Conservative leader states he will close ministers’ final salary scheme to new members upon election to kickstart public sector pensions reform

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has challenged the idea that the public sector pension system in its current form is unsustainable.

As the conference season reaches full swing, political parties have been laying out the major issues facing the pensions industry ahead of next year’s general election.

The government’s pensions policies are fundamentally flawed and should be abandoned in favour of a new and sustainable system, a report published by the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) has claimed.

Risk transfer business levels are next year tipped to exceed those of 2008, according to respondents to PM’s buyout/buy-in survey.

Some months ago I used this column to outline the growing trend among many industry bodies to refocus their lobbying away from the sitting government and onto the party in waiting. With just six months until a general election, the pensions industry is in the advanced stages of deciding on which side its bread is buttered.

UK pension funds have rejuvenated their interest in real estate, with more than 50% looking to up their allocation to the asset class in the next three years.

A leading pension fund manager has insisted she is still bullish on emerging markets despite seeing her fund yo-yo in the past year.

Lord Myners has urged pension funds and other institutional investors to lobby for amendments to a controversial proposal for European Union (EU) legislation.

Commercial property has historically been an asset class without an efficient tool for managing market risk – and arguably one with the greatest need. The illiquid nature of commercial property investments makes it hard to allocate capital when relying solely on trading underlying assets.

Liabilities of UK final salary schemes exceeded £1trn for the first time during August, according to the latest update from the Pension Protection Fund’s (PPF) 7800 Index.

Global revenue from climate change-related products and services increased by 75% to £324bn last year, according to HSBC’s recently published annual review of climate change indices.

Investment-linked products such as income drawdown are becoming more accessible to those with smaller pension pots, according to new research.

Default funds in defined contribution (DC) schemes are coming under greater scrutiny, according to a recent study.

The latest Financial Services Authority (FSA) report into small self-invested personal pension (Sipp) providers could have wider implications on the issue of mis-selling, Mattioli Woods has warned.

The self-invested personal pension (Sipp) market has seen the launch of two new low-cost products.

Seven employers have become the first to be awarded the National Association of Pension Funds’ Pension Quality Mark for their defined contribution (DC) schemes.

A local authority pension scheme is poised to become the first of its type to hedge itself against the risk that its pensioners will live longer than expected.

At least two FTSE 100 employers are currently tendering for enhanced transfer value (ETV) exercises after a shift in corporate bond values made pricing more effective.

Tributes have been paid to David Seaton, joint managing director of Rowanmoor Pensions, whose body was found on a Cornish beach last month.

According to the annual television campaign, “tax doesn’t have to be taxing”. Unfortunately it often is, and this year’s Budget has hardly made things easier. Do you earn more than £150,000 a year? Are you likely to be stung by anti-forestalling laws?

Why would an employer with a great pension scheme not want to tell the workforce about it whenever possible? No, I can’t work it out either.

While pensions are still in the headlines, individuals and providers must work together to focus the UK workforce on saving now to retire in comfort in years to come

I don’t know about you, but I’m into myths and legends. I think in the past people felt the need to invent mythological characters and events to help them explain the otherwise unexplainable world they found themselves in. You can see how dancing to invoke a rain god might seem sensible if the mother of all rainstorms in the past had happened to coincide with a big tribal dance of some kind. The human mind is pretty good at putting together two and two and coming up with five.

Frank Field is one of the most outspoken MPs in parliament. Here, he tells Owen Walker where he thinks the government has gone wrong on pensions and how it can be fixed

Selecting the right income vehicle at retirement is confusing enough, but the industry needs to work together to ensure all members are treated fairly and considerately

The at-retirement marketplace knows no bounds when it comes to demand, but the industry must get it right to best serve its own needs and those of its customers

The shift away from DB has arguably gone too far in terms of who shoulders the risk, but working towards a hybrid solution could put pensions back on track

Mark Hindle discusses the benefits of starting up an investment fund, the impact of the financial downturn on the market, and the dream of working on a boat – even if he doesn’t get paid

While the cost of full buyout has risen in 2009, DB schemes have an increasing number of alternative derisking options open to them in the interim

As the first signs of economic stability emerge, manageable derisking solutions will be key for pension trustees and sponsoring employers

The market for income drawdown products remains buoyant, although it could still face some stormy weather over the coming months

Although income drawdown still offers flexibility and freedom to many retirees, product innovation is driving the retirement income market ever forward

As the needs of the workforce and its employers evolve, will the integrated platforms currently under development meet their demands?

Improving mortality rates pose a fiscal threat to schemes and longevity swaps are one way to hedge against these risks – but their complexity can bring further problems

When and whether to hedge against liability risk is a decision that demands great consideration

A national debate is required to decide how care funding for the elderly can be reformed to provide enough for the UK’s retirees

Aon Consulting has appointed Donald Duval as head of its Pension Solution project, launched earlier this year in partnership with Russell Investments.

The Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) has appointed Roger Gray as chief investment officer (CIO).

Pension Corporation has brought in six staff across the business to bolster its team and service provision.