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SPP urges Pensions Commission to back AE-equivalent for self-employed


By Callum Conway

The Society of Pension Professionals (SPP) has urged the Second Pensions Commission to introduce an auto-enrolment (AE)-equivalent system for the self-employed, arguing that voluntary pension saving alone has failed to deliver adequate retirement outcomes for the group.

Responding to the commission's interim report, the SPP said self-employed participation in pension saving is "one of the most urgent challenges for the UK pension system" and warned that it is "difficult to see" how the issue can be addressed without introducing an equivalent to AE


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Nest plans to allocate up to £1bn to venture capital by 2030

Nest has launched a £200m dedicated venture capital (VC) sleeve with Schroders Capital, and plans to invest up to £1bn in VC by 2030, as it looks to increase its exposure to late-stage, high-growth private companies

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Early pension planning ‘key’ to managing IHT change

Early pension planning is key to managing the potential impact of ‘double taxation’ when unused pension pots are brought into the scope of inheritance tax (IHT) from April 2027, Hymans Robertson Personal Wealth has argued

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Gen Z pension investment falls as gold and crypto ownership rises

Gen Z pension investment has fallen over the past six years, despite younger savers increasing their exposure to gold, stocks and crypto, research from GWI has found

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Private markets beginning to enter ‘more selective phase’

Private market assets are starting to enter a ‘more selective phase’, as returns are increasingly driven by income resilience, asset quality, operational performance, and disciplined market recovery, according to Aberdeen Investments

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Govt undertaking assessment of Capita after CSPS recovery deadline passes

The government is undertaking a “comprehensive assessment” of Capita’s latest data on the administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS), after the contractor’s end-June recovery deadline passed

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Nest reduces its gender and ethnicity pay gaps; ‘further sustained effort’ still required

Nest reduced its gender and ethnicity pay gaps in 2025/26, but acknowledged that “further sustained effort” was still needed, its 2026 Pay Gap Report has revealed

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Executors warned over pensions IHT ‘administrative time-bomb’

UK families and executors could face an “administrative time-bomb” over incoming changes to the inheritance tax (IHT) treatment of pensions, DMH Stallard has warned
State pension spending set to reach 9% of GDP in 50 years

State pension spending is projected to rise from 5 per cent of GDP to around 9 per cent of GDP over the next 50 years, according to analysis from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR)
Majority of adults do not know their pension is invested

Just 47 per cent of British adults are aware that their pension is invested, Hargreaves Lansdown has found
Retirees under squeeze after 42% rise in living costs since 2020

Prices have risen by 42 per cent since the start of the decade, significantly eroding the spending power of retirees, according to Standard Life, which said inflation-linked annuities can help protect retirement income against rising living costs

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AI to 'transform' financial services by 2030 - FCA

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published a review into the implications of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) in retail financial services, finding that it is likely to become a defining force, transforming how firms operate, consumers make financial decisions, and markets function
DB schemes risk losing 'millions' through endgame delays

Well-funded defined benefit (DB) schemes could be missing out on millions of pounds in surplus by delaying endgame decisions, according to research by Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management UK


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