Adair Turner, chairman of the Pensions Commission, has rejected criticism that his proposal for a National Pension Savings Scheme (NPSS) would undermine existing occupational pension provision.

The government should urgently address the inflexibility of annuities and the future of the Pensions Regulator, the shadow secretary of state for work and pensions, told PM.

Under ABI proposals, employees who are not already members of occupational or other group schemes will be automatically enrolled into a fully portable Partnership Pensions personal account. Helen McCarthy explains

Prudential and Legal & General look set to be rocked if a mass influx of companies considering offering bulk annuities enter their cosy duopoly market.

Untapped opportunities are available in the group market for the canny adviser, according to Mark Polson, head of corporate business at Scottish Life.

Trustees at underfunded defined benefit (DB) schemes in wind-up need to act quickly if scheme members are to make the most of their pre A-day tax-free cash entitlement.

Vertex Financial Services, owner of The Exchange, has confirmed its move into the independent financial adviser (IFA) market with its purchase of 1st Software Group.

I see that an animal rescue centre in Devon has managed to teach a deaf dog to understand sign language and thereby eliminated his behavioural problems. It was those problems that got him into the rescue centre in the first place as his erstwhile owners just couldn’t get through to him.

Further weight has been added to the argument that group Sipps could dominate the the occupational DC arena.

In the Countdown to A-day commentary from Skandia’s Billy Mackay in the February 2005 edition of PM, a reference is made to the ‘Financial Standards Authority’. This should of course should have read the Financial Services Authority.

The government’s plans to introduce real estate investment trusts (Reits) this year could come unstuck unless it addresses some of the issues that currently surround their creation.

The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has set up an e-learning website at www.trusteetool

After managing to produce a series of regulations that will add to the administrative burden on occupational pension schemes, without any measurable improvement in the amount or security of benefits for members, it was pleasing to see the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) deciding not to go ahead with changes to the internal dispute resolution procedures.

The government will have a range of alternatives to the Pensions Commission’s National Pension Savings Scheme (NPSS) to consider, following proposals from the Association of British Insurers (ABI), Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the Investment Management Association (IMA) and the National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF).

Recent guidance and draft legislation from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) on the prevention of ‘recycling’ from tax-free lump sums will create unnecessary complexity, according to Norwich Union.

So we are well into 2006 but is it now too late to do anything before A-day? Well, even though we are getting close, there are still a few things that can usefully be done.

Professional footballers and other highly paid sports stars could face a hefty tax charge if they retire early after A-day, Standard Life has warned.

Norwich Union (NU) has launched a new self-invested personal pension (Sipp) as part of a reorganisation of its pensions range after A-day.

What has frustrated me most about the discussion (and moaning) taking place in the run-up to A-day has been how little of it has mentioned the most important person in pensions – the scheme member.

There is an enormous opportunity for self-invested personal pensions (Sipps) to be used in the workplace, following the arrival of pensions simplification on 6 April, or A-day.

There has been criticism of income withdrawal in the consumer press focusing on

That’s it! It’s all over. If you have not yet returned your entry to the PM Provider Awards 2006, then you’re too late and will miss out on the glory that could so easily have been yours.

Under new regulations trustees will be required to have greater knowledge, understanding and conversance of the schemes they administer, and play a more proactive role to ensure its solvency says Jane Fryer

As the media interest surrounding the Pensions Commission report lingers on, Lord Turner talks to Gregor Watt about the reactions and counterproposals to the highly contentious work

In this new PM feature, Joanne Segars, director of policy at the National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) gives her views on regulation, the citizen’s pension and the future of occupational schemes in the UK

No one would argue that pensions reform is on the cards for the UK, but will the industry and government be able to create a simple, working system from Turner’s proposals? Pádraig Floyd outlines how you can shape the debate

David Dyer looks at the supply and demand equation to figure out why investors would buy 50-year gilts at yields far lower than those ever seen before

Reluctant to expose themselves to the commercial property market in the past, pension funds look likely to make their own U-turn following another year of steady growth and respectable returns, says Gregor Watt

Regardless of the government back-track on property and esoteric investments, Mike Morrison argues that they are here to stay, owing to their inherent flexibility and growing relevance

Have you been keeping up to date with the Trustee Masterclass series produced as a joint initiative between PM’s sister title, Pensions Week, and Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (MLIM)?

The blanket smoking ban in workplaces expected to come into force in England next year could hit pension schemes hard by improving mortality rates.

David Trenner answers this month’s questions (see below) regarding protection available to those who wish to avoid paying tax on their Sipp

Matthew Craig, editor-in-chief, Pensions Management : I’d like to start by asking where everyone thinks the self-invested personal pension (Sipp) market is now, given it has had a huge amount of publicity. Has the U-turn on residential property taken away a lot of the gloss, or is it still looking exciting for Sipps from A-day onwards?

Jason Shaw reviews the latest publication that gives guidance as to how the ombudsman will view certain situations and gives example case studies

Eager to dispel the common myth that their policies only stretch as far as flora and fauna, Jean Lambert expands on the Green Party’s pensions priorities. She talks to Ruth Emery

Practitioners need think no more about whether the revised TUPE regulations will apply or not in employment transfer situations – in 99% of cases they will, say Wyn Derbyshire (pictured) and Stephen Hardy

Pension trustees are a cynical bunch as Ruth Emery found out when she attended a trustee training course

Alasdair Reid explains how local authorities can benefit from the services of a global custodian

Enhanced competition and innovation is set to take place in post-retirement market as providers seek to offer full suites of product and service solutions, says Matt Ward

Caitlin Long believes that by providing capital markets with a reference tool, the index, its sub-indices, and the underlying mortality rates will spur the development of a liquid, tradeable market in mortality/longevity risk

Punter Southall’s Glasgow-based local authority team has joined Barnett Waddingham’s Glasgow office, in a bid to provide the best actuarial advice to a “limited market”.

Mercer Investment Consulting has appointed two London-based principals – Danny Vassiliades and Danny Quant.

Ben Kajtazi has joined global securities provider The Bank of New York as senior relationship manager for its UK pension clients.

Bestrustees has snapped up former Barnett Waddingham partner Ian Ferguson as the latest addition to its team.