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What longevity trends mean for pensions and insurers

Over the last two centuries, average life spans have doubled. For pension schemes, insurers and policymakers, this long-term trend has shaped how we think about retirement, ageing and financial security. But the story is becoming more complex. Recent decades have seen a slowdown in improvements. Covid-19 caused widespread disruption, and continuing healthcare pressures mean the future is less predictable. In this blog, we reflect on what’s happening to longevity – and what it means for pensions and insurance.
Posted on Thursday Sep 11

Lessons from the laundry room for pensions reform

My washing machine broke down last week. Faced with soggy washing, it would have been easy to look for a replacement machine, or call a repair company, but maybe because I was brought up to try to fix things myself, I looked for advice online. A spares company’s video pointed me in the direction of what the problem might be and provided a link to the spare parts. Two days later the motor was fixed, I’d learned something new and saved myself money. So, why is this relevant to pensions?
Posted on Wednesday Sep 10

Pension Schemes Bill a framework for the future of the LGPS

The Pension Schemes Bill is a significant piece of legislation which will make wholesale structural changes across the pensions landscape. In this article we focus on the changes it will make to the way the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) operates and is governed. The provisions in the Bill provide a framework for many of the reforms proposed in the November 2024 Fit for the Future consultation, although some of the changes – and much of the detail – will be implemented subsequently through regulations and statutory guidance.
Posted on Tuesday Sep 9

Will the Pensions Commission fix pension under saving

On 21 July 2025, the UK Government revived the Pensions Commission to tackle systemic pension under-saving and pension adequacy issues. The revived commission - that was originally convened in 2002 under Lord Adair Turner - will deliver its first report in 2027, with a mandate to examine why future retirees risk being poorer than todays, and propose reforms to build a strong, fair and sustainable pension framework.
Posted on Monday Sep 8

Climate and geopolitical shocks managing hyper volatility

Climate change intensifies geopolitical risk, creating hyper-volatility. How can organisations protect themselves against the resulting extreme, rapid and unpredictable changes in global systems? Hyper-volatility refers to a state of extreme and unpredictable fluctuations in global systems, such as financial markets, energy prices and insurance markets. In insurance terms, hyper-volatility involves events typically in the ‘fat tail’ of the distribution, beyond the 95th percentile, driven by simultaneous or cascading effects, including extreme weather events combined with geopolitical instability.
Posted on Friday Sep 5

September 2025 Edition of the Actuarial Post Magazine

Welcome to this month’s edition of the Actuarial Post magazine and the launch of our Actuarial Post Awards 2025. This will be the 13th year of running the awards and each year they become more popular with ever increasing numbers nominated and voted upon by you. This year we welcome our sponsors, Pension Insurance Corporation plc (PIC), a specialist insurer of defined benefit pension funds, for sponsoring Actuary of the Year 2025, alongside our long term sponsor partners Bolton Associates, sponsoring GI Actuary of the Year 2025 and Star Actuarial Futures for sponsoring both Stars of the Future 2025 and Sustainability Actuary of the Year 2025.
Posted on Thursday Sep 4

Make your nominations now for the 2025 Actuarial Post Awards

We are pleased to announce that the nominations for the Actuarial Post Awards 2025 are now open! This will be the 13th year of running the awards and each year they become more popular with ever increasing numbers nominated and voted upon. This year we welcome back our sponsor, Pension Insurance Corporation plc (PIC), a specialist insurer of defined benefit pension funds, for sponsoring Actuary of the Year 2025, alongside our long- term sponsor partners Bolton Associates, sponsoring GI Actuary of the Year 2025 and Star Actuarial Futures for sponsoring both Stars of the Future 2024 and Sustainability Actuary of the Year 2025.
Posted on Thursday Sep 4

Why HNWs turn to Life Insurance to protect estates from IHT

Recently, there has been reports of an uptick of Brits using life insurance policies to avoid inheritance tax on estates, viewing it not just as insurance but as an incredibly valuable estate planning tool. This strategic use of life cover aims to plug the IHT gap created by recent policy changes, with policies often placed in trust to keep payouts outside the taxable estate, ensuring a clean, efficient, and private transfer of wealth.
Posted on Tuesday Sep 2

Government to reassess the State Pension age

July 2025 saw the Government launch its third review of the State Pension age (SPa), in line with what’s required under the Pensions Act 2014. The review will evaluate whether the existing increases in SPa remain suitable, taking into account updated life expectancy trends, financial pressures, and issues of fairness between generations. It comes at a pivotal moment, with the next legislated increase in SPa from 66 to 67 taking place between 2026 and 2028.
Posted on Monday Sep 1

Group income protection a tool most employers miss out on

The UK government is keen to reduce the number of long-term sick people of working age. But organisations are overlooking a benefit which could avert the problem in the first place: Group income protection. The UK government is planning to overhaul the benefits system to create what the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has termed a 'more pro-work welfare system'.[1] Its goal is to help many of the 2.8 million long term sick people of working age into employment.
Posted on Friday Aug 29

How to reduce costs and improve retirement outcomes

When the Tapered Annual Allowance (TAA) was introduced in 2016, it had the potential to impacted anyone with taxable income of £110k or more. Exceeding the TAA, which was between £40k and £100k (depending on the combined value of income and pension contributions) resulted in a penal tax charge. Many employers responded by offering employees earning above this the option to exchange employer pension contributions for a cash supplement.
Posted on Wednesday Aug 27

Exploring the intellectual property insurance landscape

Intangible assets as a percentage of enterprise value have increased exponentially. While not physical in nature, inventions, brands, all works of creative expression, including software, proprietary data, etc., have value. Intellectual Property (IP) as a legal means of protecting inventions, brands, and creative expression, therefore, is a critical driver of business growth. As individuals and organisations continue to develop new ideas, technologies, and solutions, the conversation around the importance of protecting intangible assets through the use of IP rights has intensified.
Posted on Tuesday Aug 26

Top 5 benefits of business continuity planning

Even the most prepared organisations can hit unexpected problems big enough to cause potentially serious disruption. Resilience, crisis management and business continuity planning are designed to create a blueprint for preparedness should something unexpected happen. Here are five reasons why creating, testing and refining a business continuity plan can provide your organisation with immense benefits, even without ever being put into action.
Posted on Friday Aug 22

The next systemic risk and what AI means for investors

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the defining issues of our time. With the potential to transform how we work, communicate and make decisions, AI presents both exciting opportunities and notable risks for investors. This article discusses the risks; the opportunities of course should also be considered. As investment consultants at LCP, a key part of our role is to help our clients identify and manage investment risks. When it comes to AI, we believe it is important to distinguish between three categories of investment risk:
Posted on Thursday Aug 21

Investment Insights Q3 2025

Ongoing trade tensions, particularly between the U.S. and China, have created uncertainty in the global economy, leading to volatility in financial markets. Watch this video to find out about the market performance over the second quarter of 2025, how the conflict between Israel and Iran and its impact on commodity markets and key trends investors should keep in mind for the upcoming months.
Posted on Wednesday Aug 20

Telling members what matters most about retirement

Everyone working in the pensions industry should meet a group of DC members every year to help them understand why they’re doing their jobs and who they’re doing them for”. These wise words from Sue Cox, who recently retired from communications consultancy likeminds, have always stuck with me. I’ve always thought about members and the impact my advice has on them whenever I make recommendations to clients. Now, as I approach my own retirement and face tough decisions, Sue’s advice feels even more relevant for members about to retire.
Posted on Wednesday Aug 20

3 common issues with claims notifications in PI insurance

Explore key guidance on recognising claims, understanding PI policy coverage, and gathering evidence via three critical issues that shape successful claims notification. When policyholders receive a PI claim or when they encounter circumstances that may or are likely to give rise to a claim, they are strongly advised to make an early notification to their insurers. Prompt reporting of claims and circumstances not only helps mitigate financial loss but also prevents complications that can affect both the insured and the insurer.
Posted on Tuesday Aug 19

Stars Of The Future 2025 Nominate Now

Actuarial Post are delighted to open our 2025 Awards by inviting nominations for Stars Of The Future 2025. You can now nominate someone for Stars of the Future 2025, sponsored by Star Actuarial Futures. It’s vital to remember that we all started somewhere and becoming an actuary is no easy feat. We relish acknowledging the emerging talent within the actuarial market and celebrate the ones to watch with our Stars of the Future Awards. All of the finalists are celebrated and highlighted with three lucky winners taking home an award
Posted on Monday Aug 18

I am in love with a hedged left tail even though it hurts

Markets have been lively, largely driven by rapid changes in US tariff policy. As at mid-May, traditionally protective assets, such as bonds, USD and trend , waxed and waned somewhat in sync with equities in the see-sawing markets (although gold has diversified well). As a result, tail hedging has come into focus recently. There are several ways to do tail hedging, or various complexity. At its simplest, you can hold gold.
Posted on Friday Aug 15

Understanding the return to pre pandemic mortality rates

After years of excess deaths following the COVID-19 pandemic, last year’s population mortality rates have returned to pre-pandemic levels. For (re)insurers exposed to longevity risk, understanding what is driving recent mortality trends is essential to ensuring their best estimate assumptions remain appropriate. In this blog, we unpick what has driven the fall by exploring the latest cause of death data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Posted on Thursday Aug 14

Embedding climate risk in insurers risk management framework

Climate change is no longer a distant threat – its impacts are already disrupting ecosystems, economies and societies. For insurers, rising extreme weather events mean higher claims, operational risks and growing pressure to move away from carbon-intensive assets. Studies have shown that climate change has already caused significant damage worldwide, with extreme weather events costing trillions over the last decade.
Posted on Wednesday Aug 13

How employers can increase value for them and their people

Market scrutiny has put pressure on increasing levels of service and more competitive charges in recent years, but the best value is often something employers have to advocate for. Here are five tips for employers looking to negotiate improved value. Market pressure has increased levels of service and driven down pension charges in recent years, but employers must stay vigilant. Value is maximised when employers ask for it, meaning often only the most vocal employers get the best value for themselves and their staff.
Posted on Tuesday Aug 12

Five imperatives insurers must get right by 2026

Insurers face a critical 18-month window to transform by embracing AI, data-driven innovation, capital flexibility, digital ecosystems, and data-driven decision-making. The insurance industry is at a crossroads. While technology has been reshaping the sector for years, the pace of change is now exponential, and the next 18 months will separate the innovators from the laggards.
Posted on Monday Aug 11

Preparing your Funding Strategy Statement for 2025 valuation

Administering authorities will need to amend their Funding Strategy Statement (FSS) as part of the 2025 actuarial valuations to ensure it complies with new guidance published this year. The new FSS guidance, published in January 2025, was jointly produced by the Scheme Advisory Board (SAB), the Charted Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), titled “Guidance for Preparing and maintaining a Funding Strategy Statement”.
Posted on Friday Aug 8

Flood data can make motor insurance providers more resilient

After a property purchase, the biggest financial outlay for most U.K. households is usually the car. Replacing or repairing that precious and often essential asset in a collision is a given with the right level of insurance in place, but what about flood and growing weather risks consumers face? When it comes to flood risks, a car can be moved out of harm’s way, theoretically, or take an alternative route to avoid driving through flood water.
Posted on Thursday Aug 7