The Society of Pension Professionals (SPP) paper on rethinking pensions policy for the self-employed.
Tags: adequacy, pension, Pensions, Self-Employed, sole traders,
- 22/09/2026
This SPP paper “Pensions in a Digital World: Embedding Inclusion”, makes a compelling case for the pensions industry to ensure that digital transformation works for every saver, not just those who are digitally confident.
- 15/09/2026
The SPP concludes that contingent assets should not be regarded as second-best substitutes for cash. Properly structured, they can allow trustees and sponsors to share risk more intelligently, combining member protection with sponsor flexibility and commercially sustainable outcomes.
Tags: Accounting, Contingent Assets, covenant, DB Pensions, Funding Code, pension, Pensions, Tax,
- 08/09/2026
This SPP paper highlights a critical structural mismatch in the UK economy - UK retirees currently hold an estimated £3.84 trillion in housing wealth, yet face an aggregate annual retirement income deficit exceeding £48 billion.
Fragmented advice, separate regulatory regimes, and tax barriers like stamp duty prevent people from making holistic decisions about their wealth.
Tags: Housing, Investments, Pensions, Property, retirement, Savings, Wealth,
- 13/08/2026
This paper synthesises insights from a major industry roundtable of leading actuaries, trustees, legal advisers, investment managers, and covenant specialists, facilitated by the SPP.
The paper challenges traditional industry momentum by examining how improved funding positions, a £160 billion aggregate surplus across UK DB schemes, and new alternatives such as superfunds and capital run-on strategies have transformed the endgame landscape.
Tags: Buy-out, covenant, Endgame, Insurance, pension, Pensions, Risk transfer, Run-on, Superfunds,
- 06/08/2026
This is a comprehensive practical framework to guide pension scheme trustees, advisers, and administrators through responsible AI leadership.
Tags: Administrators, Advisers, AI, Artificial Intelligence, Consultants, Digital, Framework, Guide, Leadership, pension, Pensions, trustees,
- 29/07/2026
As the UK endured record June temperatures, the SPP publishes Pensions in a Warming World, a major new thought leadership paper warning that climate change is becoming a defining factor in pension outcomes, funding strategies and retirement security across the UK.
Tags: CDC, Climate Change, DB, DC, environmental, investment, Net Zero,
- 30/06/2026
This guide brings together practical insights to support pensions professionals navigating the early years of their career. It explores the key components of early career development in the pensions industry, from navigating professional exams and building both technical knowledge and soft skills, to establishing a strong professional reputation and managing progression.
Tags: careers, guidance, Pensions, profession,
- 11/06/2026
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.
Tags: FCA, Investments, pension, Pensions, regulation, Savings, SPP, value for money, VfM,
- 02/06/2026
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.
- 12/05/2026
This new report examines how Covenant assessment is evolving under the UK’s new DB Funding Code and dispels a number of persistent myths along the way.
Tags: covenant, employer covenant, Funding Code, pension, Pensions, SPP,
- 24/02/2026
A comprehensive analysis of the DB Investment ecosystem in the UK reflecting on SPP’s Vision 2030 paper, DB investment developments, trends and their likely impact.
Tags: DB, Defined Benefit, investment, pension, Pensions,
- 04/02/2026