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Defined Benefit Plan Deficit Raises Questions

The figures were calculated as part of Mercer’s 2018 Pensions Risk Survey and were drawn from the FTSE companies’ corporate accounts.

Partner at Mercer Andrew Ward commented in a press release on the firm’s website*: “2018 was a record year for premiums paid to insurers for buy ins and buy outs, with more than £20 billion of DB obligations being insured. We forecast nearly one third of a trillion pounds to be paid by UK private sector DB pension schemes over a three-year period, from 2019-2021.”

The take home

For some time now there have been questions about the ability of defined benefit plans to weather any significant shocks to the market. The pertinence of these questions has only been augmented by the uncertainties of Brexit. Now, perhaps more than ever, it is important that defined benefit plan members sit down with their financial advisers and examine the suitability of their pension for reaching their financial and retirement goals and, fundamentally, whether they have confidence in the long-term viability of their plan.

Nevertheless, it is important to remember that fluctuation and volatility is an inherent part of financial markets, including those that affect defined benefit pension schemes. And although it is true that the FTSE organisations finished 2018 in deficit, they remain in much ruder health than they did following the 2016 Brexit referendum.

Review your Pension Planning with Blacktower FM

Defined benefit schemes were once thought of as being the gold standard for pensions in the UK. However, in the twenty-first century they face many funding challenges with even some of the best-funded schemes now seriously underfunded.

If you have pension benefits and are considering a transfer, Blacktower can help you make sense of your options and, as a fully regulated firm, can help you decide whether a transfer is suitable for your circumstances.

Contact us today for more information.

*https://www.uk.mercer.com/newsroom/ftse350-pension-deficit-increased-by-28percent-in-turbulent-2018.html

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New Governor Brings Confidence to Financial Management Industry

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The move is largely thought to be positive step for financial management services in the Cayman Islands, as Roper has said he will make it a priority of his role to “listen and learn” from those around him.

Mr. Roper brings a wealth of experience to the job. He was most recently minister and deputy head of mission for the U.K. in Beijing, China, but has worked in other notable capacities, including as the UK Ambassador to Algeria, Deputy Head of Mission in Brasilia and, of particular interest to the financial management industry in the Cayman Islands, as First Secretary for Economics and Development with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris.

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Structuring Your Finances to Weather a Divorce

Rain and UmbrellaMaking contingency plans for the unexpected is an essential part of wealth management. However, this aspect of financial planning should not be confined simply to strategising for the possibility of inflation, volatility, currency exchange movement and other macro factors; it should also account for personal factors. For example, how might your circumstances and goals change over time and are your retirement financial plans flexible enough to respond to these changes?

Examples of changes in personal circumstance include long-term care and medical costs, or large one-off capital expenses. And another important question, albeit loaded, is that of divorce.

There is good reason to address this question; 2017 data from the Office for National Statistics reveals that despite overall divorce rates for opposite-sex couples being at their lowest level since 1973, divorce among older people is actually rising.*

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