The annuity industry is “wholly failing” retirees due to lack of product innovation and the low uptake of the open market option (OMO), market experts have declared.

The government should take steps to better regulate boardroom bonuses and pensions, according to the Trades Union Congress (TUC).

The government’s latest report into auto-enrolment could require schemes to rewrite rules regarding new member investment, according to a law firm.

Renowned investor Anthony Bolton has spoken in favour of quantitative easing (QE) – but the National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) has questioned the controversial economic policy.

Two local authority pension schemes are looking to sue Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), claiming that it falsely reassured investors of its financial security.

The national bureau of Statistics of China recently released figures that show the country’s GDP growth in the final quarter of 2008 was 6.8% – down from 9% the previous quarter.

Paul Myners has appealed to pension funds and other institutional investors to take governance seriously to address frailties in the economy.

Defined contribution (DC) needs to be better targeted if it is to deliver what both the employer wants and the member requires, said Gary Smith, a senior member of Watson Wyatt’s DC team.

Anthony Bolton has claimed he can already see signs of market recovery and has predicted financial institutions will lead any upturn.

Recent falls in property prices could undermine corporate guarantees made by sponsors to pension schemes, according to research by Trustee GAAPS.

There is little doubt that the current economic and market downturn is the worst in decades. It is easy to think that we are moving in uncharted territory as the cliché goes. However, extreme events like these are not all that unusual when you look at very long historical patterns.

In the same year the world was introduced to the Lexus and Bart Simpson, the then chancellor Nigel Lawson also unveiled the self-invested personal pension (Sipp).

While leading providers of life and pensions services have remained fairly strong throughout the financial crisis, annual reports show there have been some big falls in underlying earnings.

Longevity hedging could be the next development in liability-driven investment (LDI) strategies as schemes demand more than just inflationary and interest rate protection.

A new type of defined benefit (DB) scheme could be a long-term solution for many employers struggling to meet current DB guarantees, according to a leading pensions expert.

The potential liabilities of the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) have soared after the aggregate deficit of UK schemes deteriorated to record levels last month.

The trustees of the Age Concern England (ACE) final salary pension scheme have reached an agreement with one of its small employers.

Large pension funds were the biggest relative underperformers of all UK commercial property investors over 2008, according to the Investment Property Databank (IPD) Annual Index.

Premier Foods, the maker of Hovis bread, has established new arrangements with trustees of its four pension schemes to reduce their burden.

The London Pension Fund Authority (LPFA) is considering a shift from interest and inflation-linked swaps to longevity hedging for its £1.1bn pensioner fund.

Forcing employees to retire at age 65 can by justified “in principle”, according to the European Court of Justice’s (ECJ) ruling on the Heyday case, but it may be another year before a final decision is reached on the ruling.

Vince Cable has criticised the government’s arm’s-length approach to dealing with the Pension Protection Fund (PPF).

A Labour MP has launched a formal bid to limit the pensions awarded to bankers working for institutions bailed out by the taxpayer.

Mexican prostitutes do it; Las Vegas gamblers do it; even educated rats do it – that is to act rationally, according to the ‘Undercover Economist’, aka Tim Harford.

Tempting though it is to shoot the bringers of more recession news, one set of messengers should be embraced.

Variable and with-profits annuities can offer retirees a more guaranteed form of income, and the market anticipates even greater innovation from this sector in the future

Apparently some of the oldest words that we use in the English language have been identified by evolutionary biologists working out of Reading University and using some fairly whizzy computation and whatnot. Believe it or not, the four most ancient words still in use in everyday English are ‘I’, ‘we’, ‘two’ and ‘three’.

Shadow pensions secretary Theresa May tells Charlie Kirby about shoes, MPs’ benefits and how she plans to tackle the issues facing personal accounts and public sector pension reform

The cavernous gap between private and public sector pensions must be reduced as the difference in earnings levels has also shrunk, and ministers should lead the way

James Rutherford talks to Owen Walker about recognising growth companies, the need for rationalism over optimism and the inevitable increase of regulation in the financial sector

Opportunities to generate premium returns are few and far between, so scheme trustees should act quickly to take advantage of smart beta investment approaches

Owen Walker: How has the economic downturn affected the at-retirement market?

The success story of fiduciary management in the Netherlands raises the question of whether it could benefit UK schemes

Employers can reduce defined benefit liabilities in credit crunch Britain without going for full buyout, but what are the options?

The Pension Protection Fund (PPF) has appointed Ian McKinlay as its new chief investment officer.

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has appointed Jim Sutcliffe as a director and chairman of the Board for Actuarial Standards (BAS). He will replace current chairman Paul Seymour, who steps down in June.

A J Bell has appointed Glyn Jones as business development manager for the south east and London.