Hargreaves Lansdowne and Broadstone comment as between 1 April-30 June HMRC repaid £48.7m in overpaid pension tax. Close to 13,000 refund forms were processed during this time with the average refund around £3,800. People accessing a lump sum from their pension for the first time can be taxed too much. It can be reclaimed but it is admin headache.
Insurance companies are experts at using historical data to form views on possible future outcomes. These views are then used in a variety of ways from setting assumptions for calculating technical provisions and calibrating internal models, to assessing risk exposures and designing and evaluating hedging strategies. But what if there was a way to peer into the future rather than just the past? Option prices in financial markets can provide exactly that: forward-looking insights into probability distributions for financial risks.
Insurers paid out £1.6 billion in claims during the second quarter of the year to help homeowners and businesses bounce back from unexpected events and costly disruptions, according to the latest data from the ABI.
Hydrogen demand could increase fivefold by 2050, while clean production may rise to 60% by 2035, driven by significant investments and planned projects globally. While market potential for hydrogen is very high, there are lots of unknown variables and risks for setting up a robust and secure infrastructure. The insurance sector has an important role to play in the hydrogen economy, addressing risks across the supply chain, from construction and production through to the end user, and through direct investment.
Aon has released its Q2 2025 Global Insurance Market Insights report. The report outlines a rare and potentially short-lived moment in the global insurance market with capacity expanding and pricing softening across many lines, creating favourable conditions for buyers.
Only one in 10 adults aged 66-75 say they delayed receiving the State Pension. Key drivers cited to be the higher income later on, no need to claim the money immediately or still in work
President Trump has announced a growing list of tariff increases on countries and products during the first six months of his second term. The U.S. economy has been resilient to tariff hikes so far.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has begun High Court proceedings against Concept Capital Group (CCG), Ian Anthony Elliott, Adrian Felix, Ayub Swaibu, Edmund Brew, Ernest Kargbo, Raymondip Bedi, Riverrun Consulting Limited and Gateridge Consulting Limited over an alleged unauthorised investment scheme involving consumer investments of more than £23 million in static homes.
When first announced, Trump’s tariffs rocked global markets and supply chains, and by extension, individual’s investment portfolios and pension pots. This caused mass concern over people’s personal finances and how their portfolios would recover.
More than two in five Brits (44%) see themselves as pension planners. Men more likely to consider themselves as pension planners (54%) than women (35%). Almost three in ten (29%) aged 45-54 admit to "burying their heads in the sand" when it comes to their pension.
First Actuarial has promoted four of the firm’s leading professionals to its layer of Associate Partners. The role of Associate Partner was created in 2024, originally for 14 colleagues, to recognise exceptional talent and foster retention amid ongoing business growth. The four new Associate Partners work in some of the firm’s key growth areas.
“This is an un-monitored email address”. This is just one of the brick walls I hit as I was trying to get my finances sorted for my retirement. I’ve spent years listening to pension scheme administrators present to my clients – covering performance against service level agreements, net promoter scores and details of client complaints. One administrator recently gave a fascinating and informative presentation to one of my clients on how they deal with vulnerable customers. Normally, an admin report will give a reasonably rosy picture.
Heightened political risk has created uncertainty about the future and caused market volatility. Most professional investors haven’t made big changes to where they are invested.
£37m transaction secures the benefits of 203 members. Broadstone appointed to lead the buy-in after 20 years providing actuarial, secretarial, administration and investment services to the Scheme
40% of people say they are worried about upcoming changes to pensions and inheritance tax. From April 2027, the government intends to make pensions subject to inheritance tax. It’s a worry for 28% of people aged over 55, while almost half (48%) of those aged 18-34 are concerned. Almost 70% of additional rate taxpayers are worried, as are 51% of those paying higher rate tax. Around one-third (34%) of basic rate taxpayers are concerned about the potential changes.
As schemes across the industry move closer to connection, trustees are increasingly turning their attention to how best to prepare. LCP has published its latest thinking on how best to navigate what can be a complex situation.
Workers aged 51–53 could be the first affected if the state pension age rise to 68 is brought forward by a year, potentially reducing their pension payments by up to £17,774, according to new calculations by Rathbones.
The top fifth of higher earners don’t just have more debt than any other income group, they also have higher debt repayments as a percentage of their income. Higher earners also have a bigger proportion of their debt on variable rates than people on lower incomes. Almost half don’t have enough life insurance (47%) and half don’t have critical illness cover (49%). Their essential housing costs are £1,439 a month on average – per household – 55% higher than the national average.
Severe convective storms are driving record insured losses in the United States and posing growing risks to solar farms. Innovative mitigation strategies and advanced risk assessments are vital for resilience. In 2024, insured losses from U.S. severe convective storms (SCSs) exceeded the $50 billion mark for the second consecutive year. This category of peril — which includes tornadoes, hail and straight-line winds — has grown increasingly prominent in recent years
Data published last week from the Department for Work and Pensions, uncovers that the majority of people approaching or in-retirement have a preference to secure a guaranteed income from their pension.
Flood risk is rising fast in Western & Southern Europe and the Middle East & Africa, costing insurers up to $ 11bn in 2024 alone. In this video, Nikhil da Victoria Lobo explores key regional insights from the latest NatCat Sigma report, including: Major flood events in Spain (Valencia) and Dubai. Why 70% of flood losses in Europe remain uninsured. The role of urbanization, climate change, and exposure accumulation. The urgent need for data-driven risk understanding and public-private partnerships. Learn how insurers and policymakers can better prepare for growing secondary perils in these high-risk regions.
The earlier that DB pension schemes prepare in advance of buy-in, the more likely they are to avoid costly delays of moving to buy-out, and ensure a high-quality member experience, says Hymans Robertson in its latest paper.
Improved funding positions have opened the door for many defined benefit (DB) pension schemes to de-risk their investment strategies and move closer to their endgame. Whether targeting a risk transfer transaction or planning to run on with a low-risk strategy, this shift is prompting the question: is our investment governance model the best fit for our new circumstances? Many schemes use strategic advisers who also help their clients select investment managers on a bespoke basis.