All articles by Rachel Fixsen – Page 206
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Features
Continuous cycle of advice
The whole point of the pensions consultancy business is to help pension schemes do what they have to do in the best possible way. They are there to provide backing at all levels, from expert advice on arcane investment instruments to performing some of the day-to-day administrative chores a company’s ...
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Features
Key area of fund focus
Managing risk has shot to the top of the agenda for most pension funds this decade. While some capital erosion was unavoidable in the years of tumbling market values, trustees are demanding that everything be done to see that funds are better prepared the next time stocks take a dive. ...
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Features
Self assessment rules OK?
The pensions industry relies heavily on consultants, but increasingly, there are calls for them to quantify what exactly it is that they do, and how they do it. In the UK, some of the major consultancies have responded by publishing analysis of their own results – putting into basis points ...
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Features
Where do consultancies see their business growing?
In Portugal, Thomas says quite a sizeable pensions consultancy market is likely to grow in the next few years, as the state’s role in pension provision is reduced and wealth moves from state control to the private sector. The details, however, are still unclear. “There is a lot of uncertainty,” ...
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Features
Busy times in Belgium
Pensions consultants in Belgium are doing a swift trade. The Belgian parliament approved new legislation on supplementary pension last May. The new law, which takes force in January, is far-reaching, and pension schemes have called in consultants to deal with its implications. “There’s a lot to do, and it affects ...
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Special Report
Vigilante armed with a torch
Pension funds in the UK are battling to deal with a public loss of confidence in them. Not only are asset values dwindling for the third year in a row, but high profile cases of excessive pay for top executives at some of the country’s biggest corporations has led to ...
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Features
Clamping down on costs
There is more pressure than ever on pension funds to keep a lid on their costs. “That’s because of the current environment,” says Ron Hitchens, financial controller of the Xerox pension fund in the UK. “Falling markets and therefore falling values of pension funds are happening at a time when ...
