UK Finance News

The million policyholders that lost half of their investment with Equitable Life in 2001, when the company came to the brink of collapse, have been given some hope that they will be at last be able to seek compensation for their losses as a report from the Parliamentary Ombudsman Ann Abraham, is published.
The ombudsman found [...]

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Pensions specialist, Scottish Life, has issued a stark, if very logical warning over the mechanics of auto-enrolment to the pensions Personal Account scheme from 2012.
A quick survey of 277 IFAs estimates that up to 10,000,000 employees will not get anything other than generic advice before enrolling, with millions more potentially adrift looking for advice.
The survey [...]

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It would seem that at last younger savers are starting to take pension savings seriously. It may also mean that recent pension reforms are starting to hit home.
And so they should, with excellent tax breaks and more generous limits on contributions, the fruit is ripe for the picking.
Research by Fidelity FundsNetwork shows nearly a quarter of a [...]

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In an attempt to head off the risk of pension buy-out firms removing scheme profits and thereby leaving members more heavily exposed to the chance of schemes falling into deficit, the Pension Regulator is planning tougher new powers. 
The trend towards companies outsourcing their pension schemes to “for profit” suppliers, allows surplus assets to be sold off, leaving members [...]

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Over a third of UK employers now offer Flexible Benefits packages as part of their
total reward package.
Flex schemes allow employees to select their own benefits, usually from a benefit allowance, dependent on their grade and salary. Schemes can offer a wide range of benefits - some with tax and NIC advantages such as childcare vouchers, pension [...]

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