I received early this morning this audit from the NHS on a  healthcare bingo board. Over the past five years I’ve nearly died from a number of things and I’m delighted that “My Ch…

I recently published a letter by 250 CEOs of companies asking that investment into UK companies come from pension funds, I didn’t realise this had been organised by the London Stock Exchange …

Harry Scoffin is on this morning. You can join him with other progressive pension folk on this link. Check out the blogs I’ve been doing on Harry’s campaign at the bottom of this…

I received early this morning this audit from the NHS on a  healthcare bingo board. Over the past five years I've nearly died from a number of things and I'm delighted that "My Chart is Epic", allows me to "remove" them if I so choose. I think my complete line has won me the jackpot - life! If you don't have "My Chart is Epic" on your phone, download it now.

I recently published a letter by 250 CEOs of companies asking that investment into UK companies come from pension funds, I didn't realise this had been organised by the London Stock Exchange but now I can state that it does and I am writing this a three iron away from the Stock Exchange's Paternoster entrance doors. I have been friends with Darren Philp for many years but I cannot support him on this.

Harry Scoffin is on this morning. You can join him with other progressive pension folk on this link. Check out the blogs I've been doing on Harry's campaign at the bottom of this advert for an event happening at 10.30 am today. If we do not rid this country of ground rent abuse, we will continue to have a problem for leaseholders, especially those trying to get their own.

Utmost Group is owned by its founders, Paul Thompson and Ian Maidens, and by funds managed by the investment manager Oaktree Capital Holdings. Oaktree Capital is a subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management.  Brookfield indirectly owns Utmost Group through its majority stake in Oaktree Capital Management. Utmost Group is primarily owned by funds managed by Oaktree, with a minority stake held by the founders.

Private equity investor body sounds alarm ‌ ‌ An influential group representing some of the private equity industry’s largest backers has sounded the alarm about the risks to institutional investor…

Private equity investor body sounds alarm ‌ ‌ An influential group representing some of the private equity industry’s largest backers has sounded the alarm about the risks to institutional investors from a rush of retail money into the sector, writes Alexandra Heal. The number of deals needed to deploy wealthy individuals’ cash could pull managers’ attention away from investing the capital of pension plans and endowments, the 

The week beginning 10th November will be an odd one for me. Work Today and every day I will be thinking about the fabulous things that are happening in UK pensions. My desk is full of numbers and t…

I don’t know how to phrase this but….perhaps the Royal Mail’s advert to its staff does. Thanks to those at Royal Mail that blazed a trail so that we can have CDC not just for one …

Below is an invitation to what has over the weekend become even more topical. It’s revealed that Lloyds bank has stealthily become one of the five biggest landlords in Britain. According to a…

Below is an invitation to what has over the weekend become even more topical. It's revealed that Lloyds bank has stealthily become one of the five biggest landlords in Britain. According to a spokesperson talking with the FT, they are looking to fulfil the "S" in ESG and offer social housing to those who cannot afford to buy. This is a good thing, I would rather have a landlord who was regulated and is fresh from the nightmare of car financing (a nightmare for Lloyds and also for those overcharged in an unregulated mess).

I don't know how to phrase this but....perhaps the Royal Mail's advert to its staff does. Thanks to those at Royal Mail that blazed a trail so that we can have CDC not just for one company but for thousands. So why the opposition? There is a kind of cockiness from Arun Muralidhar that I like, it get's things done and boy do the 45% of adults who aren't doing anything to supplement their state pension in the UK need what he is selling.

The week beginning 10th November will be an odd one for me. Work Today and every day I will be thinking about the fabulous things that are happening in UK pensions. My desk is full of numbers and thoughts on how we can improve the outputs of our saving, our pensions, through collective investment and social insurance. I am thinking of the whole of life "UMES" CDC model and the Retirement CDC and hoping that these will change workplace retirement savings to meet the challenge of inadequate contributions.

I am not quite sure I came into possession of the letter sent by more than 250 business leaders urging the Chancellor to make it easier for them to be capitalised by pensions. But here it is , comp…

I am not quite sure I came into possession of the letter sent by more than 250 business leaders urging the Chancellor to make it easier for them to be capitalised by pensions. But here it is , complete with a list of the signatories who you can match against your connections or whatever you're using to make yourself having a decent address list.

I reported yesterday on FT's concerns on leaks from the Treasury that they might take salary sacrifice down, or at least dismantle it to a point that it no longer became a tax-break for the wealthy. You can read what I wrote here. This morning it is not the FT economists who are on to the issue but Mary McDougall and the pension team.

It is early on a Sunday morning and I have been working on a response to the DWP's consultancy questions on Retirement CDC. It's the third part of a project that started with single employer CDC and looks like being legislative for Royal Mail alone, so advanced is the second legislation going through parliament at the moment. Collective Drawdown is drawdown .

Let's start by looking at the problem with ground rents from the perspective of someone on or getting on the housing ladder. Ground rents are toxic. They’re stopping people getting mortgages. They’re stopping sales. The market is dead in certain areas on leasehold. @mhclg is oblivious. @CMAgovUK do nothing. — Rainbowland (@rainbowland1979) November 8, 2025 I am not comfortable that we in pensions recognise the depth of feeling amongst young people about the housing market and the problems middle aged and older people are having with their leaseholds, if they have purchased them.

Backdrop Life expectancy assumptions are coming down further in actuarial tables.  Liabilities will fall by around 3% to 5% for most DB schemes.  Current annual payments to pensioners represent typ…

Harry Scoffin is speaking on Tuesday at the Pension PlayPen (11th Nov) and has news for us about the difficulties he has had campaigning on behalf of those with leasehold agreements that are…

The Government continues its fishing expeditions on budget taxation withe the FT being given the job of promoting the levying of national insurance on employer contributions into people’s pen…

Backdrop Life expectancy assumptions are coming down further in actuarial tables.  Liabilities will fall by around 3% to 5% for most DB schemes.  Current annual payments to pensioners represent typically around 3% to 5% of assets after recent falls in value (and greater falls in liabilities for the better financially managed). Trustees and sponsoring employers can decide to distribute additionally benefits to past and present employees in response to changed information. 

Harry Scoffin is speaking on Tuesday at the Pension PlayPen (11th Nov) and has news for us about the difficulties he has had campaigning on behalf of those with leasehold agreements that are being charged by freeholders for services that don't exist (ground rents). He tells me Two major players in the lobbying scene, working  to save residential ground rents are…