NEST and auto-enrolment dangerous in current system
16 August 2010
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Press Release highlighting Ros' views on auto-enrolment, explaining the dangers and recommending NEST be put on hold until the problems are addressed.
Response to DWP auto-enrolment/NEST review
13 August 2010
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Ros' formal written response to DWP review of NEST and auto-enrolment, recommending putting NEST on hold, reforming the state pension first and then auto-enrolling into existing schemes first.
Steve Webb for Pensions Minister - brilliant
14 May 2010
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Press Release welcoming the appointment of Steve Webb as the new Pensions Minister.
NESTs will need at least £1.5billion taxpayer loan
21 April 2010
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Citywire article highlighting Ros' estimates of the taxpayer costs of NESTs.
Retirement Radio - NESTs are not safe
April 2010
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Ros was interviewed by Steve Bee for Citywire's Retirement Radio - discussion of pensions policy, including comments that NESTs will be a disaster - beware!
Nic Cicutti coming round to my skepticism on NESTs
25 March 2010
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Support for Ros' views about the dangers of NESTs from leading journalist Nic Cicutti in his weekly Money Marketing column.
NESTs will be a disaster
21 March 2010
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Daily Telegraph article quoting Ros' views that NESTs have disaster written all over them, especially after the 2% upfront charge.
NESTs - call me cynical but this scheme has disaster written all over it
17 March 2010
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Article in the Times quoting Ros criticizing the 2% initial charge for NEST pensions, which means low earners will lose a chunk of their pension from the word go. This was supposed to be a low cost scheme!
The future for workplace pensions after 2012
18 March 2010
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Keynote presentation at University of East Anglia's forum on Workplace Pension Reform.
FSA drawdown fears ignore annuity risks
16 March 2010
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Ros' comments following the FSAs report on Financial Risk, highlighting that the FSA seems to believe annuities are a 'no risk' product, whereas, in reality, they entail significant risks for purchasers who do not understand what they are buying. Click here to read the article on the Citywire website.
Retirement Strategy Feature
March 2010
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Ros was interviewed by Money Marketing's Retirement Strategy magazine and her views on pension reform are highlighted. Click here to read the article on the Money Marketing website.
Yorkshire Post - A dangerous cuckoo in the NEST
14 January 2010
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Yorkshire Post comment article explaining why Ros believes that the new name for Personal Accounts - the NEST - does not make the policy any more suitable for those it is aimed at and warning of the dangers. Click here to read the article on the Yorkshire Post's website.
NESTs ignore annuities - but pension outcomes are vital
11 January 2010
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Ros wrote a blog for Citywire explaining the dangers for individuals auto-enrolled into NESTs. When they come to retire, nobody has thought through the annuity risks they face. Click here to read the article on the Citywire website.
The fundamental flaw in the Government's grand plan
11 January 2010
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Citywire blog warning of the dangers that NEST/Personal Account projections have not properly consider annuity risks. Falling annuity rates can undermine the value of the NEST for many workers. Click here to read the article on the Citywire website.
Empty NESTs and cracked eggs
8 January 2010
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Press Release commenting on the Government's new name for personal accounts - NESTs - but explaining that many people's NESTs will be empty and their nest-eggs cracked.
Personal accounts will be disastrous for pensions
November 2009
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Ros outlines her views on the dangers of personal accounts and how the outlook for pensions will probably be worse, not better, as a result.
Personal accounts should be abandoned, not delayed
9 September 2009
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Press Release commenting on recently announced delay to implementation of personal accounts, calling for a radical rethink because personal accounts are more likely to make pension provision worse, rather than better.
Beware of personal accounts - reconsider before it's too late
September 2009
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Feature article for Financial Adviser outlining Ros' view that personal accounts are more likely to make pension provision worse, as employers cut back from existing contributions and means testing makes pensions unsuitable for the target group of low earners.
Yorkshire Post op-ed: Pensions – we all face a poorer future
9 April 2009
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Op-ed published in Yorkshire Post explaining the dangers of employers cutting pension contributions and the Government's personal accounts encouraging further cutbacks in future. This is a pay cut today, will be a pension cut tomorrow and will mean delayed retirement or pensioner poverty in future.
Whitewash report on personal accounts and means testing
9 February 2009
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Press Release critiquing the Governments report which claims to show that saving in personal accounts will make almost everyone better off. Ros suggests the conclusions are misleading, ignore the employer contribution, are highly dependent on over-optimistic assumptions and that the report does not stand up to proper scrutiny.
CII Thinkpiece on personal accounts and annuities advice
May 2008
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Article published by Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) giving Ros' views on why generic advice for personal accounts will not work, but it could be very helpful for annuities.
Dangers of Personal Accounts
May 2008
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Ros outlines why she believes introduction of personal accounts is likely to worsen pension provision in the UK and could prove very dangerous.
Letter published in FT on personal accounts reform
7th November 2007
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Letter published in Financial Times explaining why the proposed Personal Accounts pension reforms are dangerous for lower earners and the interaction with means testing must be properly addressed now.
Inadequate protection for personal accounts
December 2006
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Exchange of letters in Daily Telegraph warning that the lack of proper consumer protection for the new personal accounts poses real dangers for future disasters and claims for mis-selling that may lead to another scandal.
Financial Adviser feature on the proposed new personal pension accounts
December 2006
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Feature explaining why Ros thinks the proposed personal accounts should not be introduced and that they are likely to worsen pension provision in the UK – and also may lead to pensions being bought by those for whom they are not suitable.