Guides and Reports


This thought leadership paper calls for the UK’s emerging Value for Money (VfM) framework to evolve into a practical tool that helps pension savers make better-informed decisions about their retirement savings.

Whilst welcoming the Government’s proposed VfM framework as a major step forward in improving transparency, accountability and standards across the pensions market, the paper argues that the current model is still primarily designed for trustees, regulators and governance bodies rather than the millions of individuals whose retirement outcomes depend on it.

Although the £14billion in Pension Protection Fund (PPF) reserves represents a significant opportunity, it also carries a responsibility to safeguard the PPF’s core mission. Striking the right balance between prudence and innovation will be critical as policymakers consider how the PPF can evolve from a “lifeboat” into a broader legacy institution for the UK pensions system. This paper explores how this could be achieved.

The potential of Collective Defined Contribution (CDC) pension schemes is generating widespread interest across the pensions industry.

This SPP paper provides clear, actionable insights on the practicalities of administration, cost management, and governance for CDC schemes, setting out how these can be delivered in a way that makes CDC accessible, resilient, and trustworthy for both employers and savers.

This is a comprehensive Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) paper, which covers Social Mobility, Neurodiversity, LGBTQ+, Disability, Gender and Ethnicity.

This collection of articles will help to further raise awareness and understanding of the continued importance of DEI, as well as stimulating debate both within the pensions sector and the wider business world.

This paper examines issues relating to pre-1997 indexation in DB pension schemes including the costs of protection, scheme member perspectives, trustee duties and considerations for employers.

It also highlights some of the issues with a proposed across the board legislative change and comments on various potential solutions – including the possibility of discretionary payments.

This wide-ranging paper on the topical issue of surplus release from DB pension schemes explores what constitutes a surplus, when releasing surplus may and may not be appropriate, the benefits and risks for members and employers, investment and governance issues, and the wider consequences for the DB pensions landscape.