June 2009 - That was then, this is now
This year’s Budget (22 April 2009) was significant for private pension provision, introducing a tax charge on pension savings for higher earners. The Government says that this change will affect...
Status: Live Issue: June 2009 Author: David Roberts

March 2009 - La Dolce Vita
Douglas Anderson, the founder of Club Vita, and Lindsay Davies, a partner at Hymans Robertson working in the firm’s governance and risk management practice, consider the special characteristics of...
Status: Archive Issue: March 2009 Author: Douglas Anderson and Lindsay Davies

December 2008 - Class actions – not just a US issue
This article discusses the duties on trustees of UK pension funds to recoup losses through class actions, and whether they should look to do this by joining US class actions or by seeking to...
Status: Archive Issue: December 2008 Author: Kathy Hall

September 2008 - Trustee matters
This article looks at: why pension schemes need trustees types of trustee how to be sure what sort of trustee(s) you have •and how many the advantages and disadvantages of differing structures...
Status: Archive Issue: September 2008 Author: Clare Jones and Jo Whiterod

June 2008 - Reducing risk by buying-out liabilities
A recent survey by Lane Clark & Peacock (LPC) has suggested that around 10% of FTSE 100 companies are thinking of buying-out some or all of their scheme liabilities. If this were to be the case, the...
Status: Archive Issue: June 2008

March 2008 - Legacy benefits – what are they and why do they matter?
The main legacy benefits discussed in this article include the following: Equivalent pension benefits Guaranteed minimum pensions Requisite benefits Bridging pensions State scheme premiums...
Status: Archive Issue: March 2008 Author: Nicola Bumpus

December 2007 - Minutes: a practical guide to their value and preparation
Keeping a formal record of what happens at trustee meetings is an essential part of good scheme governance. This article explains why and gives practical suggestions on how to set about a task many...
Status: Archive Issue: December 2007 Author: Jo Whiterod

June 2007 - Contracting out
We may be tempted to think that contracting out, GMPs and Protected Rights are quickly fading into the past. Not yet. There is still a lot of administration around these benefits. This article looks...
Status: Archive Issue: June 2007 Author: Karen Hoodless FPMI FRSA

April 2007 - Time to take the controls
The Pensions Act 2004 required schemes to have adequate internal control procedures in place. To help trustees, the Pensions Regulator issued a Code of Practice in November 2006 and further guidance...
Status: Archive Issue: April 2007 Author: Robert Wakefield

March 2007 - Assurance reports on internal controls of service organisations made available to third parties AAF 01/06
In June 2006 the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) issued guidance to reporting accountants on undertaking assurance engagements and providing reports in relation to...
Status: Archive Issue: March 2007 Author: Kevin Clark

September 2006 - The employer’s covenant – what trustees can do about it
The Pensions Act 2004 brought into being a new Pensions Regulator and the Pension Protection Fund (PPF). The former told trustees to begin to think like any other unsecured company creditor, in...
Status: Archive Issue: September 2006 Author: Cliff Speed, Investment Director, Paternoster and John Hawkins, Principal, Mercer Human Resource Consulting

June 2006 - Assessing the strength of the employer’s covenant
Following the Pensions Act 2004 there is a requirement on trustees to assess the strength of the employer’s covenant at the time of the actuarial valuation, and at any time when they might be...
Status: Archive Issue: June 2006 Author: Samantha Bewick

March 2006 - Deficit reduction strategies - latest thinking
Despite continued increases in the equity market and additional contributions being made by companies across the UK, pension scheme deficits continue to increase. With new legislation putting more...
Status: Archive Issue: March 2006 Author: Paul McGlone

September 2005 - GAD's 2004 survey of occupational pension schemes
GAD recently published its twelfth survey of UK occupational pension schemes, which presents results as at 2004. This article outlines the key results of the 2004 survey, such as the decrease in the...
Status: Archive Issue: September 2005 Author: Mark Vaughan

June 2005 - HR issues in the wake of the Finance Act 2004
The Finance Act 2004 introduces "pensions simplification" which rewrites most of the Inland Revenue's rules on pension provision. HR personnel, whether or not involved in the running of their...
Status: Archive Issue: June 2005 Author: Margaret Rhodes

March 2005 - Pension Protection Fund
The Pension Protection Fund (PPF) is due to come into existence in April 2005. It is intended to assist members of occupational pension schemes that wind-up with an insolvent employer that cannot...
Status: Archive Issue: March 2005 Author: Sarah Boon