Don’t dump upfront pensions tax relief: Why a Pensions Isa won’t drive people to save February 12, 2016 A pensions revolution may truly be upon us. Hats off then to City A.M. whose reporting has led the way in publicising the Treasury’s activities in advance of potential changes to how Britain incentivises pension saving. The lurid comparison with Gordon Brown and his 1997 abolition of dividend tax credits made by former pensions minister Steve [...]
Royal London results: New business and funds under management increase, while group chief executive Phil Loney voices dislike of pension Isas February 10, 2016 The boss of one of the UK's most well-known pensions companies has slammed the idea of a pension Isa this morning. When Royal London announced its results for the 12 months ended December 2015 today, group chief executive Phil Loney also took the opportunity to sound a warning to George Osborne not to introduce a pensions [...]
Don’t overhaul private pensions for the sake of saving money, chancellor February 9, 2016 George Osborne has been a radical on private pensions. The 2014 Budget decision to allow individuals to opt-out of purchasing an annuity was a true liberalising measure, enabling people to access their pension pots and use their own savings as they see fit. Yet now it is rumoured that the chancellor might announce a complete [...]
Former pensions minister Steve Webb warns chancellor George Osborne: Don’t become the ghost of Gordon Brown February 5, 2016 Former pensions minister Steve Webb will today urge chancellor George Osborne to abandon proposals for a controversial change to the pensions system. Webb, who was pensions minister in the coalition and is now director of policy at Royal London, will warn Osborne not to repeat the mistakes of his Labour predecessor Gordon Brown by fiddling [...]
Violence breaks out in Athens’ Syntagma Square during mass rally against pensions reforms February 4, 2016 Violence has broken out in Athens' Syntagma Square during a mass rally demonstrating against pensions reforms. Images from the protests show riot police dealing with outbreaks of a fire after a group of masked individuals were seen throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at police. Witnesses told Reuters that fights erupted between protesters and police on the [...]
UK pensions: Three-quarters of UK employees are anticipating being worse off in retirement than their parents, and those who are worried about money are more likely to be out of the office unwell February 3, 2016 Sons and daughters spend much of their childhood trying to imitate their parents, but their inability to mimic their pension pot has left them with a sense of worry. Research released today by professional services firm Willis Towers Watson has discovered that almost three-quarters of UK workers think that their parents' generation will benefit from a [...]
UK Waspi pension campaign: Minister says women born in the 1950s who are affected by transitional state pension arrangements should use “other benefits” like jobseekers allowance February 1, 2016 An MP has said today that women who are losing out from changes to the state pension age can rely on other benefits, such as jobseeker's allowance. The comment was made during a debate in Parliament over whether women born in the 1950s were properly notified by the government that the age at which they could retire would [...]
UK Pensions: FTSE 100 companies slice over £20bn off defined benefit (DB) pensions deficit but overall funding level in private sector remains bleak February 1, 2016 The total deficit for defined benefit (DB) pensions schemes for FTSE 100 companies has been slashed by £21bn over the course of a year. According to figures released today by JLT Employee Benefits, the total deficit across FTSE 100 companies stood at £77bn at 31 January 2016, down from £98bn at the same time the year [...]
UK pensions: Parliament to debate transitional state pension arrangements for women born in the 1950s tomorrow after online Waspi petition receives more than 100,000 signatures January 31, 2016 MPs will tomorrow debate the fairness of state pension arrangements for women born in the 1950s, after an online petition received more than 100,000 signatures. The petition, entitled "Make fair transitional state pension arrangements for 1950’s women", was started on behalf of the campaign group Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) and points out that some women [...]
UK Pensions: Half of self-employed people lack confidence in pensions, while many have received no form of advice on how to stash their cash for retirement January 28, 2016 Those who call themselves boss are snubbing private pensions because they neither trust nor understand them. According to a report released today by Citizens Advice, half of self-employed people are not confident a private pension is a safe place to store their money for their golden years, with just 17 per cent opting to pay [...]