Always a Pensions Angle

By DG PublishingBusiness News Investing

Always a Pensions Angle episodes

December 21, 2021 Solving the UK’s ‘underpensioned’ problem
A significant proportion of the UK’s working population is struggling to save for retirement, and the Covid-19 pandemic has only worsened the situation. In this podcast, Now Pensions’ head of PR and campaigns Samantha Gould and the Pensions Policy Institute’s senior policy researcher Lauren Wilkinson talk us through the findings of a recent research report into the UK’s ‘underpensioned’ problem, and the policy initiatives that could help bridge the gaps.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
14 min
December 16, 2021 Fiduciary trumps politics if divesting from ‘illegal Israeli settlements’
Podcast: Local Government Pension Schemes looking to divest from Israel should do so on grounds of sustainability and fiduciary responsibility, not because of politics and personal morality, says Richard Butcher, managing director of PTL. He is joined by Ian Neale, Aries Insight co-founder, to discuss divestment, defined benefit funding and ageing populations.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
22 min
November 18, 2021 McCloud costs dispute could damage members’ morale
Podcast: The dispute between doctors, firefighters and the Treasury over who should bear the costs of the McCloud remedy could have implications beyond the directly affected schemes, damaging trust in pensions, and lowering member morale. Hymans Robertson partner Michael Ambery and Quietroom co-founder Mark Scantlebury discuss McCloud, the statements season and the evolution of member communications.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
26 min
October 20, 2021 Inflation and Covid uncertainty temper PPF performance
Podcast: Inflation is one of a number of concerns for the Pension Protection Fund, with post-Covid uncertainty tempering reaction to an otherwise positive set of results released in its annual report published on Monday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
21 min
October 13, 2021 Schemes’ trustees cannot ignore social factors risks
Podcast: Climate change and environmental issues are front of mind for many pension schemes right now, but with the Covid-19 pandemic highlighting social inequalities at home and abroad, the social aspects of ESG investment cannot be ignored. For this episode of the Pensions Expert podcast, we talk to Stefan Lundbergh, director at Cardano, and John Howchin, secretary-general of the Council on Ethics for Sweden’s national pension funds, about why socially aware investing is so important for pension funds of all sizes — and how trustees can go about taking action.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
18 min
October 07, 2021 Mandating net zero could ‘cut straight through’ fiduciary duties
Podcast: The government mandating default funds be aligned with ‘net zero’ would be a way around concerns about fiduciary responsibility, but there are questions about what this would mean in practice. Stuart O’Brien, partner at Sackers, and Gareth Stears, pensions technical consultant at Aries Insight, discuss environmental, social and governance issues, social housing, and the Pensions Regulator’s controversial criminal powers.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
25 min
September 28, 2021 Understanding green and sustainable bonds
The green bond market is forecast to hit $500bn (£366bn) by the end of this year, according to the Climate Bonds Initiative, while the UK government has just raised £10bn from its debut green bond issue. However, high demand and limited supply raises questions over pricing and yield, while the availability of suitable projects has ignited concerns over greenwashing. In this podcast, Arthur Leijgraaff, senior treasury officer at the Dutch development bank FMO, and Rik Klerkx, senior portfolio manager at Cardano, explain what goes into a green bond issuance, and what trustees need to ask of their asset managers and issuers.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
16 min
September 24, 2021 No way to avoid the indexation ‘rules lottery’ as inflation bites
Podcast: High inflation will spur more schemes to look to switch from the retail price index to the consumer price index, but there is still no way around the “rules lottery”. Eversheds Sutherland partner Stuart Earle and Aon partner Lynda Whitney discuss inflation, the botched attempt to raise the normal minimum pension age, and a new value for money framework.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
26 min
September 15, 2021 Trustees need to address sponsor covenant climate risk
Podcast: With climate change becoming central to investment discussions, trustees also need to think about how similar risks can affect the strength of their scheme’s sponsor and its ability to stand behind the pension fund. In this podcast, Lincoln Pensions managing director Michael Bushnell explains what questions trustees need to ask, what to do with the information they get, and why employers really need to pay attention to climate change in their pension finance discussions.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
14 min
September 02, 2021 Industry ‘irritation’ with TPR’s code of practice could have been avoided
Podcast: The negative reaction of the industry to the Pensions Regulator’s new code of practice shows what can happen if consultations are handled poorly, says Tim Middleton, director of policy and external affairs at the Pensions Management Institute. He is joined by Steven Taylor, partner at LCP, to discuss consultations, collective defined contribution schemes, and flexibility within the defined benefit universe.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
25 min