by Paul Sweeting | Sep 24, 2009 | All, Industry News
It is dangerous to equate the complexity of some financial products with social uselessness, which is essentially what Lord Turner has done. Collateralised debt obligations (CDOs) are a good example. These instruments allow a single type of investment to be packaged...
by Paul Sweeting | Sep 23, 2009 | All, Pensions
The recent RSA-sponsored article on pensions sets out a proposal combining inexpensive, compulsory investment and shareholder activism. However, as well-meaning as it is, it over-simplifies many important issues and misses several more. It is based on the personal...
by Paul Sweeting | Sep 11, 2009 | All, Longevity
Research published today in the British Medical Journal shows that people living in deprived areas are as susceptible to higher mortality rates today as they were a century ago. It also points out the changes in the causes of this mortality. In the early 1900’s,...
by Paul Sweeting | Sep 9, 2009 | All, Longevity
The recent news linking prostate cancer to a virus, XMLV, supports the hope that cancer vaccines will be able to significantly reduce future mortality from the disease. This is crucial if the recent increases in life expectancy are to continue. Since the 1970s,...
by Paul Sweeting | Sep 1, 2009 | All, Articles, Library
The special tax treatment of United Kingdom pensions means that the decision on how to use pension assets is particularly involved. In particular, the ability to take up to 25% of pension assets as a tax-free cash lump sum at retirement, offers retirees opportunities...
by Paul Sweeting | Sep 1, 2009 | All, Industry News
Much has been made of the comments made by Gordon Brown in his interview with the FT that bonuses need to be linked to long-term performance. This is true, but it is important to recognise the context in which his comments are made. Bonus culture is discussed almost...
by Paul Sweeting | Aug 28, 2009 | All, Pensions
Much of the focus on the recent population figures from the Office of National Statistics has been on the increase in the overall figure, with the corresponding focus on the birth rates for different sectors of the population. However, it is important to consider the...
