V-FM: The Pensions Podcast

By vfmpensions

Business Investing

What's V-FM: The Pensions Podcast about?

The podcast from Darren Philp and Nico Aspinall talking all things pensions and investments.

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V-FM: The Pensions Podcast episodes:

06.28.2024
V-FM Pensions #69: Smart Pension's Eve Read
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to Smart Pension's Director of Strategic Delivery Eve Read. Eve has seen it all when it coms to pensions having done every role going at Mercer, before joining NEST...
06.21.2024
V-FM Pensions #68: Standard Life's Mike Ambery
In this episode of V-FM Pensions co-hosts Darren and Nico chat to Standard Life's Mike Ambery. Mike is a pensions industry stalwart who has recently joined Standard Life after a long and illustrious career at Hymans Robertson. Mike is an Arsenal...
06.14.2024
V-FM Pensions #67: Pensions Expert's Nick Reeve
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Nico and Darren chat to fellow Gooner and editor of Pensions Expert Nick Reeve. Nick joins us supping water (not Pina Colada) from a pineapple shaped glass from sunny Barbados for a great chat...
06.07.2024
V-FM Pensions #66: Pensions mischief with the Pensions Monkey (Tom McPhail)
In this episode of V-FM Pensions hosts Darren and Nico chat to pensions industry legend and all round PR and policy superstar Tom McPhail. Tom is Director of Public Affairs at the Langcat and also is an external adviser at...
05.31.2024
V-FM Pensions #65: John Greenwood talks about Corporate Advisers latest Master Trust and GPP defaults report
In this episode of V-FM Pensions hosts Darren and Nico chat to the editor of Corporate Adviser, John Greenwood. John returns to the V-FM podcast to chat about Corporate Advisers' latest Master Trust and GPP defaults report - an amazing piece...
05.24.2024
V-FM Pensions #64: Pangea's Nick Stoop
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Nico and Darren talk to Pangea founder Nick Stoop. As well as the usual V-FM chat we talk about the election, shareholder resolutions, pensions regulation, and the recent IMF report on the UK economy. We...
05.17.2024
V-FM Pensions #63: Work and Pensions Committee Chair Stephen Timms
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to the Labour MP for East Ham and Chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee Stephen Timms. Stephen has been an MP for over 30 years and shares...
05.10.2024
V-FM Pensions #62: Pentech guru Martin Freeman
In this episode of V-FM: the pensions podcast, hosts Darren and Nico chat to Pentech guru Martin Freeman. Martin has seen it all when it comes to pensions technology and administration and has recently set up his own company to...
05.03.2024
V-FM Pensions #61: Honorary Group Captain Sally Bridgeland
In this episode hosts Darren and Nico chat to all round pensions industry legend Sally Bridgeland. Tune in to find out how Margaret Thatcher encouraged Sally to get on her bike, how James Bond style space lasers are nearing reality, and...
04.26.2024
V-FM Pensions #60: Nico and Darren have a chat
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, co hosts Nico and Darren spend an hour chatting about the news, life and some of the the themes coming out of the podcast so far this year. We also, of course, discuss Arsenal. We...
04.19.2024
V-FM 59: Billiards superstar Jamie Jenkins chats VFM
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to Royal London's Director of Policy Jamie Jenkins. As well as being a star billiards player, Jamie is a bit of a pensions legend having led the policy charge at...
04.12.2024
V-FM Pensions #58: Railpen's John Chilman
In this episode of V-FM pensions, hosts Nico and Darren chat to the CEO of Railpen John Chilman. As well as heading up one of the largest pension schemes in the UK, John is also chair of the PLSA Policy...
04.05.2024
V-FM Pensions #57:The ABI's Rob Yuille
In this episode of V-FM pensions, hosts Nico and Darren chat to the ABI's pensions and long term savings guru Rob Yuille. Rob's seen it all in his 12 years at the ABI and, along with his team, has been...
03.28.2024
V-FM Pensions #56: Emma Douglas
In the latest episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to Aviva's Managing Director (workplace) Emma Douglas. The usual canter through the V-FM staples of dashboards, productive finance, fees and charges and investments, is hijacked by some very important...
03.22.2024
V-FM Pensions #55: Making money matter with Tony Burdon
In this episode hosts Darren and Nico spend an hour chatting to the CEO of Make My Money Matter Tony Burdon. We talk about what Tony is trying to achieve (alongside Richard Curtis) with Make My Money Matter, his innovative campaigns...
03.15.2024
V-FM Pensions #54: Lifetime savings with James Barham
In this episode of V-FM Pensions hosts Darren and Nico chat to Executive Chair of Schroders Solutions James Barham. As well as the usual V-FM chat and a discussion about the news and topical pensions issues (including Jeremy Hunt's disclosure drive...
03.08.2024
V-FM Pensions #53: Pensions for a Purpose with Charlotte O'Leary
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, Nico and Darren chat to the CEO of Pensions for Purpose, Charlotte O'Leary. This episode was recorded on the morning of Jeremy Hunt's 2024 Budget, so we had a bit of speculation, alongside discussion of...
03.01.2024
V-FM Pensions #52: NEST CEO Helen Dean
In this episode of V-FM Pensions Darren and Nico chat to one of the architects of auto enrolment in the UK and current NEST CEO Helen Dean. Helen talks about her role in helping to deliver the biggest pension reform ever...
02.23.2024
V-FM Pensions #51: Joanne Segars talks gender pensions, productive finance and value for money
In this episode of V-FM, the Pensions Podcast, hosts Darren and Nico spend an hour chatting to Joanne Segars. Having been in the driving seat behind the NAPF and PLSA for a number of years, and a stalwart of the pensions...
02.16.2024
V-FM Pensions #50: Aon's Jo Sharples
In this episode of V-FM, your hosts Nico and Darren talk value for money with Aon's Jo Sharples. An actuary by trade, Jo has spent her career in a variety of different roles at Aon and is currently CIO of...
02.09.2024
V-FM Pensions #49: Sir Steve
In this episode of V-FM, Darren and Nico chat to Sir Steve Webb about politics, pensions and his time leading the pensions charge during his time as pensions minister. Steve was in post for 5 years and broke the mould of...
02.02.2024
VFM #48: The PPI's Chris Curry
In this episode of V-FM, the pensions podcast, Darren and Nico chat the Pension Policy Institute's Chris Curry. Chris is also Principal of the Pensions Dashboards programme. As usual, topics for discussion are wide and varied: labour's pensions review, DC priorities...
01.30.2024
VFM Special #6: Lord Willets of Havant
In the first V-FM special of 2024, Nico and Darren talk to Lord David Willets of Havant. Lord Willets served as Minister of State for Universities and Science from 2010 until July 2014, as well as being in John Major’s Government...
01.26.2024
VFM #47: The second most dynamic duo in pensions - Pete Glancy and Rob Cochran
In this season opener, Darren and Nico chat to Scottish Widows' Pete Glancy and Rob Cochran. We welcomed Rob back to the pod to talk about his Mountain Warehouse rucksack, and Pete joined us to talk snooker and fine wines. In the...
12.15.2023
V-FM Special #5: Nico and Darren look back on the year
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, Nico and Darren look back on season one of the podcast, picking out some of the key themes and talking points that have been raised by our fantastic guests over the past year. We...
12.08.2023
V-FM Pensions #46: The Aussies are coming: Nick Sherry talks V-FM
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, Nico and Darren chat to former Australian politician and now Super trustee, Nick Sherry. Nick squeezes in a cheeky reference to the cricket, but discussion quickly moves on to Aussie Rules (phew...!). Nick was Australia's...
12.01.2023
V-FM Pensions #45: Don’t mention cricket... ’Super’ legend Paul Watson discusses lessons from Australia
In this episode of V-FM Darren and Nico chat to Paul Watson who has had a distinguished career shaping and helping deliver the Australian Superannuation system. We ban Paul from talking about cricket... but we cover loads of ground including illiquid...
11.24.2023
V-FM Pensions #44: Railpen’s Caroline Escott talks stewardship, investment, NextGen and what value for money means to her
In this episode of V-FM: The Pensions Podcast Darren and Nico have a great chat with Railpen's Caroline Escott. Caroline wears many different hats and, in addition to being a senior investment adviser at Railpen, is Chair of NextGen and...
11.17.2023
V-FM Pensions #43: DE&I and governance specialist Uche Enemchukwu
In this episode of V-FM, Nico and Darren talk to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and governance specialist Uche Enemchukwu. Uche is a passionate employee benefits champion and co-founded Nelu, a US-based employee benefits consultancy. We chat the FCA diversity and...
11.10.2023
V-FM Pensions #42: Tim Gosling chats pensions policy and value for money
In this episode Darren and Nico chat to the People's Partnership's pensions policy guru Tim Gosling. Tim is a real policy expert, loves getting stuck into the detail and offers his views on a wide range of topics including the...
11.03.2023
V-FM Pensions #41: Dashboard guru Richard Smith
In the longest episode so far of V-FM: the Pensions Podcast, Darren and Nico are joined by Richard Smith for 90 or so minutes of pure pensions dashboards delight. Richard kindly surprises Darren and Nico with a gift, gives an...
10.27.2023
V-FM Pensions #40: Canbury’s Will Martindale talks geopolitics, biodiversity and value for money
In this episode of V-FM: The Pensions Podcast, Darren and Nico chat to Will Martindale, co-founder of recently launched Canbury insights. We talk about Will's career, including at the UN PRI and a stint at Oxfam, and why he decided...
10.20.2023
V-FM Pensions #39: Anti-scams champion and all round industry legend Margaret Snowdon
In this episode of V-FM: The Pensions Podcast, Nico and Darren welcome Margaret Snowdon, OBE to the pod. Margaret has an amazing pension career and continues to be very active in the industry, most notably through her work on leading...
10.13.2023
V-FM Pensions #38: Alistair Byrne talks behavioural science and value for money
In this episode of V-FM: The Pensions Podcast Darren and Nico have the pleasure of chatting to Alistair Byrne from State Street Global Advisors. Alistair's seen it all when it comes to DC investment and has also spent time in...
10.06.2023
VFM Pensions #37 Liz Pfeuti grabs the mic and gets on her soap box
In this episode Darren and Nico chat to Liz Pfeuti, Chief Client Officer at Rhotic Media, about pension schemes and climate change, the general levy, illiquid investments and the general state of politics and policymaking. We also chat about value...
09.29.2023
V-FM Pensions #36: The DCIF’s Louise Farrand talks pensions, investment and value for money
In this episode of V-FM, the pensions podcast, Nico and Darren chat to Louise Farrand, former journalist, now a freelancer and Executive Director of the DCIF. We talk about Lou's time as a journalist and editor of Pensions Insight and...
09.22.2023
V-FM Pensions #35: Simon Chrystal and wacaday
In this episode of V-FM the pensions podcast, Darren and Nico chat to the CEO of WPS Advisory Simon Chrystal. A great chat going beyond pensions focusing on people and communication alongside with an impromptu game of Mallet's Mallet in...
09.15.2023
V-FM Pensions #34: Corporate Adviser’s John Greenwood chats pensions
In this episode of V-FM, the pensions podcast, Nico and Darren chat to the editor of corporate adviser, John Greenwood about what value for money means to him. In a wide ranging discussion, the trio talk about the state pension, pension...
09.08.2023
V-FM Pensions #33: Damian Stancombe in the hot seat
In this episode of V-FM Pensions Darren and Nico chat to Barnett Waddingham's Damian Stancombe. We talk about people's relationship with work, calls from an asset manager to increase pension contributions, the pensions walk and talk, and Damian's personal countdown...
09.01.2023
V-FM Pensions #32: Parrott flies in to chat value for money
In this episode Darren and Nico chat to professional trustee and former pensions manager Chris Parrott. As usual a wide ranging chat about all things pensions, from investing in the green transition, climate reporting, costs and charges impacting on investment...
08.25.2023
V-FM Pensions #31: Budgie flies through an hour of V-FM chat
In this episode of V-FM: the Pensions Podcast Nico and Darren talk to industry legend Paul Budgen about... all sorts... We discuss the women's world cup, Paul taking a sabbatical to study theology, his chaplaincy work and his interest in sports...
08.18.2023
V-FM Pensions #30: Investment and sustainability journalist Charlotte Moore talks VFM
In this episode of V-FM, the Pensions Podcast, Darren and Nico talk to multi award-winning journalist Charlotte Moore. As well as having a pop at Nico for once wearing a cravat, Charlotte manages to cause trouble on the podcast on...
08.11.2023
V-FM Pensions#29: Vincent Franklin
In this episode of V-FM, the Pensions Podcast, Darren and Nico chat to actor and Quietroom co-founder Vincent Franklin about investment, the state pension, his acting career and, of course, what value for money means to him.
08.04.2023
VFM Special #4: the DWP value for money consultation response (and summer chat)
In this episode of V-FM, the Pensions Podcast, Nico and Darren chat through some high level reactions to the DWP's value for money consultation response. They also have a good old chin wag about the news, including transfer times, short...
07.28.2023
V-FM Pensions #28: TPR’s Louise Davey
In this episode of V-FM, Nico and Darren chat to Lou Davey from the Pensions Regulator about all things DC and value for money. Lou talks about how TPR is changing, how it is looking to drive better outcomes and...
07.21.2023
V-FM Pensions #27: Adrian Boulding talks Collective DC
In this episode of V-FM: The Pensions Podcast, Darren and Nico chat to the man with many hats, the one and only Adrian Boulding about what value for money means to him. The conversation centres around Adrian's work on Collective...
07.14.2023
V-FM Pensions #26: The one where we discuss the avalanche of DWP consultations with Hargreaves’ Nathan Long
In this episode of V-FM Nico and Darren chat to Nathan Long from Hargreaves Lansdown. We weren't short of things to cover this week with the launch of various DWP policy papers - we discuss all that and more, including,...
07.07.2023
V-FM Pensions #25: Mattea Pauc, founder of Re-educating Earthlings, talks sloths, pangolins and pink grasshoppers
In this episode Darren and Nico chat to the founder of Re-educating Earthlings' Mattea Pauc about the climate crisis and how Mattea's work aims to reconnect people with nature through education. Mattea is a self publisher of two educational books,...
06.30.2023
V-FM Pensions #24: Muse’s Ian McQuade talks lycra, investment choice, the importance of admin and value for money
In the latest episode of V-FM, the Pensions Podcast, Darren and Nico chat to Muse Advisory's Ian McQuade. This is a wide-ranging discussion about all things DC, including Ian bringing in a news story that we all found hard to...
06.23.2023
V-FM Pensions #23: Andrew Warwick-Thompson
In this episode of V-FM The Pensions Podcast, Nico and Darren chat to Andrew Warwick-Thompson, formerly of the Pensions Regulator and now a professional trustee. We cover loads, including master trust authorisation, transfer scams, illiquid investments, market consolidation and the...

What's V-FM: The Pensions Podcast about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

V-FM: The Pensions Podcast episodes:

V-FM Pensions #69: Smart Pension's Eve Read

V-FM Pensions #68: Standard Life's Mike Ambery

V-FM Pensions #67: Pensions Expert's Nick Reeve

V-FM Pensions #66: Pensions mischief with the Pensions Monkey (Tom McPhail)

V-FM Pensions #65: John Greenwood talks about Corporate Advisers latest Master Trust and GPP defaults report

V-FM Pensions #64: Pangea's Nick Stoop

V-FM Pensions #63: Work and Pensions Committee Chair Stephen Timms

V-FM Pensions #62: Pentech guru Martin Freeman

V-FM Pensions #61: Honorary Group Captain Sally Bridgeland

V-FM Pensions #60: Nico and Darren have a chat

V-FM 59: Billiards superstar Jamie Jenkins chats VFM

V-FM Pensions #58: Railpen's John Chilman

V-FM Pensions #57:The ABI's Rob Yuille

V-FM Pensions #56: Emma Douglas

V-FM Pensions #55: Making money matter with Tony Burdon

V-FM Pensions #54: Lifetime savings with James Barham

V-FM Pensions #53: Pensions for a Purpose with Charlotte O'Leary

V-FM Pensions #52: NEST CEO Helen Dean

V-FM Pensions #51: Joanne Segars talks gender pensions, productive finance and value for money

V-FM Pensions #50: Aon's Jo Sharples

V-FM Pensions #49: Sir Steve

VFM #48: The PPI's Chris Curry

VFM Special #6: Lord Willets of Havant

VFM #47: The second most dynamic duo in pensions - Pete Glancy and Rob Cochran

V-FM Special #5: Nico and Darren look back on the year

V-FM Pensions #46: The Aussies are coming: Nick Sherry talks V-FM

V-FM Pensions #45: Don’t mention cricket... ’Super’ legend Paul Watson discusses lessons from Australia

V-FM Pensions #44: Railpen’s Caroline Escott talks stewardship, investment, NextGen and what value for money means to her

V-FM Pensions #43: DE&I and governance specialist Uche Enemchukwu

V-FM Pensions #42: Tim Gosling chats pensions policy and value for money

V-FM Pensions #41: Dashboard guru Richard Smith

V-FM Pensions #40: Canbury’s Will Martindale talks geopolitics, biodiversity and value for money

V-FM Pensions #39: Anti-scams champion and all round industry legend Margaret Snowdon

V-FM Pensions #38: Alistair Byrne talks behavioural science and value for money

VFM Pensions #37 Liz Pfeuti grabs the mic and gets on her soap box

V-FM Pensions #36: The DCIF’s Louise Farrand talks pensions, investment and value for money

V-FM Pensions #35: Simon Chrystal and wacaday

V-FM Pensions #34: Corporate Adviser’s John Greenwood chats pensions

V-FM Pensions #33: Damian Stancombe in the hot seat

V-FM Pensions #32: Parrott flies in to chat value for money

V-FM Pensions #31: Budgie flies through an hour of V-FM chat

V-FM Pensions #30: Investment and sustainability journalist Charlotte Moore talks VFM

V-FM Pensions#29: Vincent Franklin

VFM Special #4: the DWP value for money consultation response (and summer chat)

V-FM Pensions #28: TPR’s Louise Davey

V-FM Pensions #27: Adrian Boulding talks Collective DC

V-FM Pensions #26: The one where we discuss the avalanche of DWP consultations with Hargreaves’ Nathan Long

V-FM Pensions #25: Mattea Pauc, founder of Re-educating Earthlings, talks sloths, pangolins and pink grasshoppers

V-FM Pensions #24: Muse’s Ian McQuade talks lycra, investment choice, the importance of admin and value for money

V-FM Pensions #23: Andrew Warwick-Thompson

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