by Paul Sweeting | Apr 20, 2010 | All, Investment
I had to take my daughter for a hospital appointment today. Nothing serious, just a consultant follow-up and blood test that she needs to have every few months. The appointment with the consultant lasted 10 minutes, the same amount of time it took to take blood (which...
by Paul Sweeting | Apr 16, 2010 | All, Pensions
There are a lot of promises being made about care of the elderly in the current election campaign. A particular concern seems to be that people do not have to sell their houses to pay for residential care, as this is seen as unfair. The alternative, which is currently...
by Paul Sweeting | Apr 6, 2010 | All, Pensions
The CBI produced an interesting and timely report on public sector pensions today. It raises a number of important issues, but the solutions suggested could cause as many problems as they solve. One very good point is that pension accrual should be recognised as part...
by Paul Sweeting | Apr 1, 2010 | All, Library, Working Papers
Pension fund longevity risk is becoming increasingly important. Longevity indices would allow the creation of liquid derivatives that could be used to hedge this risk. However, there are a number of criteria that such indices would need to fulfil to provide an optimal...
by Paul Sweeting | Mar 25, 2010 | All, Longevity
There has been some discussion in the FT over the last week regarding the issue of longevity bonds. David Blake proposed that the Government could raise capital by issuing longevity bonds whilst Paul Dare proposed that these bonds could be sold direct to individuals....
by Paul Sweeting | Mar 16, 2010 | All, Pensions
Hot on the heels of the NAPF, the Association of Consulting Actuaries (ACA) has launched its own 6-point manifesto to save defined benefit pension schemes in the UK. There are some good points here, and I want to concentrate on two in particular:...
by Paul Sweeting | Mar 13, 2010 | All, Events
The 2010 International Congress of Actuaries in Cape Town is over. It has been, I think, a great success. Over 1,500 delegates – more than ever before – came to the congress from Europe, Australasia, North and South America, Asia and, of course Africa....
