Aamina Zafar

2 weeks ago | pensions-expert.com | Aamina Zafar

The Ombudsman awarded a member of the Volkswagen Group Pension Scheme, known as Mr N, £500 in compensation for a failure to keep them updated with the progress of GMP equalisation for the scheme. The Pensions Ombudsman stated that “failure to keep Mr N informed on progress, even if there was not a great deal to report, would have continued to cause him unnecessary distress and inconvenience”. It acknowledged that there was no prescribed deadline for pension schemes to complete GMP equalisation.

3 weeks ago | pensions-expert.com | Aamina Zafar

The Financial Conduct Authority has approved two LTAFs, adding to a previous fund launched last year and managed by BlackRock. The new funds provide exposure to private markets for the 700,000 savers in its largest default fund, the Universal Balanced Collection. The two funds are run by Aegon Asset Management and JP Morgan Asset Management and are set to launch in the second half of this year. Carne Group is the administrator for both funds.

4 weeks ago | pensions-expert.com | Aamina Zafar

The company’s existing workplace pension offering, known as Pension Investment Approaches (PIA), which have more than £60bn in assets collectively, will be replaced by the new Scottish Widows Lifetime Investment. The new default fund is available for new employers and for individual customers on a self-select basis, while existing customers invested in the PIA default will transition to the new fund.

4 weeks ago | belleabouttown.com | Aamina Zafar

Annual passes can be a great way to explore your favourite attraction if you are willing to pay a bigger sum upfront. Over the years I’ve bought a few annual passes to a variety of venues across the UK including  zoos, theme parks as well as gardens and woodlands. There are a few things I always consider before buying an annual pass to ensure I can get the most bang for my buck. Here are my tips and tricks if you’re also weighing up the idea of buying an annual pass.

1 month ago | pfp.thepfs.org | Aamina Zafar

A pensions expert describes the backlash against progressive initiatives like diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) as a “failure of human behavioural bias”. Charlotte O’Heary, chief executive officer at Pensions For Purpose, explains that people often default to prioritising what appears first. In the case of DEI, that’s ‘diversity’; and in the case of environmental, social and governance (ESG), it’s ‘environmental’.