The industry has spoken out against recent hints by the government to restrict alternatively secured pension (ASP), branding it “illegal”, “petty” and “ludicrous”.

The government’s reforms of the UK pension system will undermine existing savers, according to a recent study sponsored by Aegon, Axa, Scottish Widows and Standard Life.

With pensions bills on the horizon, there is still a great deal of work to be done towards achieving reform in the UK, if the uncertainty and conflict over Labour’s leadership does not prove inhibitive, says Iain Anderson

The end of the consultation on the calculation of pension transfers has led to calls for a change to the current practice to a scheme-specific basis to mirror funding.

The third-party administration (TPA) market is being rocked by rumours about company sales and consolidations.

Threadneedle Investments has signed a contract with JPMorgan Chase Bank to outsource its Swindon-based investment operations function.

Secretary of state for work and pensions John Hutton has admitted to PM that he finds the state pension forecast website: “Very difficult to use – I couldn’t work it out, I put in my national insurance number, but it only accepted an address I lived at 20 years ago,” he grumbled.

I note from reading The Times this week that one of the great problems confronting humanity has finally been cracked. And about time too. From this autumn we will be able to buy self-timing eggs. That means no more hard-boiled eggs when you wanted runny ones to go with your toasted soldiers, and no more runny eggs all over the kitchen worktop when you’re trying to slice up the contents of a hard-boiled egg sandwich and you’re late for your train already without having all the mess to clean up and no sandwich for lunch even to show for your trouble. That’s got to be progress hasn’t it?

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)?

DC schemes that try and do the best by their members often fail because the communication doesn’t work.

Pensioners have suffered the highest rate of inflation in a decade over the past year.

Alexander Forbes Annuity Bureau has launched an online annuity supermarket, offering the mass market consumer access to the level of annuity service previously reserved for the wealthy.

The age limit for buying an annuity should be raised from 75 to help address dissatisfaction with annuity products, says Kim Lerche-Thomsen, chief executive of Living Time, the new company

Thinc Destini has quashed industry rumours that the IFA group is “in trouble, and losing money”, as a source revealed to PM. Thinc Destini managing director Simon Chamberlain maintained that the firm had the full support of its strategic partners and was currently trading ahead of its business plan.

Ed Balls has suggested that there would be tax slippage for those opting for an alternatively secured pension (ASP) at the age of 75. I suggest that the reverse is true.

Please write to us with your opinions on any of the pension topics featured in PM, or if you wish to comment on a particular feature.

Training is big business these days, but how does one attempt to educate novices in the arcane practices of asset management?

For those of you who are distrustful of internet shopping or who remain unconvinced about Guy Fraser-Sampson’s Multi-Asset Class Investment Strategy, we have six copies to give away this month.

The Pensions Management Start Saving Now campaign is gathering momentum and the winner of the pensions commercial competition has been selected.

A website has been set up to fill the gap of unbiased information available to financial advisers on real estate investment trusts (Reits), which will be introduced on New Year’s day next year.

As the summer moves on and A-day seems just a distant speck on the horizon behind us, I had hoped that we would at least get a slowdown in the pension world – so far, no such luck.

Employers that fail to change their pension schemes by October 1 to comply with EU age discrimination rules could see benefits equalised upwards, a law firm has warned.

The government has performed a U-turn on the pensions disclosure regulations that were due to come into force in October.

In the pensions white paper, the DWP refers to smart schemes. These go back to initiatives in the United States in the late 1990’s to get employees to agree to give up an agreed rate of future pay rise in return for an increase in their pension saving, so not reducing their take home pay. In one US study, a company with low pensions participation and saving rates saw over half of its employees join such a scheme, 80% of these remained over three pay rises, and the effect was to increase their saving rates from 3.5% to 11.6%.

The Pensions Management Technology, Administration and Service Awards 2006, have now been judged and we now have to wait until the big day before we can announce who the lucky winners are.

Entry to the Pensions Management Scheme Awards 2006 – the most prestigious awards in the pensions calendar – is now closed.

You won’t be surprised to learn – but will no doubt have come to expect – us to land a broadcasting heavyweight as host of the Pensions Management Scheme Awards 2006 event on October 20.

Simon Laight examines the key issues surrounding outsourced contract bidding, and finds there are some complex issues involved, especially where staff transfers are concerned

Denis Gould looks at how best to work with the current accounting rules on bond yields, and how the authorities could make a difference

Satisfied customers haven’t necessarily been treated fairly. Joanne Smith looks at what the industry must do to move smoothly to the new regulatory approach

While much of the role of the custodian is becoming highly commoditised, it is playing an increasingly important part in asset management by offering a myriad of value-added services, says Pádraig Floyd

Many trustees are constantly searching for the highest return investments, but, says Benjie Fraser, with such a wealth of possibilities available to them, making the best choice is proving increasingly difficult

UK financial institutions have defined contribution portfolios which are laying stagnant and becoming a burden to their business. Eddie McGuire believes it’s best to tackle the problem head-on

Obtaining evaluated pricing is the only sensible option for investors and asset managers who want consistent and unbiased bond valuations, argues Karl Mackelburg

Ruth Emery reviews the successes and failures of the TPA market since A-day in PM’s annual survey and discovers an industry preparing for battle

Peter Williams answers this month’s questions (see page 10) on how to benefit from tax-free cash entitlements and what AVC arrangements are on offer to the pension scheme member

Steve Osbiston discusses the ways in which the new pensions simplification created some great changes to the way employees can get better returns from their benefits

Although AVCs have their drawbacks, over time they have benefited from better trustee reviews, increased investment choice and more accommodating legislation, says Roy Edie

An initiative as promising as RSPA should have no problem garnering support fom the pension industry, yet progress has been slow. Steve Connor looks at whether the campaign has been a success over the long term

The importance of saving for retirement continues to make front page news, but if providers do not speed up the transfer process for open market options, people will need to plan even further in advance, says Andrew Oliver

Donald Aiken explains why the average pension fund manager should consider investing in money market funds for collateral management purposes, and what the future holds for this diverse range of assets

Barclays Wealth Management has poached Billy Mackay for the role of head of retirement from Skandia, where he worked for nine years.

Alan Whalley has joined Mercer Human Resource Consulting as UK market leader and chief of its UK company, taking over from Simon O’Regan.

Socially responsible investment (SRI) expert Dr Steve Waygood is to leave Insight Investment in November, for Morley Fund Management.

Scottish Equitable has appointed Mike Douglas as managing director of annuities.

Resolution Asset Management has strengthened its fixed interest investment team with the appointment of Stuart Thomson as investment manager, international bonds and currencies. He joins from Charles Stanley Sutherland.