Implications of the PPF’s Levy consultation

The law is clear that GMP equalisation must be completed. However, what exactly is GMP equalisation? When do you have to action this and how? This webinar answers these questions and more. By watching this webinar, delegates will gain a clear understanding of:

i. Why GMPs must be equalised
ii. What are the methods to achieve equalisation
iii. When are schemes looking to undertake the GMP equalisation project
iv. The GMP equalisation process from an Administrative perspective
v. What other schemes are planning to do

Join us for a live webinar, presented by Barnett Waddingham and BDO.

Over the next few months, LGPS funds in England and Wales will be issuing employers (including many Higher & Further Education providers) with details of the contributions payable from April 1 2020. This follows the 2019 actuarial valuation. Because it is uncertain what benefits will be delivered, this valuation has been more complicated than usual. It also comes at a time when pension schemes in this sector are providing other challenges for employers.

We have three expert speakers to help you navigate these changes:

- Paul Hamilton, Head of Higher Education at Barnett Waddingham, will take an in depth look at what to expect as we move forwards and how this could affect HE providers
- Melanie Durrant, Public Sector Consultant at Barnett Waddingham, will talk in detail about some of the key issues surrounding the 2019 valuations, including the impact of the “McCloud” and “Sargeant” judgements
- Mark Costello, Associate Director, Pensions Advisory at BDO will discuss how HE & FE institutions can engage with LGPS funds on their employer covenant and how this could help discussions around contribution requirements

Join Gavin Markham, Head of Bulk Annuities, and Rosie Fantom, Bulk Annuity Consultant as they look at the best way to approach buy-ins and buyouts and achieve your transaction objectives. We will consider the main issues and options supporting decision-making as part of these processes, and provide insights into enhancing insurer engagement to help optimise the outcome for the scheme.

Uzma Nazir from Pension Insurance Corporation, completes our panel to share an insurer’s perspective on what she sees as working well in completing transactions.

Join us to learn how organisations can use DC alternatives to provide a valued benefit to employees.

Partner and Head of Higher Education, Paul Hamilton and Principal and Chartered Financial Planner, Martin Willis will look at how organisations deal with rising costs of schemes, using DC schemes to control future costs whilst also offering flexible structures that employees value. The Assistant Director of Finance at University of Salford will join Martin and Paul in order to share his experience of implementing a DC pension scheme.

Key subject areas
•Background - Why are organisations that currently provide access to schemes such as TPS, LGPS and PCSPS looking at DC alternatives?
•Benefit design – How can DC schemes be structured to offer both good member outcomes and flexibility for members?
•Provider selection – Looking at the options available and what to prioritise from charges to online functionality. We’ll also look at the benefits of packaged arrangements designed specifically, for groups such as independent schools.
•Engagement – The importance of communicating any new structure, including any options open to members.

This webinar will provide an update of all that is going on in the world of self-invested pensions, against a backdrop of significant constitutional change within the UK.

We’ll be covering various hot SSAS and SIPP topics, including pensions tax relief, development of the Lifetime Allowance, evolving regulatory practices and transfers-in from defined benefit schemes.

Join Partner and Head of Higher Education; Paul Hamilton as he looks at the recent actuarial valuation of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS), in particular the impact on independent schools and universities.

Paul will be joined by Cat Ellis, Senior Associate at Eversheds Sutherland.


Key findings include:

Why has this led to significantly higher contributions being required from September 2019?

What choices do employers have regarding their participation in the scheme?

What are the pros and cons of the TPS compared to other possible pension arrangements?

Catch-up on the world of self-invested pensions with our series of SSAS and SIPP Seminars for Advisers and Members that are taking place around the country during February 2019.

With the tax year end approaching, professional advisers will need to be ready to answer client questions comfortably, whilst scheme members will need to be ‘in the know’ regarding current pension legislation, whether they are building up their retirement fund, or drawing benefits.

Keep up-to-date on the latest in self-invested pensions, and meet our SSAS and SIPP Client Managers at a location near you.

We’ll be covering various hot SSAS and SIPP topics, including pensions tax relief, the Lifetime Allowance increase and transfers-in from defined benefit schemes.

Our DC Conference 2018 helped delegates put themselves in their members’ shoes. Focusing on understanding the experiences, challenges and thought processes of members to give a wider perspective, it aimed to enable them to make better decisions for their scheme.

If you were unable to attend the conference, or wish to recap on some of the key messages, we are running a series of bite-size 30 minute webinars to cover some of the key topics discussed:

Providing a good pension scheme for members isn’t just about establishing a solution that’s right at a given point in time. In a world where both legislation, products and most importantly of all member needs are constantly evolving, ongoing governance is vital to ensure DC arrangements remain suitable. With reference to another case study, we look at how a well-designed governance structure can prepare a scheme for future challenges that might arise. This includes:
• Consideration of how governance fits into organisational philosophies
• Member and likely outcome analysis
• Tailoring strategy to the scheme membership
• Wider benefit integration
• Delivering change
• Engagement strategies

At our DC Conference, we helped delegates understand the experiences, challenges and thought processes of their members to enable them to make better decisions for their scheme – truly putting themselves in their members’ shoes.

If you were unable to attend the conference, or wish to recap on some of the key messages, we are running a series of bite-size 30 minute webinars to cover some of the topics discussed.

In this webinar, we examine the pension scheme journey of Mitchells & Butlers, one of the largest operators of restaurants, pubs and bars in the UK. Both company and trustees worked together to deliver a market-leading DC scheme with better outcomes for members at its core.

From the drivers of change and initial objectives, all the way through to analysis and scheme design – we’ll take you step-by-step through the project; including investment options, provider assessment, implementation and review.

While a dearth of pension changes in the October 2018 Budget is generally a welcome thing, our Pensions Technical Specialist James Jones-Tinsley looks at key issues the Chancellor won’t be able to keep dodging and explains why they matter to financial advisers and their clients.

The Chancellor needs to find the money from somewhere to meet the promised extra funding for the NHS, amongst other things, and recently described pensions tax relief as “eye-wateringly expensive”.

Once the dust has settled, join our interactive webinar hosted by Self-Invested Pensions Technical Specialist, James Jones-Tinsley, who will guide you through all the implications - and key topics of discussion - arising from the Budget announcement.

For Financial Advisers and other professionals, the webinar will be eligible for CPD purposes.

At our DC Conference, we helped delegates understand the experiences, challenges and thought processes of their members to enable them to make better decisions for their scheme – truly putting themselves in their members’ shoes.

If you were unable to attend the conference, or wish to recap on some of the key messages, we are running a series of bite-size 30 minute webinars to cover some of the topics discussed.

Inspired by the session delivered by Bill McNabb, Chairman of the Board of Vanguard, this webinar will consider how the strategy you bring to your benefit proposition should reflect the organisation’s culture.

This includes engaging the workforce to ensure optimum service is provided, assessing relative value and "looking forward" to identify future trends for both benefit provision and propositional offering.

The high court judgement on the GMP equalisation Lloyds case has been handed down.
Does it open the door to the opportunity of genuine pension simplification, or slam it firmly shut?
Join Head of GMP equalisation; John Cormell as he discusses what this means for trustees and sponsors;
•Funding implications
•Accounting implications
•Scheme administration
•GMP conversion and pension simplification

The value created by employees in a healthy organisation is vital to achieving long-term sustainable business success. How healthy is your organisation? It could be time for a check-up.
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Defined benefit pension schemes with future service benefits have been largely forgotten by the DWP and the Pensions Regulator, but future service costs can cause even more problems (for those employers that do wish to provide them) than the well-publicised past-service deficits.

A few high profile schemes, such as Royal Mail, have started to ask for legislative changes to allow “Collective DC” (or CDC) schemes to be used in the UK. Barnett Waddingham Partner, Paul Hamilton looks at how DB future accrual works (or doesn’t work) in the UK, and is joined by Rajish Sagoenie, Managing Director of Milliman Pensioenen in The Netherlands to talk through his experiences of working with CDC schemes there.

Are bulk annuities a potential option for your scheme? It could be the right time to consider a transaction. Buy-ins can play an important role in any de-risking journey – offering an effective way of removing both financial and demographic risks.

The approaching tax year end is the time when most people examine their personal and company finances.
To help professional advisers be ready for client questions at a time when every minute counts and travelling time is unwelcome – we’re hosting a live webinar with a strong technical focus in February.
Join us live to watch and ask questions, or catch up when you can to keep in perfect technical tune.

There is no getting away from it - actuarial reports are a fact of life and are here to stay.

Important and material information can easily get lost in long technical and “boring” reports. This makes it difficult for report users such as committees and boards to identify the key issues, and increases the risk of suboptimal decision-making.

It is unlikely that any actuarial report will ever win the Man Booker prize, however, there are many things you can do to make the writing process easier and make the report less dreaded by its users.

This webinar will cover how to improve the writing process of reports and make long, technical and “boring” reports a thing of the past.

Join our webinar where we will discuss current issues in financial reporting for pension schemes, under IAS19 and FRS102, and the flexibility in assumption setting – which can drastically reduce deficits.

As mentioned in recent news articles, Tesco reduced their balance sheet deficit by nearly £3bn. We will explore this and help you understand what reasonable changes you can make under the standards - reducing your pension balance sheet.

We’ll take you on a journey in understanding year-end market conditions and why you should reconsider your year-end methodology.