What is the future of the pensions industry, and what are the changes that will impact on trustees, fund managers, employers and fund members?

The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association, in partnership with ITN Productions, has launched a three-part news and current affairs-style programme,Pension Reinvention. Watch it here.

The programme investigates how the industry is responding to seismic changes in regulations and expectations and the impact of pensions freedoms on fund members.

Employers are being encouraged to take a stronger role in engaging fund members, whilst trustees face the pressure of more regulatory obligations and responsibilities in an increasingly complex environment.

National newsreader, Natasha Kaplinsky, hosts Pension Reinvention– ninety minutes of interviews with industry leaders, news-style reports, and sponsored editorial profiles of some of the leading organisations in the sector.

Ashok Gupta, Chair of the PLSA’s DB Taskforce, talks about the future of Defined Benefit schemes in a special report on the work of the Taskforce. With six thousand Defined Benefit pension schemes in the UK, more than 16 million members, and collective assets of more than one trillion pounds, the taskforce is designed to assess the challenges facing DB schemes, and the impact of these challenges on scheme members, employers and the wider economy.

Other reports include the launch of the Association’s new Retirement Quality Mark and how the PLSA’s Pension Solution website is helping small employers with auto enrollment.

The three programmes, ‘Adapting to Change,’ ‘The Lifetime Savings Journey,’ and ‘Trust in the Future’ were launched at the PLSA Annual conference in Liverpool.

Nineteen sponsored news-style reports feature in Pension Reinvention:

• BlackRock

Recent research indicates a shortfall of seven and a half thousand pounds per year, on the amount that most people think they will need to live on.

• Broadstone

How pensions and employee benefit consultants can help employers give fund members the confidence to be proactive about retirement planning.

• Cardano

Unexpected events can dramatically affect pension schemes, and managers and trustees need to be aware of the risks to their funding ratios.

• Cheviot Trust

Achieving consistently superior and stable funding levels is the goal of all pension schemes… a report on how it’s done.

• Darwin

Mixing business with pleasure, can deliver great investment returns – even for the risk averse.

• Deloitte

Reducing costs and enhancing governance by bringing pension funds together into a master trust.

• First State Investments

Alternative infrastructure investment options – that are sustainable, customer-focussed and long term.

• LaSalle 

A report from East India Dock in London – an example of large investments that play a key role in regenerating communities.

• Legal and General

A lot of the old ways of thinking about pensions no longer hold true. So we sent reporter Sarah Lockett back-to-school, to do some pensions ‘myth-busting.’

• Like Minds

The language of the industry is sometimes baffling and often a turn-off. Communications specialists are helping clients reinvent the way they communicate.

• NFOP

The National Federation of Occupational Pensioners is working in partnership with the Retirement Income Alliance to provide an independent tailored guide to retirement planning.

• Origo

As member expectations change, clever software meets the challenge of connecting organisations – enabling smoother, faster and compliant data movement.

• NFOP

The National Federation of Occupational Pensioners is working in partnership with the Retirement Income Alliance to provide an independent tailored guide to retirement planning.

• Northern Trust

How a Global Custodian can help pension fund trustees and executives meet regulatory and reporting obligations.

• Pendragon

We report on a user-friendly resource that helps pensions professionals keep up with a mountain of legal and regulatory change.

• Russell Investments

Reporter Lucy Siegle, shadows a Fiduciary Manager, to find out how many eyes and ears it takes to keep up with the market.

• Penfida

Recent headlines are a reminder that the fate of pensions funds is inextricably linked to corporate events.

• The Pensions Trust

Employers face an increasingly challenging economic and commercial environment, trying to balance the duties of trustees with business pressures.

• Procentia

We investigate innovations in pensions software, for people who are used to banking and buying on the go.

• Vanguard

Research findings from Vanguard Asset Management’s Research Centre, reveal that freedom can deliver very different outcomes to different demographics. 

Joanne Segars, Chief Executive of PLSA said:

‘Producing a programme focused on the pensions and lifetime savings industry, has enabled us to showcase some of the outstanding professional work taking place across our sector.

Reports on important subjects such as DB scheme funding, pension freedoms, technological innovations and new trustee obligations, has helped deliver a series of programmes that give a comprehensive view of where the pensions industry is heading.’ 

Simon Shelley, Head of Industry News, ITN Productions said:

‘The pensions environment is important to all of us, and new freedoms have significantly changed the demands on employers, fund managers, trustees – and individuals who are making one of the most important financial decisions of their life.

This series features compelling interviews and case studies, delivered by a highly experienced reporting team. We are proud to partner with the PLSA to discuss strategies and share success stories to help propel the industry into a dynamic future.’