As more defined benefit (DB) schemes choose to run on rather than move straight to buyout, attention is turning to how investment strategies can be refined to improve outcomes for members and sponsors. Our recent article, Making your assets work harder in run-on, explored how investment strategy can support this direction of travel. This article looks at the other key lever: liability hedging. By setting hedging in line with your run-on objective, time horizon and surplus policy, trustees and sponsors can reduce funding level volatility, preserve transaction affordability and create more scope for surplus, without taking unrewarded risk.
The Pensions Regulator (TPR) is paving the way for an expansion in the collective defined contribution (CDC) market which could help more savers to achieve a higher, more predictable retirement income.
This morning’s HMRC update shows that Inheritance Tax (IHT) receipts totalled £5.8 billion through the first eight months of the 2025/26 financial year (April to November 2025). The figure represents an increase of £83 million, or 1%, compared to the same period in 2024/25 (£5.7 billion), setting the scene for yet another record haul for the Exchequer.
Latest HMRC data shows that IPT has raised £6.78 billion in the first eight months of the 2025/26 financial year (April–November), following November’s contribution of £1.258 billion. This represents an increase of £125 million compared to the same period last year (£6.65 billion in 2024/25), which ultimately delivered a record annual total of £8.88 billion.
The Aon UK DC Pension Tracker rose over the quarter, with all savers expected to see an increase in their expected future living standard in retirement.Positive benchmark investment performance over Q3, particularly in equity markets, has pushed all savers closer to the next Retirement Living Standard, in spite of recent rises in required income for a Moderate or Comfortable standard.Despite the changes announced in the Budget, salary sacrifice still provides a valuable benefit to employees.
Hymans Robertson, Standard Life, XPS Group and Royal London comment as Bank of England cuts interest rates to 3.75% the lowest level in three years with knife edge vote, following a bigger than expected fall in CPI earlier this week
The FCA are expanding the significant work we had planned to improve standards in the home and travel insurance markets, following Which?’s super complaint. While 79% of consumers who make an insurance claim are satisfied with how it was handled, our work shows there’s room for improvement - with 3 in 10 saying there isn’t enough information to judge the quality of different policies.
Aberdeen's pioneering transaction to assume sponsorship of the £1.2bn Stagecoach Group Pension Scheme (SGPS) marks a significant milestone in the evolution of UK defined benefit (DB) pensions. The deal shows that there are alternatives for well-funded schemes to access surplus, beyond the well-trodden buyout path. Under the Stagecoach transaction, Aberdeen became the sponsoring employer of the SGPS, enabling the scheme to run-on and deploy surplus assets to enhance member benefits.
PIC, a specialist insurer of defined benefit pension schemes, has concluded a £230 million buy-in with the Trustee of the Peel Ports Final Salary Pension Scheme ('the Scheme'), covering the pensions of c.2,000 members across a number of Peel Ports Group companies including, The Mersey Docks and Harbour Company Limited, Port of Sheerness Limited, The Manchester Ship Canal Company Limited, Clydeport Limited, and Clydeport Operations Limited.
2025 insured losses from natural catastrophes set to reach USD 107 billion, mainly driven by LA wildfires and severe convective storms in the US. LA wildfires costliest ever wildfire event globally with insured losses of USD 40 billion. Hurricane Melissa costliest hurricane of 2025 with estimated insured losses of up to USD 2.5 billion in otherwise benign season
UK health and life insurer The Exeter has released new research showing that nearly four in ten UK adults (39%) are living with one or more ongoing medical conditions. The findings underscore the importance of ensuring that individuals living with long-term health issues have clear pathways to protection – particularly at a time when broader concerns about access to healthcare remain.
Over 135,500 scams have been reported to HMRC since February 2025. 29,000 were scams relating to fake tax refund claims and 4,800 were self-assessment scams. HMRC are urging people to be cautious and identify scams in the lead-up to the self-assessment deadline on 31 January 2026
Just a third (33%) have spoken to their family about pensions in the last year – far fewer than those who regularly discuss household bills (48%) or inflation (41%)Almost one in three people (30%) feel uncomfortable talking about money with their family
This webinar is specifically designed to support medium and small schemes that are preparing to connect. With more limited resources and technical capabilities, the journey to connection can feel daunting and we understand the challenges you face. If you couldn’t join us live you can now catch-up on demand. TPR are joined by experts from the Pensions Dashboards Programme and the Pensions Administration Standards Association, as well as a professional trustee to discuss the current landscape and provide advice on what schemes need to do ahead of connection. The webinar concludes with a 36-minute Q&A which provided detailed answers to 21 questions put forward by the audience.
2025 - what a year that was! It has been incredibly busy in the LGPS, particularly in England and Wales, with the triennial valuations; pooling and investment proposals, four consultations at the last count (Access and Fairness, Access and Protections, Fit for the Future proposals, and Fit for the Future draft Regulations); not to mention the Pension Schemes Bill, McCloud, connection to the Dashboard infrastructure - the list goes on! But is 2026 going to be any easier?
Aon has said that its Global Pension Risk Survey 2025/26, has shown that derisking continues to be the dominant theme in the asset allocation strategies of UK defined benefit (DB) pension schemes.
Standard Life and Rathbones comment as UK CPI eases more than expected to 3.2%. Weaker economic momentum and a cooling labour market are helping to slow price growth ahead of an expected rate cut
DB Schemes that reduce climate transition plans to a simple tick box exercise are likely to increase investment risk or reduce returns, warns Hymans Robertson.
The rapid expansion of choice in the UK pet insurance market is making it harder, not easier, for consumers to understand what they are buying, according to new research from Consumer Intelligence.
Ian Bell, partner and head of pensions at RSM UK, predicts the key issues and trends that are likely to be at the forefront of the pensions sector next year, including: Digital transformation. Improved AI governance. Growth of megafunds. Record year for insurance de-risking. Pensions Commission shapes the future
Just Group has completed a £7m full scheme buy-in for the Ridsdale Pension and Death Benefit Trust, securing the benefits of 30 members - 22 pensioners and 8 deferred members.
More than 250,000 additional 60–64-year-olds are now in relative income poverty compared with 2010, as the State Pension age has risen. When the State Pension age rose from 65 to 66, the percentage of 65-year-olds in income poverty more than doubled from 10% to 24%, with further raises likely to have the same impact unless changes are made. Standard Life Centre for the Future of Retirement calls on the government to put in place policies to mitigate the negative effects of raises
A third of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) have cut graduate and entry-level jobs as artificial intelligence (AI) filters down to smaller businesses.