Our Insights

Pensions review – which way for DB?

As the pensions review gets underway, there’s one section of the market that’s out of scope – defined benefit (DB) schemes. The terms of reference for the review which were published over the summer state: “Ongoing policy development with respect to defined benefit workplace pensions schemes will remain separate from the review.” To exclude such a large section of the market from the government’s review in some ways feels counterintuitive.

5 minute read

The journey to net zero

Four years on from setting a 2035 net zero goal for the BT Pension Scheme, what progress has been made and what have we learned?

7 minute read

What does a new Labour government mean for the pensions sector?

During the election campaign, pensions was a hot topic. But the focus was squarely on the state pension with the Triple Lock and ‘Triple Lock Plus’ the main battlegrounds. However, turn the pages of the Labour Party Manifesto and you’d find 15 mentions of ‘pension’ or ‘pensioner’. Now that Sir Keir Starmer has the keys to Downing Street what can the pensions industry expect?

5 minute read

Stepping up digital services with fully online retirements

When Brightwell launched a new online portal for BTPS members in May 2021, we designed a retirement modeller that gave members the ability to run their own retirement quotes for all the different permutations of pension option open to them.

5 minute read

The price of risk aversion for defined benefit pension schemes

There has been a lot of talk in recent months about whether UK defined benefit (DB) pension schemes are too risk averse when it comes to investments. Whilst deliberate de-risking of investment portfolios for closed DB schemes is arguably a logical approach, is risk aversion hard-wired into the sector and is this a problem?

6 minute read

Surplus extraction – a hefty prize but what’s the price?

Up until very recently, ‘DB pension schemes’ and ‘surplus’ were not phrases often heard in the same sentence. But recent figures from The Pensions Regulator (TPR) suggests that out of c.5,000 DB schemes, over 3,750 are now in surplus on a low dependency basis with a further 950 schemes approaching surplus. The aggregate surplus totals a staggering £250bn, roughly 17% of total DB assets.

6 minute read

Six top tips for GMPe success

Let’s face it, pensions administration would be a lot simpler without GMP, or GMP equalisation (GMPe). But, as Brightwell’s GMPe project for BTPS draws to...

5 minute read

Explaining GMP equalisation to members

A problem shared is a problem halved, as the old saying goes. So, when all DB schemes are facing the same industry-wide issue, why not unlock the benefits of collaboration?

4 minute read

Preventing overpayments when members die – adopting a proactive approach

A lot has been written about how to achieve good outcomes for members of defined benefit (DB) pension schemes. A strong employer covenant, well managed investments and ensuring scheme liabilities are appropriately hedged are key...

8 minute read

Nurturing a new generation of pensions administrators

Well trained, highly competent pensions administrators are the bedrock of well-run pension schemes. For pension scheme members, having queries handled in a timely, professional and accurate manner is imperative. If your frontline administration team isn’t up to scratch, it’ll show in your member satisfaction scores. But good pension administrators are hard to find and, in a post covid world, where hybrid working is becoming more commonplace, it’s getting even harder as the competition for talent has gone from local to countrywide.

6 minute read