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Vital pension and retirement policies delayed – perhaps casualties of Brexit

July 23, 2018 Ros Altmann Comments 0 Comment

As Parliament breaks for the Summer, there are vital issues left in abeyance. Preparing for later life is essential in our aging population, but policies are on hold. Delays in dealing with social care funding leave a worsening care crisis all around us. Pensions Dashboard, cold-calling ban and ensuring low earners aren’t overcharged have all been delayed, despite the urgency. Over the past year, Ministers have promised a raft of measures designed to help people build up better pensions, improve…

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Pension Dashboard problems could be solved with the right technology

July 19, 2018 Ros Altmann Comments 0 Comment

Ros Altmann to Chair pensionsync – a ‘hidden gem’ pensions fintech firm. As Government backs away from Pensions Dashboard, partly due to costs and data unreliability, new technology, developed by private sector can revolutionise auto-enrolment administration. Automating pension contributions saves time, saves money, improves accuracy and enhances GDPR compliance, giving people cheaper pensions for the future. Some day all pensions should be done this way! I am delighted to announce my appointment as Chair of award-winning fintech specialist pensionsync –…

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Discrimination against older workers

July 17, 2018 Ros Altmann Comments 3 comments

Older workers – especially women – face damaging discrimination in the jobs market. Parliamentary Committee calls for action against recruitment industry for breaches of equality law. Many older women excluded from the world of work face poverty as state pension age rises. Calls for improved efforts to Retain, Retrain and Recruit older workers. The Commons Women and Equalities Committee inquiry into employment for older people contains damning findings of age discrimination in the workplace. It concludes that ageism in the…

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Pensions cold-calling ban delayed again – despite the urgency

June 29, 2018 Ros Altmann Comments 0 Comment

The much-promised pensions cold-calling ban, legislated for a few months ago and promised to come into effect by end June, is not ready on time. The Regulations required to implement the ban have not been laid, so the timetable will not be met. The need for a ban is widely recognised. The sooner cold-calling for pensions is outlawed, the sooner people will be better protected against being scammed and losing their life savings. So many people have already suffered from…

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FCA moving in the right direction on pension freedoms at last

June 28, 2018 Ros Altmann Comments 1 comment

Pension Freedoms not yet working properly as millions have no independent guidance or advice. FCA study highlights need to redesign drawdown for new customer profiles. Regulator demands better investment options, cost transparency and threatens to cap charges. Wake-up packs at age 50 and standard ‘pensions passport’ are major improvements. New regime not working well for customers as providers fail to innovate: The FCA’s latest report on how pension freedoms have impacted the retirement income space shows that there is…

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Funding crisis of elderly care services

May 29, 2018 Ros Altmann Comments 2 comments

This blog is an extended version of my letter published in today’s Times. Click here to view. May I offer some essential considerations for long-term solutions to the fragmentation and funding crisis of elderly care services, following recent reports by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, among others (Comment article by Paul Johnson). In the 1940s, William Beveridge designed the NHS as a ‘make-you-better’ service, offering acute interventions that cure patients who can resume normal life. It was never intended as…

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Digital Discrimination leaves millions of older people at risk

May 23, 2018 Ros Altmann Comments 5 comments

AgeUK finds Government guilty of digital age discrimination leaving millions of older people at risk of poverty. Elderly citizens denied benefit entitlements because they can’t cope online need special help. Be proud that Britain is leading many technological advances, but this risks older generations being increasingly marginalised by society. 3.8million older people in Britain today have never used the internet: Many of us are so used to online connections that we are in danger of forgetting how fast the technological…

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Don’t hit older workers to pay for social care – need a solution that is fair across and within generations

May 7, 2018 Ros Altmann Comments 0 Comment

Forcing pensioner workers to pay National Insurance is not a solution to care funding crisis Imposing new National Insurance on just one group introduces new unfairness and could be politically damaging Pensioners are not entitled to many of the benefits that National Insurance covers Working past pension age should be encouraged, not penalised to pay for other people’s care How could Government justify forcing pensioner workers to fund other people’s social care while non-working pensioners on huge pensions pay no…

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MPs highlight gaping holes in pension options and protections at retirement

April 5, 2018 Ros Altmann Comments 1 comment

Work and Pensions Committee Report exposes gaping hole in pension freedoms as customers are left unprotected at retirement. Urgent calls for simpler, fairer information and standardised forms to help people understand their pension options and improve retirement income. Pressure on pensions industry to offer innovative products and good value default options for retirement income as MPs call for NEST to be allowed to compete. Before taking money out of pensions, more people need impartial financial guidance or advice. Gaping…

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Shocking failings at Financial Ombudsman uncovered

March 12, 2018 Ros Altmann Comments 9 comments

Shocking failings uncovered at Financial Ombudsman. Channel 4 Dispatches undercover investigation finds major flaws in Ombudsman operation. FOS staff who don’t understand financial products, are pressured to turn down complaints and side with banks or financial providers. Urgent action needed to ensure financial customers have proper system of fair redress. Tonight at 8pm a Channel4 Dispatches programme will show shocking evidence of failings at the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). Members of the public are told to complain to the Ombudsman…

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