Pensions the brave new (flexible) world

15th April 2015

The introduction of the Government's Freedom & Choice in Pensions flexibilities from 6 April 2015 represented one of the biggest reforms to the UK pensions industry, resulting in key changes to the ways in which pension scheme members, both DB and DC, can access their retirement savings.

These new flexibilities, together with the likely fall out from the General Election, will have ramifications for absolutely everyone involved in pensions industry. You are therefore invited to join us at South Yorkshire Pensions Group's latest seminar where we will discuss the impact of the flexibilities in greater detail. We will also hear from a selection of industry experts, all from a variety of backgrounds, as they share their own views and experiences of this new, far more flexible, pensions landscape. Agenda: 08:00    Registration | Tea & Coffee | Light Breakfast 08:45    Chairman's Welcome & Introduction - Andy Bakewell, Trustee Director, 2020 Trustees 09:00    What are the new flexibilities, and what do employers and pension scheme trustees need to do? - Ginevra Gatrell, Partner, GunnerCooke   Ginevra will explain the new flexibilities that are now in place and the terminology that is being used. Ginevra will discuss the new laws that will apply in connection with the flexibilities, including the statutory override, guidance for members and disclosure requirements. She will also focus on the issues that employers and pension scheme trustees will need to be considering. 09:20    The Implications of Freedom & Choice on DB Schemes, Karen Dickson, Actuary and Senior Manager, PwC  An actuary's viewpoint of the Freedom & Choice Regulations. This session will look into some of the reasons why a DB scheme might want to take advantage of the new flexibilities available and also outline the steps that can be taken in order to achieve this. 09:50    Auto Enrolment: Key Issues and an Update on Recent Legislative Changes, Andrew Ramrattan, Senior Financial Planner, BHP Chartered Accountants The issue of auto enrolment is becoming of far greater importance to SMEs as their staging dates approach ever nearer. In this session Andrew will share his wealth of experience by outlining the steps and processes SMEs can put in place to ensure the staging and ongoing day-to-day running of auto enrolment is as pain free and straightforward as possible. As well as covering the various employer duties and the need for payroll integration and HR focus, Andrew will present an update on the legislative changes to auto enrolment that came into effect from 6 April 2015. 10:10    Our Experience of Freedom & Choice and the Increasing Importance of DC Governance, Anish Rav, Senior DC Consultant, Capita Employee Benefits  72 days since the bulk of the Freedom & Choice regulations were introduced, Anish will share his experiences from a practical, day-to-day perspective looking at the typical nature of queries being received from both clients and members alike. Anish will also share an update of the trends within the market how are schemes reacting to the changes and to what extent are they looking to offer the full range of flexibilities? As the shift from DB to DC continues, Anish touch upon the future implications for the industry and the ever growing importance of robust DC governance. 10:30    Open Q&A Panel Discussion