Article published in ‘Pensions and Investments UK’, discussing implications of planned pension reforms for occupational and personal pensions in 2005/2006. Impact on investment of pension fund assets, trustees of occupational schemes and the new tax regime for contributions.
Article published in Pensions Week explaining why the Government proposed Financial Assistance Scheme is wholly inadequate and expressing the hope that the Parliamentary Ombudsman investigation will prove Government maladministration means the need for compensation, rather than assistance for wind-up victims.
Personal View column published in Financial Times, explaining why the stakeholder savings initiatives have not worked and are unlikely to do so. The target market is not benefiting and providers are not keen to offer these products.
Limerick published in Financial Adviser highlighting FAS double standards on refusing to acknowledge any wrongdoing in calling final salary pensions ‘guarantee’ with no risk warnings, when in truth these pensions were not guaranteed at all and tens of thousands of people have lost their entire pensions!
Letter published in The Times, praising Patience Wheatcroft’s sympathy for the plight of victims of pension scheme wind-ups and the urgency of Government compensation.
Article published in the Times explaining why the Financial Assistance Scheme may sound good, but it is not able to deliver meaningful help to the majority of victims of pension wind-ups and calling for proper compensation to be paid.
Personal View article published in Financial Times, explaining the problems of stakeholder product reforms, mass market investors being left out, providers concentrating on high net worth clients and lack of economies of scale in savings products. Ros suggests consideration of National Savings as the ideal ‘Sandler’ products.
Letter published in Financial Times pointing out parallels between Bush pension reform proposals and UK pension policies over the past 20 years which have contributed to our pensions crisis.
Letter published in Employee Benefits Magazine explaining why employers have been asked to shoulder too much of the pensions burden and that the ‘standard’ two-thirds final salary pension has become unaffordable for most people.
Feature article published in Financial Adviser highlighting the failure of Government policy to stimulate more savings. The article explains that policy has only focussed on supply side issues (informed choice, stakeholder) but not demand (no new incentives, people don’t want to save) . Ros outlines the need for new incentives for both employers and employees.