Huge pension fund deficits are a global crisis in waiting

Posted on February 20, 2018October 1, 2018 by simon

Ania Zalewska, University of Bath In the past decade, the banking industry has been a central focus of attention for regulators, academics and the general public. The 2007-08 financial crisis led to new regulations and institutions to keep things in check.   In contrast, the issues of the pension industry...Read More

Now harder than ever to transfer a UK pension

Posted on February 9, 2018October 1, 2018 by simon

It's never been harder to transfer a UK pension to New Zealand. Over the last three years UK government agencies have put up consistent barriers to stop the outflows of UK pensions to overseas schemes (QROPS). Some barriers have been direct, like the shutting down of pension transfers out of...Read More

Theresa May’s election shambles save UK final salary pension holders

Posted on July 9, 2017October 1, 2018 by simon

The Conservative government had sought to address the burden of pension commitments in its election manifesto, with a plan to decouple annual rises in pensions from inflation from 2020. But when the election returned a minority government for May propped up by Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionists, the commitment was abandoned.

UK final salary transfer values falling

Posted on July 9, 2017October 1, 2018 by simon

U.K. pension deficits fell to the lowest level since the end of 2015, dropping 10 percent in June as yields on government bonds rebounded. The gap between the assets and obligations of U.K. defined-benefit pension plans dropped to June 30, 2017, according to the latest PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s Skyval Index. The...Read More

Brexit pension transfers consequences

Posted on July 1, 2016September 15, 2019 by simon

There has been a lot of talk of the general implications of the Brexit vote. But what, in practical terms, is it likely to mean for those with UK pensions and those thinking about transferring their pensions out of the UK. In this article we look at each type of...Read More

UK government cuts final salary GMP guarantee

Posted on February 28, 2016March 1, 2016 by simon

Thousands of Final Salary Pension members will lose out under the new Flat rate UK State pension which comes in April 2016.   In short anyone with a pre-1988 guaranteed minimum pension (GMP) component in their private final salary scheme pension is effected. Under previous rules in agreement for contracting...Read More

UK pension changes cause massive disruption

Posted on May 7, 2015March 1, 2016 by simon

  In a series of widespread UK pension changes the UK government has changed the landscape for UK pension holders, the most important of these are: The UK government have now stopped public sector pensions (bar local government) from being transferred out of the UK Private defined benefit pensions escaped...Read More