will continue into 2019. What is most likely to happen and what still urgently needs to be done? Here are some thoughts. Auto-enrolment program finally fully implemented as pension contributions double in April 2019, amid hopes that the behavioural success will keep opt-out rates low: As pensions auto-enrolment continued to roll out across the country, opt-out rates were unaffected, despite the doubling…

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    Pensions Dashboard – let’s make sure we get things right

    Pensions Dashboard – let’s make sure we get things right

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    Pensions Dashboard must overcome many hurdles and first requirement is to ensure accurate records. Legacy schemes will take years and cost huge sums to convert to electronic format and this has delayed Dashboard project so far. Trying to get all old pensions included on a Pensions Dashboard on day one is doomed to failure.  Pensions Dashboard could start with auto-enrolment and State Pension first – but Regulators must ensure pension records are correct. Even recent auto-enrolment data are full of…

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    Equal State Pension ages but no pension equality for women

    Equal State Pension ages but no pension equality for women

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    Men and women’s State Pension age will be equalised tomorrow 6 November 2018. But equal State Pension age does not mean pension equalit.   Ten reasons women lose out in pensions as gender pensions gap remains wide. Tuesday November 6th is the day men and women’s pension ages are equalised:  After decades of difference, when women received their state pension at age 60, while men had to wait till age 65, tomorrow sees the historic date when women and men…

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    Budget 2018 – my first thoughts

    Budget 2018 – my first thoughts

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    Chancellor plays it safe – sensible reforms to boost growth and some nice surprises. Glad to see no big changes on pensions. Increase in personal tax threshold to £12,500 will boost auto-enrolment in April 2019 when worker contributions double. But yet another missed opportunity to find money for social care. So there we have it.  The last Budget before Brexit, cleverly crafted to ensure measures will please as many groups as possible who might have been tempted to vote it…

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    High Court ruling on GMPs

    High Court ruling on GMPs

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    Court ruling about pensions equalisation could take years and cost billions to implement. Equal pensions are important but complexity of UK rules and poor data records will mean difficulties for pension schemes. GMP pension problems highlight how vital it is to have accurate pension records – trustees and Regulators must demand auto-enrolment scheme data are checked and corrected. A High Court ruling today about pensions could have enormous ramifications for most final salary-type pension schemes. As with all things related…

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