V-FM: The Pensions Podcast: Recent Episodes
vfmpensions
In this episode of V-FM Pensions hosts Darren and Nico chat to dashboard guru Richard Smith, in the last episode of the season before we take a short summer break*.
As well catching up with how dashboards are progressing (we're getting closer!!), the podcast takes a trip up North from Kings Cross to Edinburgh as Richard talks us through the dashboard customer journey that is now being tested.
* fear not, we've got a couple of specials planned...
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to The Pensions Regulator's Ben Gunnee. As well as being an Arsenal fan, Ben is TPR's Executive Director for Market Oversight and is responsible for TPR's engagement and interaction with industry.
In a wide ranging discussion we chat about TPR's Corporate Strategy, DB endgame and surplus release, Collective Defined Contribution, and some of the key themes in DC, picking up a discussion on private markets. We also hear how Ben ended up at TPR and, of course, find out what value for money means to him.
The key question though... which the podcast didn't quite resolve... egg on pizza? Is Nico a lone egg man, or are there others out there?
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico are joined (again) by Matt Roberts, Head of Alternative Solutions, at Fulcrum Asset Management.
As well as Darren ranting about FIFA and the lack of democracy in the UK, the podcast discusses resilience, value for money and why the future of pension investing is about far more than chasing returns.
We chat about whether productive investment can help create a virtuous circle of stronger economic growth and better retirement outcomes, what the UK's shrinking public markets mean for DC savers, and challenge some of the assumptions driving the private markets debate.
In a wide ranging episode, we also discuss natural capital, venture capital, governance, and systemic risk.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Nico and Darren chat to Mohammed Ali Yasin from Lunate Capital and Ghaf Benefits about the UAE's end of service benefits system and how it compares to the UK pensions landscape.
We chatted through how the UAE system has evolved from paying expats (a significant majority of the UAE's population) a lump sum based on years of service with balances sitting unfunded on employer balance sheets, to one allowing contributions to be invested. We discuss with Mohammed what the future holds for the development of the UAE system, and, of course, find out what value for money means to him.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions hosts Darren and Nico chat to Hymans Robertson's Head of DC Kathryn Fleming. Kathryn is a PPI Trustee and co-chair of the Pension Equity Group's Data and Research Workstream.
We chat about the work of the Pensions Commission, including the recent PEG report arguing that a financial safety net needs to be introduced to support any future reforms. We talk adequacy, fairness and affordability, and discuss what more employers can do to support better retirement outcomes. We touch on early access to pension saving, CDC, and manage to get in a dig about DC chair's statements.
We also find out how Kathryn got into pensions and, of course, ask what value for money means to her.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico are joined by SEI's Head of DC, EMEA and Asia, Steve Charlton.
Steve chats about SEI’s investment-led approach to running a master trust, and how the business has evolved from its roots as a technology firm into asset management and pensions. We cover some of the big issues currently shaping the DC landscape, including the role of AI and technology, Mansion House and the debate around mandation, private markets, investment philosophy, and the Government’s continued push for greater scale in DC workplace pensions.
We also find out about Steve's career and how he got into pensions, and, of course, hear what value for money means to him.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico are joined by Paul Maynard, former Pensions Minister and MP for Blackpool North and Cleveleys.
In a wide ranging chat about pensions, politics and what really happens inside government, we cover pension dashboards, Mansion House, productive finance, consolidation, tax relief, the Pensions Commission and why policy often looks very different from the ministerial hot seat. Paul also brings a powerful constituency perspective, challenging some baked in industry assumptions as he does so.
We discuss how Paul got into politics and pensions and, of course, find out what value for money means to him.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico catch up on a whole host of topics that are currently making the pensions news.
We talk about Retirement CDC, Pensions UK Retirement Living Standards, the PPI Megafunds report, and start to unpack some of the key themes from the Pensions Commission's interim report.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Nico and Darren chat to Sam Seaton, CEO of CAPA Data.
Through CAPA Data, Sam provides the data platform behind the Corporate Adviser Master Trust and GPP Defaults Report, which takes a deep dive into the performance, asset allocation and structure of DC workplace pension defaults.
We chat about pensions adequacy, auto-escalation, member engagement, legacy data challenges, and the risks of relying on blunt retirement glide paths. We also cover why investment outcomes matter most, and how better data could reshape scrutiny of workplace pension defaults.
And, of course, we find out how Sam got into pensions and ask what value for money means to her.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to Scottish Widows' Director of Workplace Jerry Butcher.
In a very wide-ranging episode we chat about engagement, defaults, the use of AI, the FCA's Consumer Duty, the Scottish Widow's Retirement Report and the latest analysis from the Pensions Commission amongst a whole host of other things! We find out how Jerry moved from parachuting to pensions and, of course, find out what value for money means to him.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions hosts Darren and Nico chat with AF Advisory's Jasper Haak.
We discuss the "Wet toekomst pensioenen", the Dutch "Future of Pensions Act", which came into force in 2023 and refocuses the second pillar away from defined benefit / ambition towards collective and individual DC. We chat through what this all means for the Dutch pension system from a member and investment perspective, the transition of assets and its impact on accrued rights, and, of course, ask Jasper what value for money means to him.
In this episode of the podcast, Darren and Nico catch up on some of the recent pensions news. In a surprisingly fiery episode we throw out some difficult questions for regulators and the industry, alongside a fair bit of ranting...
We cover:
-
The Pension Schemes Bill becoming law
-
The Pensions Regulator admitting that scale is not a guarantee of success
-
Bank of England warnings about the AI investment bubble
-
The upcoming Pensions Commission interim report
In this episode of V-FM, hosts Darren and Nico are 'out and about' at the PMI's DC and Master Trust Symposium where we recorded an 'as live' session on Pensions and Housing.
We are joined by Anna Brain who led a significant piece on research for NEST Insight and Schroders' Rich Fox who was involved in the Lifetime Savings Initiative, as we examine the evidence and debate whether pensions could and/or should be used to support home ownership.
In this episode of V-FM pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to Standard Life's Esther Hawley about all things decumulation. We hear about Standard Life's approach to helping people with the knotty challenge of how to turn pensions into income including segmenting members, the anchoring decisions around essential versus discretionary income, and offering a guided “starter” solution rather than simply presenting the customer with a blank page.
We chat through the range of challenges in helping people at retirement particularly around couples and data integration, and, of course, touch on the total nonsense (Darren's words) of having separate regulatory regimes for people in contract schemes and trust-based schemes.
But underpinning it all is a sense of hope... the new regulatory direction on retirement income defaults gives providers greater licence to act.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Nico and Darren continue ploughing through listener questions, with a focus this time on how the system actually turns pots into pensions.
We chat retirement income and pension freedoms; investment in the UK; pension dashboards; product innovation; lessons from Australia; regulation and what the future might look like.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico put themselves at the mercy of listener questions in this Q+A special (part one...) that lays bare some of the current and emerging fault lines in UK pensions...
Listeners’ questions push Darren and Nico to discuss whether VFM is about member outcomes, system outcomes, or society at large? Pensions exist to pay money in retirement, and anything else is a bonus only if it doesn’t cost members.... discuss?
From net zero to DB schemes quietly propping up government debt, the episode surfaces a deeper tension that is at the heart of the system... are pensions private savings vehicles or instruments of public policy?
The hosts are critical of the current VFM framework as being too focused on inputs, blind to real-world outcomes, and ill-equipped to judge a 60-year savings journey. Meanwhile, engagement remains superficial, policymaking short-term, and adequacy the elephant in the room.
And hanging over it all, a bigger doubt: what if the long-term equity growth story the whole system relies on doesn’t hold?
In this episode of V-FM Pensions hosts Darren and Nico chat to Simon Chrystal, CEO of WPS Advisory. Simon's been on the pod before and we wanted to get him back on to talk about the evolution of his advisory business and some of the interesting stuff he is doing with the rollout of his LifeStage app.
Simon reframes value for money as a practical, human outcome improving people’s lives rather than a technical or regulatory metric. He argues the proposed framework overcomplicates what should be common sense, reflecting a wider issue: the pensions industry has failed to lead innovation despite a decades-long shift toward individual financial responsibility, leaving regulators to fill the gap.
Drawing on WPS Advisory’s experience Simon highlights both the scale of demand for advice and the barriers created by regulation. He points to rising PI insurance costs, commercial pressure from some quarters to compromise standards in DB transfers, and FCA data showing around 600,000 consumers losing ongoing advice over two years as evidence of an industry under strain and increasingly unable to serve consumers effectively.
Using data from the LifeStage Money app, he shows people want control over day-to-day finances first, with tight budgets and property dominating wealth, and making the case that VFM frameworks must start with real consumer needs, not assumptions.
This week on V-FM, hosts Darren and Nico are joined by Philip Smith and Ruari Grant from TPT, a £11.5bn, 500,000-member hybrid powerhouse quietly shaping some of the biggest shifts in UK pensions.
From mandation risks and the unanswered questions behind the £25bn scale test, to the real tensions inside the Value for Money framework, this conversation goes straight to the heart of the Pensions Bill and why detail really matters.
We get into what “value” actually means, the risk of herding into vanilla strategies, and why decumulation is the missing piece in today’s policy push.
Plus we take a look at TPT’s award-winning retirement solution, its profit-for-purpose model, and how CDC fits alongside DC, not instead of it.
Big themes, sharp takes, lots discussed and lots still to discuss!
🎧 Well worth a listen 🎧
In this episode of V-FM, hosts Darren and Nico chat to LCP’s Sam Cobley discussing the role of Collective Defined Contribution (CDC) in the UK pensions system. Sitting between DC and DB, CDC pools members with the aim of delivering a more stable retirement income, but requires savers to give up some of the flexibility offered by DC. The discussion centres on whether the potential income uplift is large enough to justify that trade-off.
Sam challenges some of the more optimistic claims about CDC outcomes, with Nico coining the term “CDC washing” to describe estimates of 50–75% higher incomes based on outdated comparisons with annuity-targeting DC strategies. Sam’s recent analysis suggests a more realistic improvement of around 15–25% compared with modern income-drawdown DC approaches, reflecting how rapidly DC investment strategies have evolved.
The conversation explores how CDC could work in practice from cohorting and buffers, to which retirees it may suit best. While CDC could offer better value for certain cohorts, particularly those seeking income stability, its success will depend on careful design, fair pricing, and how it competes alongside an increasingly sophisticated DC market.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions hosts Darren and Nico chat to Now: Pensions' Samantha Gould. Samantha heads up Now's PR and campaigns and has been particularly vocal in campaigning about pensions inequality.
We explore the structural drivers of the gender pensions gap and the wider challenge of under-pensioned groups. Samantha discusses her campaigning work since the first gender pensions gap report in 2019 (with the Pensions Policy Institute), which has since expanded to identify eight groups most at risk of pension poverty.
A key theme is women’s “squiggly careers”, where time out of the workforce for childcare or elder care, combined with the design of auto enrolment, prevents millions from building adequate pension savings. Samantha argues that reforms such as amending the auto enrolment rules, mandating pension sharing orders in divorce and improving childcare and maternity pension contributions could materially narrow the gap.
The discussion touches on pension dashboards, the balance between income security and access to capital in retirement, and the meaning of value for money. For Samantha, it ultimately comes down to fairness... ensuring the pensions system works for people regardless of gender, background or career path.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico take a meander through some recent pension news stories.
The pair discuss:
- Reform’s proposal to consolidate the LGPS into a single UK-focused sovereign wealth fund and shift new entrants from DB to DC, questioning both the investment logic and the politics;
- the government’s VFM framework, highlighting a core tension between a system measuring capital growth with policy prioritising retirement income outcomes;
- the unintended consequences of policy in motion; from salary sacrifice reforms that may disproportionately affect lower-paid workers, to scale tests in the Pension Schemes Bill that could shut out innovators.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Nico and Darren welcome their first-ever podcast guest back to the show: David Butcher.
They catch up with David to hear how his mindfulness coaching through Positively Aware is going and to get his thoughts on V-FM, trusteeship, and the insight he has gained from recent trustee experiences.
David also shares a brilliant story about gatecrashing a festival… a moment that somehow didn’t make it into his first appearance (and, honestly, the real reason we invited him back...).
And to round things off, David leads listeners through a short meditation at the end of the episode.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, Darren and Nico chat through their thoughts on the FCA and TPR's latest consultation on value for money (CP 26/1).
In a must listen episode for anyone developing their response to the consultation, the duo's personal thoughts (not those of their employers...) include:
- This isn’t Value for Money it’s a performance regime: The consultation has morphed into a capital-performance test with a costs add-on. Most of the “value” bits (service, engagement, member outcomes) have been kicked into the long grass.
- It risks sabotaging the retirement-income agenda: Government wants schemes to deliver better retirement outcomes, but the VFM framework measures success like everyone’s just cashing out. That’s a recipe for schemes doing the wrong thing in the run-up to retirement.
- The penalties are so harsh they’ll force providers to copy each other: Nobody is going to take investment risk, innovate, or deviate from the herd. The safest strategy becomes: hug the benchmark
- Mansion House and VFM are pulling in opposite directions: Policy says: invest in private markets and the UK economy. VFM says: don’t you dare underperform your peers. Put those together and you get one outcome: providers won’t touch the assets government wants them to buy.
- Costs and charges are still a mess, just with nicer spreadsheets: The consultation tries to build credibility through multiple “net” performance numbers, but exemptions, hidden costs, and inconsistent definitions mean the figures still won’t add up in the real world.
- The whole thing dodges the real problem... people aren’t saving enough: VFM is starting to look like the policy equivalent of jangling keys in front of a baby, distracting everyone from the uncomfortable truth that adequacy and contributions matter more than almost anything in the framework.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions hosts Darren and Nico chat to Pan Trustees' Nicholas Chadha to explore what value for money means in modern trusteeship.
Nick reflects on his journey from actuarial adviser to professional trustee, and shares insight into schemes at very different ends of the spectrum, from those entering the PPF with recovery plans acting as a drag on sponsors, to schemes managing surplus and difficult decisions around how it should be shared between members and employers.
We discuss the ins and outs of the innovative Aberdeen Stagecoach deal as part of a wider conversation about future options for DB schemes. We also chat about barriers for schemes moving to superfunds and conflicts of interest within professional trustee firms.
Nick makes the case that true value for money isn’t about defaulting to industry orthodoxy... it’s about spending wisely, challenging assumptions, and ultimately improving outcomes for members.
In this episode of VFM Pensions, hosts Nico and Darren are joined by Claire Altman, who leads Standard Life’s work across pensions risk transfer and individual retirement solutions. Claire shares her brilliantly unconventional journey into pensions, from lawyer to trustee to commercial innovator.
We explore what it really means to deliver value for money in retirement, why emotional certainty often matters as much as mathematical optimisation, and how a growing web of regulation is shaping the future of both DB endgames and DC pension outcomes.
In this episode of VFM Pensions, Nico and Darren are joined by "Red" Rory Murphy, trustee chair, board adviser, pensions commentator and lifelong trade unionist.
Rory brings a refreshingly different perspective to the pensions debate, shaped by decades in the trade union movement and hands-on experience of running smaller schemes.
In a typically wide-ranging conversation we touch on the role of trustees and why they are too cautious when it comes to delivering better outcomes for members. We look at the role of trusteeship in a world dominated by master trusts and professional trustees, the importance of the member voice, and whether fiduciary duty has been interpreted far too narrowly, acting as a barrier to innovation.
At its heart, this episode asks a simple (but maybe) uncomfortable question: who is the pensions system really for and what would it take for trustees to be braver in acting for members?
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Nico and Darren chat to Kim Gubler. Kim wears many hats in the pensions industry, among them Managing Director of KGC Associates, President of PASA, and is an independent trustee Director of the Smart Pension mastertrust.
Another wide ranging conversation that, as well as talking about horses and pigeons (only on the V-FM podcast....), focuses on the importance of elevating administration to the same level as investments when it comes to assessing value for money, treating it as central to member outcomes rather than something that happens in the background.
We talk about the evolution of KGC, PASA, and problems in relying on SLAs to assess value for money. We also chat about Kim's work on small pots and the recent feasibility study looking at quick ways of addressing what is an increasingly pressing issue.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to SuperRatings' Kirby Rappell.
SuperRatings has been conducting value for money assessments in Australia for 17 years, starting out as the first firm dedicated to super fund research.
We hear from Kirby about how the Aussie's do V-FM and look at learnings and insights that could benefit UK thinking.
And we discuss the Pound for Pound initiative that SuperRatings has been leading with a number of large UK schemes.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to Willis Towers Watson's Simon Eagle. Simon has been instrumental in the development of CDC in the UK, being the scheme actuary for the Royal Mail CDC scheme.
We chatted through the evolution of CDC in the UK, the original ideas behind defined ambition, the introduction of the Royal Mail scheme, and what next for CDC, including retirement-only CDC. We also discussed the challenges of introducing retirement-only CDC and how some of these challenges can be addressed in the context of how people turn their pension pot into a retirement income.
We found out how Simon got into pensions and, of course, what value for money means to him.
Happy New Year to all our listeners!
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Nico and Darren welcome 2026 in what will be (another) busy year for pensions.
As well as chatting about the festive season (and Nico’s house fire - don’t worry all ended up ok!), we take a look at what to expect in 2026... and have an impromptu discussion about the Pensions Schemes Bill and Fiduciary duty among a host of other things.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions Nico and Darren (slightly croaky and end-of-year tired) chat glow-in-the-dark dog walks, North London derby emotions and the Pensions Expert Annual Conference at Pennyhill Park… before diving head-first into the Budget and the chaos that surrounded it.
We unpack Darren’s recent comment piece in Pensions Expert, the OBR leak that turned out to be more cock-up than conspiracy, and why pre-Budget “kite flying” left real people scrambling over tax-free cash decisions. From ISA tweaks to salary sacrifice caps and frozen tax thresholds, we ask what any of this says about trust, growth and whether the government actually has a story to tell.
We also loop back to interviews with three of our World Pensions Summit guests (Tina Fordham, Amlan Roy and Sonja Laud) and link the Budget madness to the bigger themes of volatility, broken forecasting and the end of the “great moderation”.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to Maurits van Joolingen, Managing Director Climate Scenarios and Sustainability, at Ortec Finance.
This is part of a series of episodes recorded at the World Pensions Summit in early November. A proper climate and scenario analysis geek out!
We also discuss the news covering: the Budget, the state pension triple lock, the FCA pension scheme's investments in UK assets (or lack of), and Smart Pension landing the £580m WS stakeholder pension scheme.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to Nordea's Head of Responsible Investment, Eric Pedersen. This is part of a series of interviews recorded at the World Pensions Summit.
The central tenet of Eric's argument is true decarbonisation requires investing in and engaging with high-emitting sectors rather than divesting from them. Nordea have a created a Climate Transition Engagement Fund that targets companies demonstrating credible pathways to reduce emissions, supporting practical, real-world impact over superficial portfolio footprint cuts. Eric highlights how pragmatic engagement and long-term stewardship can deliver both climate progress and competitive returns.
We also take the opportunity to catch up on the latest news, discussing the recent LSE/FTSE letter to the Chancellor begging for pension funds to invest in UK equites and also talk a bit about salary sacrifice and Budget 2025.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions recorded at the Pensions and Investments World Pensions Summit, hosts Darren and Nico chat to economist and demographic expert, Dr Amlan Roy.
We talk to Amlan about why demographics is really about how people live, work and spend across their whole lives, and what that means for pensions and markets right now, not just in 30 years’ time.
We cover micro pensions for gig and informal workers, why emerging markets are central to future growth, and how location can make a massive difference to retirement costs.
Amlan explains why scenario-based planning beats traditional models, highlights six sectors with demographic tailwinds, and tackles the big value-for-money and fairness questions: how much return should we give up for sustainability, and is it time to rethink promises to older generations?
In this episode of V-FM Pensions recorded at the World Pension Summit, hosts Darren and Nico chat to L&G Asset Management CIO, Sonja Laud.
Sonia reprises her opening keynote session giving insights into how the investment universe is evolving, picking up on the key theme of the Summit: Resilience in the age of uncertainty. Her key message... prepare, don't predict!
Hot off the press from the Pensions and Investments' World Pension Summit in The Hague, hosts Darren and Nico chat to geopolitical strategist, Tina Fordham.
It's an understatement to say there is a lot going on in the world right now that affects pension fund investors... but we hear the latest from Tina as to what's going on, including quick-fire reactions to the recent US local elections.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico take a deep dive into the Government's proposals for 'at retirement' only CDC. What is the Government proposing and will it become a new norm of pension provision?
We also discuss a few news items that have been on our list to cover, including: the sale of Cushon by Natwest, the consultation on professional trustee companies and recent ABI stats on investment in private markets.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to defined contribution and financial wellbeing consultant, Hymans' James Smith.
We spend a lot of the podcast focusing on James' blueprint for pensions reform - Retirement Reimagined - which is co-authored in a personal capacity with Alexandra Miles. We discuss and debate many of the ideas in the paper, including changes to the state pension, the creation of a Universal Employment Pension, the use of CDC, and sidecar savings... all with the aim of delivering better retirement outcomes for normal people.
Massive hats off to James and Alexandra for committing their own time and resource to this - it's a fab read!
We also, of course, find out how James got into pensions and ask what value for money means to him.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Nico and Darren reflect on the Pensions UK's 2025 Annual Conference that took place in Manchester between the 14th-16th October.
In a surprisingly short episode (it's amazing how a hard stop for a meeting focuses the minds), as well as reflecting on the nature of the conference we discuss a few of the themes that made the news, not least the Pensions Minister's session with questions on mandation and the announcement of a new consultation on the future of Professional Trusteeship.
In this episode of V-FM, hosts Darren and Nico chat to Pensions and Investments International News Editor, Sophie Baker. Sophie has had an amazing career in pensions journalism and also is Programme Director and Chair of the World Pensions Summit.
In an investment heavy episode, we discuss PGGM's recent major portfolio overhaul, where they shifted from passive to active investing (reducing their investment universe from 3,500 stocks to 800), equally weighting return, risk, and sustainability in their decision-making process. We also chatted about how partnerships are emerging globally to institutionalise retail access to private markets and discuss progress so far (or the lack of it) with UK pension fund investment into venture capital.
We take a look forward to the upcoming World Pensions Summit that is taking place in The Hague on 4-6 November 2025. In breaking news, we also announce that your hosts will attending the conference and interviewing some of the speakers.
And, of course, we find out how Sophie got into pensions and journalism, and find out what value for money means to her.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to Broadstone's Dave Brooks. As well as having an illustrious career in pensions admin and consultancy, Dave talks about how it nearly 'made it' (or not) in the world of music.
We chat tax free cash and the upcoming Budget, consistency of language used in pensions communications and the Pension Commission. We also find out how Dave got into pensions and, of course, find out what value for money means to him.
After an unexpected break last week due to illness, this episode of V-FM Pensions restarts the new season of the podcast with hosts Darren and Nico talking about the Pension Scheme's Bill Committee Stage, productive finance and investing in the UK, Behind Login's app rating assessment, and LCP research highlighting the significant assets under control by 4 professional trustee companies....
We didn't even have time to discuss Trump's appearance at the UN...
Normal service resumed next week, subject to being fit and healthy....
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, Darren and Nico are back from an extended summer break when Nico became a father for the first time.
As well as catching up and talking about the real reason Thomas is named Thomas (and Nico's most successful Linkedin post ever!), the duo talk about what's in store for V-FM this autumn and chew the cud on the Pensions Commission, the upcoming Budget and the Pensions Bill.
In this bumper episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to former MP and Pensions Minister Guy Opperman. This is an episode that covers everything: horse racing, politics, Government, pensions and policy. And, of course, we ask Guy what value for money means to him!
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to Smart Pension's Director of Investment Proposition, James Lawrence.
We chat about:
- what's going on in the world and what it means for investment;
- Baroness Altmann's ideas for linking tax relief to investing in the UK;
- Smart's investment in green bonds and its approach to zero cost investing;
- the Pension Schemes Bill and the challenges of balancing long-term societal benefits with financial returns in pension investments;
- CDC and decumulation;
...and a whole lot more!
We also find out how James got into pensions, and, of course, what value for money means to him.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to Global Fund Search's Head of UK, Kris Shergold.
Another wide-ranging episode, where, as well as discussing what value for money to Kris, we chat about:
- Electricity generation and the state of the grid
- Value for money from the Office of Value for Money...
- Scottish Widows reducing it's UK equity allocation, and Aviva CEO warning that mandating pension investments in UK assets is ‘not the right thing’
- Proposals to amend fiduciary duty
- Nest's retirement blueprint and deferred annuities
Enjoy!
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to pensions goth and research guru, Daniela Silcock about all things pensions.
As well as talking about what value for money means to Daniela, we discuss:
- politics, pensions and winter fuel payments;
- the politics of DC pension allocation building on research Daniela has just conducted on behalf the the DCIF;
- developments in the 'at retirement' market
and a whole lot more.... enjoy!
In this episode of V-FM Pensions hosts Nico and Darren chat to the CEO of the Money and Pensions Service, Oliver Morley, and Ellen Quigley from the University of Cambridge.
This is part two of the podcast recorded 'on the road' at the PMI Annual Conference.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico interview some amazing speakers at the PMI's Annual Conference.
Part one covers interviews with PMI CEO, Gareth Tancred, and the PPF's Michelle Osterman and Kate Jones.
Part two covers interviews with MAPS' Oliver Morley and Ellen Quigley from the University of Cambridge.
In this V-FM Pensions special, hosts Nico and Darren discuss the outcome of the Government's Pensions and Investment Review phase 1.
Tune in to hear about what the review had to say and also hear the hosts' views on what's hot, what's not, and what's still just simply confusing....
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to Guiide Founder and CEO Kevin Hollister.
Not surprisingly, this is a decumulation-heavy episode with Kevin using the opportunity to talk about a new Guiide D2C proposition that has just been launched with the aim of helping people achieve sustainable retirement outcomes. We also chat a lot about how to help people manage their money in retirement and, of course, defaults vs engagement, as well as the FCA's advice/guidance regulatory boundary.
We cover the Pensions Investment Review (watch out for the special incoming...), consumer satisfaction with pension transfers, and, of course, find out what value for money means to Kevin.
Enjoy!
In this episode of VFM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to Eversheds Sutherland's Partner and Head of DC, Michael Jones, about all things value for money.
Michael has the honour(?) of being the first actively practicing pensions lawyer on the podcast and he timed his appearance perfectly being a Spurs fan (recording the morning after a lucky Europa Cup win...)
As well as finding out how Michael got into pensions and what value for money means to him, we have a wide-ranging discussion covering:
- Recent statements from the Pensions Minister concerning DB Surpluses
- The latest WPI report on scale and independence
- Angela Rayner's proposed tax hikes - will we / won't we see the reintroduction of the Lifetime Allowance?
- Pension investment and fiduciary duty
- The use and evolution of AI in pensions
- And a crowd funding campaign seeking a KC opinion on the retrospective nature of the Government making DC pensions subject to IHT.
Enjoy!
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to XPS' Head of DC Investments Mark Searle.
As well as finding out what value for money means to Mark and how he got into the pensions industry we, of course, kick off by talking about the gig news of the week, the Mansion House Accord. We also chat pensions adequacy, at retirement solutions and investing in the US.
Enjoy!
In this episode of V-FM pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to Fidelity International's James Monk.
As well as finding out what value for money means to James and how he got into pensions, the wide-ranging discussions covers: Mansion House and local investing, and a general discussion about UK economic developments; Trump's crypto play; TPT's announcement that it is planning to introduce multi-employer CDC; a report from the SPP urging savers not to panic; and the pros and cons of life vs custody platforms.
Listen to hear all this and more!
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico spend time reflecting on some of the key pension and investment topics of the moment, building on comments from guests over the last few episodes.
We chat about Tony Blair's latest comments on climate change, the latest gossip about the next iteration of Mansion House and productive finance, assessing value for money by scratching the ITCH, next steps for collective defined contribution schemes, and a whole lot more...
We also get an update on Nico's injury woes and Nico shares some amazing news!
In this episode of V-FM Pensions hosts Nico and Darren chat with the Chair of Pan Trustees, Steve Delo.
Steve is a Trustee on many schemes and was chair of the People's Pension for 10 years from its inception (he had the pleasure of working closely with the podcast hosts for a good few years).
We take a trip down memory lane discussing some historical pensions issues that schemes and trustees are still grappling with, focussing on the complexity of administration and data. We also chat about Steve's time at the People's Pension and some of the challenges in providing pensions at scale, the DWP announcement confirming its solution to deal with small pension pots, and the fiduciary challenges and lack of clear guidance on assessing and addressing climate risks in pension schemes.
We also find out how Steve got into pensions and, of course, find out what value for money means to him.
Enjoy!
In this episode of V-FM Pensions hosts Darren and Nico chat to Fulcrum's Head of Alternative Solutions Matt Roberts.
Matt takes the podcast by storm and rips up the usual podcast format by kicking off with his views on what value for money means to him...
We also cover tariffs, consolidation, zero cost equity investing, British Steel and... would you believe it... stamp collecting...
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Nico and Darren chat to NEST policy guru Philip Brown about all things pensions and all things policy.
As well as talking about the 100th anniversary of the Great Gatsby and celebrating Arsenal's 3-0 win over Real Madrid, we chat pension freedoms, market volatility, the role of NEST, Hymans proposals for reform of the pension system, CDC and a whole load more! We also find out how Phil got into pensions and discuss what value for money means to him.
Enjoy!
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico Chat to the PMI's new Chief Strategy Officer, Helen Forrest Hall.
Helen has been in the industry for 20 or so years and has just recently joined the PMI following a glittering career spanning time at The Pensions Regulator, the NAPF, and the DWP.
Helen is a self-confessed pensions and policy geek, and we get stuck into topics such as pensions and housing, TPR's approach to supervising professional trustee companies, a recent talk by the Regulator at the PMI's excellent Master Trust and DC Symposium, glide paths and investment allocation, the latest report from the IFS, and a whole lot more.
We also find out how Helen got into pensions and, of course, ask what value for money means to her.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico pick up on some of the key topics from the last few episodes. Our one-one 'specials' have often been based around responses to consultations, but, in an evolution of the podcast format, once a month we're going to explore in more depth some of the issues raised on the regular podcast.
So tune in and hear about the Spring Statement and the role of the Office for Budget Responsibility; systemic stewardship and fiduciary responsibility, including the role of pension funds in addressing society's big issues; and systems thinking in financial services. And we also discuss the recent acquisition of Barnett Waddingham by Howdens.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions hosts Nico and Darren chat to Money Alive co-founder Ian Beestin. Best known for his love of music and drumming - and his Thursday lunchtime drum quizzes during lockdown - Ian is helping to change the face of how pension schemes and providers communicate and engage with people in the digital age.
As well as finding out how Ian got into Pensions and discussing what value for money means to him (hint: not Ryan Air...) we chat: AI and innovation in pensions communications, the need for engaging content and personalisation, The Pension Regulator's new innovation zone and what appears to be a deregulatory agenda, Torsten Bell's first big keynote speech including the continued drive for consolidation, and recent moves by USS to end reporting on emissions.
Ian also flags a recent news story in Professional Pensions highlighting their 30th Anniversary. A big shout out to Jonathan Stapleton and the team in their anniversary year - many congratulations!
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Nico and Darren talk to Ruston Smith. Ruston was formerly Director of Pensions at Tesco and now holds several non-exec roles at pension funds, asset managers, private businesses and charities, and is the Chair of the Pensions Management Institute.
We, of course, talk about how Ruston got into pensions and what value for money means to him. We also cover many of the big topics affecting the pensions industry and start by talking about International Women's day and Schroders' recent Women and Wealth Report.
We chat a lot about pension fund investments and productive finance, fiduciary duty, and the ethics of pension fund investment in defence. And we also discuss Ruston's work on the Lifetime Savings Initiative, pensions adequacy and work Ruston has done with the government regulators and industry to improve transparency and simplify communication.
And, in what must be a V-FM podcast first, we also touch on ‘the unkillables’ of the Patch Plant world and Ruston squeezes in a few pop star name checks.
A great listen!
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Nico and Darren chat with accredited professional trustee, Paul Tinslay. Paul was previously a financial adviser before being a trustee and this comes through loud and clear in the podcast.
As well as chatting about Paul's career and finding out what value for money means to him, we discuss Make My Money Matter's closure, Fidelity's approach to pension defaults, the challenge around pensions admin and its impact on dashboards, the 'four chapters of life' approach to modern careers and retirement, and People's Pension moving the vast majority of its assets away from State Street.
Darren also goes off on a bit of a rant re a recent interaction with the DWP on behalf of a relative claiming the state pension (you might want to fast forward this bit....).
A lot in this episode!
In this week's episode of V-FM Pensions, Darren and Nico chat to the ABI's Yvonne Braun and Aviva's Michele Golunska on the fringe of the ABI's 2025 Annual Conference.
We spoke to Michele and Yvonne straight after an excellent panel session looking at savings adequacy and longevity, continuing a wide ranging and in depth discussion building on the topics discussed during the panel. We chatted about pensions policy, adequacy, productive finance, pensions dashboards, advice and guidance, technology and a whole lot more.... and, of course, we asked Yvonne and Michelle what value for money means to them.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to Benefits Consulting Leader at Gallagher, Mark Pemberthy.
A self confessed 'regular' listener to the podcast, we've been trying to get Mark on to the pod for a little while and it was great to have a chat about all things pensions.
As well as the staple topic of value for money, and, of course, finding out about how Mark got into pensions, we have a wide-ranging discussion about the pensions and savings landscape, auto enrolment, small pots and the future of regulation.
Mark had clearly done his homework ahead of appearing on the podcast and came armed with news stories galore to demonstrate the complexity of our pensions and savings system.
In this episode of V-FM, hosts Darren and Nico chat to trustee extraordinaire and President of BESTrustees Alan Pickering.
As well as Alan giving the podcast a scoop about the renaming of Yorkshire, we discuss: the importance of balancing the interaction between regulation, growth and consumer protection; the thorny questions of governance and conflicts of interest in the pensions industry; and Make My Money Matter's annual review of master trusts and climate change.
We chat about Alan's amazing career and how he got into pensions and, of course, ask what value for money means to him.
We also give a huge V-FM shout out to our first ever podcast guest, David Butcher, for the launch of his new mindfulness coaching programme. Congratulations David!
In this episode of VFM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to LCP partner and PASA Board member David Fairs. David has had a long and distinguished career in the pension industry, including a 5-year stint at The Pensions Regulator as Executive Director responsible for Regulatory Policy, Analysis and Advice.
The pensions chat covers DB surplus extraction, Trump (again) and DEI/ESG, NEST taking a stake in IFM and People's Pension appointing itself as its own investment consultant. We also chat conflicts in the pensions industry, how David found the transition from the private to public sector, how David got into pensions, and a whole lot more.... including what value for money means to him.
The podcast also has a scoop regarding David's future.... you'll have to listen to find out more!
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to Chair of the Pensions Regulator Sarah Smart.
In a wide-ranging episode we chat about a lot of things including diversity (spoiler: Trump was mentioned...), climate change and climate investing, the doomsday clock ticking ever closer to midnight, surplus extraction for defined benefit schemes and the role of trustees (which caused Darren to semi-rant about conflicts of interest), and the need for innovation and scope for the use of AI in pensions and pensions regulation.
We chatted about how Sarah transitioned from the investment world to become an independent trustee, driven by a desire to make the pension system work better for people.
We also, of course, discussed value for money and current regulatory initiatives in this area, with Sarah highlighting the need for.... [well... you'll need to listen to the podcast....]. And, following hot on the heels of last week's episode, we covered the need for balance between achieving scale through consolidation and allowing for innovation and competition in the pensions market.
Lots in this one... enjoy!
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to CEO of Smart UK, Jamie Fiveash. Jamie is a DC and master trust expert, is on the PLSA Board, and has had the pleasure of being Darren's boss, not once, but twice....
As it's our 101st episode (finally we've got a new numbering system...) we play a little game of Room 101... what will our guest and hosts consign to history (hint: first Brexit rant of the year from Darren)?
Given the timing of the episode we had to talk about Trump.... but we spend most of our time chatting DC, productive finance, scale and consolidation, pensions reform and IHT.
We find out how Jamie got into pensions and, of course, ask what value for money means to him.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Nico and Darren chat to pensions lawyer extraordinaire, Robin Ellison.
Robin is not shy with his views on policy and regulation and the podcast takes a whistle stop tour through many of the issues the pensions industry is grappling with currently.
As well as welcoming the new pensions minister, we talk about Robin's foray into politics with the 'U' party, his views on regulatory policy and regulation including current initiatives to promote value for money and force consolidation, and a pension scheme investing in bitcoin. We also discuss climate change and the devastating fires in Los Angeles. We find out how Robin got into pensions and ask Robin what value for money means to him. Tune in to hear all this and a whole lot more!
It's celebration time for VFM as this is the 100th episode of the podcast (including a number of specials that we have recorded over the past couple of years). Here's to the next 100 episodes!
A Happy New Year to all our listeners!!
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, Darren and Nico kick off the year with an in depth discussion of the UK Government's consultation on reforms to the Defined Contribution pension market. This consultation is part of the Mansion House package of measures published on 14 November 2024.
We chat through the main elements of the consultation including: the (flawed?) premise behind the Mansion House agenda; what scale really means and what we actually mean by a default; bulk transfers without consent; and the role of employers and advisers in choosing a pension scheme.
This is our response to the Government's consultation. Fair to say it asks more questions than it answers, but we hope it helps and that others find it useful as they go about pulling together their own responses.
After a few weeks break due to illness, V-FM Pensions is back for a Christmas special where Darren and Nico chat about Pensions and the Mansions House reforms and look forward to 2025.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our listeners. Here's to a fantastic 2025!
In this episode of V-FM pensions, hosts Nico and Darren chat to Broadstone's Richard Sweetman.
Due to illness, publication of this episode has been delayed, but not to worry as you can see how Richard's Mansion House predictions match up to what Rachel Reeve's announced during her maiden Mansion House speech.
We also discuss a Private Eye Article on the Budget, money and inflation in ancient Rome, pre-Budget tax speculation that never materialised, and the recent Lord Mayor's speech which called for more investment by pension funds into the UK.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions hosts Darren and Nico chat to Žiga Vižintin, Director of Retirement Solutions at 'Pokojninska družba A pension fund' ('Pension Fund A') and author of the Irrational Retirement Blog.
We chat the US election, a news story about Nordic regulators sending a joint letter to European regulators urging simpler pension regulation, statistics from the European regulator EIOPA showing low pensions participation across Europe, an unnamed UK pension scheme allocating 3% to Bitcoin, and the presence of microplastics in the human brain and their potential health impacts.
We also discuss pension reform plans in Slovenia, including the potential introduction of auto-enrolment, and, of course, what value for money means to Žiga.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to Tan Suee Chieh, former CEO of Prudential Singapore, former CEO of Singapore's NTUC (National Trade Union Congress), and past President of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.
As well as chatting to Suee Chieh about how he got into pensions and value for money, we spend some time focussing on the proposed sale of Singapore’s NTUC Income to Allianz - a strong example of the importance of speaking up.
We also chat about the proposed acquisition of Redington by Gallagher, the launch of the new trustee company Aretas Trustees, and we send Andrew Warwick-Thompson our heartfelt best wishes.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren Philp and Nico Aspinall join Broadstone's Simon Kew and David Brooks for a V-FM/Pensions in Ten mashup to discuss Rachel Reeve's first Budget as Chancellor of the Exchequer.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico spend time chatting with Tomorrow’s Company Jonathan Maguire. Tomorrow’s Company is an organisation focused on inspiring businesses to be a force for good in society and Jon’s focus is on the state of the education system, particularly the lack of funding for special educational needs and the disconnect between the curriculum and the needs of young people.
Less pensions chat in this episode, but a really positive and insightful discussion where Jon talks about how we can and should be empowering and inspiring young people, developing their skills, and connecting them with local businesses and mentors.
Investing properly in our kids’ futures… what could be better value for money than that!?
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to the CEO of the Irish Association of Pension Funds, Jerry Moriarty.
As well as finding out what value for money means to Jerry, we learn about the Irish pension system and the proposed introduction of auto enrolment. We talk about lessons from the UK experience of introducing auto enrolment and pick up on the question of the FCA's value for money consultation which closed this week.
We also chat about the recently published Mercer Global Pensions Index (an annual ranking of pension systems worldwide based on adequacy, sustainability, and integrity) and discuss the proposed sale of a mutual insurer in Singapore including the objection and backlash it has created.
In this episode of V-FM the pensions podcast, Darren and Nico chat to the legend that is David Porter. David is now an independent investment consultant who helps schemes and providers implement new approaches.
As well as talking about what value for money means to David, we also chat Royal Mail CDC, CDC more generally and Willis Towers Watson arguing that DC is 'broken', deaths outnumbering births in the UK and the cost of a pint of beer!
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat with Morten Nilsson, CEO of Brightwell, about what value for money means to him.
As we move to cover more than just defined contribution pensions we spend time talking about the challenges and rising costs of running defined benefit schemes, the impact and cost of advisers, and conflicts of interest within the pensions industry.
We chat about the importance of consolidation, not just in the DC and LGPS sectors, but also for private sector DB. In Morten's eyes small schemes need to collaborate to reach a scale that allows for better management and value for money.
We also chat about what the future holds and Morten is clear that DB pensions will remain important for decades, despite many schemes now being closed; there are exciting opportunities for trustees and sponsors to manage surpluses creatively.
In this episode of V-FM, the Pensions Podcast, hosts Darren and Nico are joined by Jonathan Hawkins, Propositions Lead at Bravura, to dive deep into what Value for Money (VFM) means in the pensions world.
As we navigate Pensions Dashboard Week, Jonathan shares insights on the challenges and opportunities that the industry faces as it prepares for one of the biggest transformations in recent times. We discuss the impact of technology—or the lack thereof—in delivering VFM, the role of data quality, and the importance of evolving core pension systems to meet future customer needs.
Jonathan doesn’t hold back on highlighting where the industry needs to improve, from outdated tech to how the sector can better engage with underrepresented groups.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions hosts Darren and Nico chat to their former boss and Chief Executive of the People's Partnership Patrick Heath-Lay. Patrick has been at People's (formerly B&CE) for his whole career and has a remarkable story of joining the organisation to deliver the mail and then working his way up to become CEO of one of the largest pension schemes in the country.
We, of course, ask Patrick what value for money means to him, but we also have an in depth discussion about policy and what's in the store for the future. We chat pensions adequacy, the Government's pensions review and productive finance. We also cover transfers, consolidation and scheme quality and the evolution of pensions in the UK, including how Patrick (and others) came together to truly disrupt the pensions market with the launch of the People's Pension back in 2011.
The most surprising thing about this episode though... Patrick is even complimentary about Nico's piano playing!
In this episode of V-FM pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat about the Financial Conduct Authority's value for money consultation CP24-16.
What do we like, what don't we like, what do we think will work, and where is there room for improvement? Listen to find out all this and more.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to DC consultant extraordinaire LCP's Steve Budge. Steve has an amazing career in pensions consultancy and we tap into his significant insights and knowledge of DC pensions as we navigate some of the big issues at the front of the industry's minds.
The podcast was recorded on the launch day of the latest Pension Attention campaign so we discuss that. We also spend a lot of time chatting about the Government's pensions review call for evidence, as well as a new report on the "Capital Markets of tomorrow" that looks at unlocking pension fund investment for the future. We speculate about the speculation around reforms to pensions tax relief and, of course, ask Steve what value for money means to him.
In this episode of V-FM pensions hosts Darren and Nico chat to the World Gold Council's Claire Lincoln.
As well as having lots of experience in pensions and investments, Claire is an expert on wine... so, of course, alongside the usual V-FM chat we find out what vino for money means to her!
A very wide ranging discussion this week where we cover the state of the economy and public finances, pensions tax relief, TPT research on the DB endgame, increasing minimum contribution levels, possible increases in employer national insurance contributions and a whole lot more.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Nico and Darren, talk to TOR's David Harris about planes, pensions, policy, and, of course, value for money.
David has some amazing international pensions experience and his consultancy (celebrating its 20th year) is well know for creating international connections. He is also known for clocking up the air miles and spends more time in the air than on terra firma.
As well as a bit of the expected cricket chatter, David confesses to being an Ipswich Town fan (Ed: enjoy this season while it lasts, David!). We also discuss pension transfers (following the excellent article in Professional Pensions looking at incentives), tax relief, contribution rates, investment in defence and nuclear, David's aviation business and a whole lot more!
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Nico and Darren chat to the PPI's current deputy director Sarah Luheshi. Sarah is retiring at the end of August after an amazing career in the financial services industry, culminating with a fantastic 9 years at the Pensions Policy Institute.
In a jam-packed podcast, as well as chatting about the weekly staple of value for money, we talk about Labour's pensions review and the need for it to take a holistic approach, the PPI's pensions framework, pensions adequacy, the launch of a provider transfer rating service, and productive finance think pieces from the PLSA and Policy Exchange.
We wish Sarah all the best for her retirement.....but we don't think for a second that she'll totally break connections with an industry she has contributed so significantly to!
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to IFM's Executive Director of Public Affairs and former Shadow Pensions Minister Gregg McClymont.
Gregg returns to the podcast after being one of our first guests (episode #5) so we take the opportunity to find out what Gregg's been up to and look to get underneath the skin of what's driving change in the pensions industry. We talk about consolidation, scale, productive finance and draw on Gregg's significant experience and insight of the Australian and Canadian pension systems.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to BNY's Head of Retirement, Richard Parkin. Richard is an industry stalwart with over 30 years experience in the industry and describes himself as a "card-carrying pensions and retirement geek." Perhaps he should also add to that that he is the 'Daddy Cool' of pensions...
In another wide ranging episode we chat Mansion House reforms, the Government's decision to means test winter fuel payments, and the Turkish State Pension system. We also discuss presenteeism and Nico throws us a curve ball by talking want to talk about the theory that complex life may have started much earlier than previously thought - one for the actuaries!
We also find out a bit about Richard's career and, of course, ask what value for money means to him.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, Darren and Nico are again joined by the self-styled Jasper boys, John Mitchem and Jorik van Zanden for a whistle stop tour and discussion of world pensions. This episode is very much a Jasper takeover with the co-hosts (Ed: would you believe??) struggling to get a word in edgeways while John and Jorik talk about the common retirement challenges faced by nations around the globe.
A crazy episode even by V-FM standards... but fantastic discussion and insight from Jorik and John.
In this special episode of V-FM Pensions, co-hosts Darren and Nico chat about the Pensions Bill and the first phase of the new Government's pensions review.
We discuss the Bill, including small pots consolidation, value for money and at retirement. We also chat about what might be in store from phase one of Labour's much trailed review of pensions, focusing on productive finance and what it might mean for consolidation across the pensions landscape.
In this episode of V-FM pensions Nico and Darren chat to CEO and co-founder of Wayhome, Nigel Purves.
Wayhome have got some big ideas looking at how to join up thinking around pensions and housing so it was great to have Nigel on to chat through the societal issues we face and how we can think differently to deliver better outcomes for people.
In an episode recorded on Wednesday morning, we talk about leadership and the resignation of Gareth Southgate, sidecar savings, the King's speech, lifetime savings, and private markets. We chat through some of the big issues affecting people getting on the housing ladder and how that impacts people's lives, including their retirements. We also, of course, ask Nigel what value for money means to him.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to independent consultant and TPR non-exec director Alison Hatcher.
In an episode that was recorded on the morning after England's win against the Netherlands we chat about the Euros, including a tweet from King Charles 'commanding' the nation to win against Spain on Sunday.
We talk about Taylor Swift causing the Bank of England an interest rate headache, politics, pensions and productive finance, and the need to join up pensions with other forms of assets and savings (especially housing). We also hear about Alison's career and, of course, what value for money means to her.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Nico and Darren chat to Jorik van Zanden and John Mitcham.
During lockdown, Jorik and John founded the 'Jasper forum' - a community of like-minded international pensions and investment folk who regularly come together to discuss common issues and learnings. A great initiative!
This is the first episode in a two part series. In this episode we do the traditional VFM thing of discussing the news, hearing a bit about John and Jorik's careers and discussing what value for money means to them.
Part two will drop later in the summer where we'll be diving a little deeper into the key learnings that John and Jorik have gained from hosting the Jasper forum, looking at commonalties, but also differences, between country's retirement systems.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to Smart Pension's Director of Strategic Delivery Eve Read. Eve has seen it all when it coms to pensions having done every role going at Mercer, before joining NEST and now Smart Pension.
A fantastic chat where we cover the Euros, fine wine, singing, renting in retirement, pension consolidation, transfers, conflicts of interest, politics, governance.... the list goes on and on!
Eve also talks about the need for pension role models and we, of course, chat about what value for money means to her.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions co-hosts Darren and Nico chat to Standard Life's Mike Ambery. Mike is a pensions industry stalwart who has recently joined Standard Life after a long and illustrious career at Hymans Robertson.
Mike is an Arsenal fan (he promised Darren use of his season ticket...) so he slots straight in to a quality chat about Arsenal, even pondering how England hero Jude Bellingham could fit into the Arsenal team....
Amongst the usual pensions and VFM chatter, we cover politics and the Labour manifesto, social media and pensions, and campaign finance in the US. We also discuss what value for money means to Mike.
Enjoy!
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Nico and Darren chat to fellow Gooner and editor of Pensions Expert Nick Reeve.
Nick joins us supping water (not Pina Colada) from a pineapple shaped glass from sunny Barbados for a great chat about pensions, journalism and, of course, value for money. It was nice to turn the tables on Nick and be asking the questions, but he did manage to ask us a few searching questions... that journo instinct never goes away...
Topics discussed this week include pensions dashboards, the Pensions Regulator's Corporate plan, conflicts in professional trusteeship, the Lib Dem manifesto, and pension transfers.
Another great guest, another great chat!
In this episode of V-FM Pensions hosts Darren and Nico chat to pensions industry legend and all round PR and policy superstar Tom McPhail. Tom is Director of Public Affairs at the Langcat and also is an external adviser at Guiide.
This episode covers tax relief and the IFS proposals for the LTA, a good discussion about politics and pensions, fiduciary duty as a barrier to investing for the good of people and the planet... and a whole host more. We discuss the Barbie movie and Tom's new AI generated X (Twitter) picture, why he decided to self brand as the Pensions Monkey and, of course, we find out what value for money means to Tom.
A cracking chat!
In this episode of V-FM Pensions hosts Darren and Nico chat to the editor of Corporate Adviser, John Greenwood.
John returns to the V-FM podcast to chat about Corporate Advisers' latest Master Trust and GPP defaults report - an amazing piece of annual research that looks at performance of default funds and picks up on some key industry trends.
We also discuss what value for money means to John.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Nico and Darren talk to Pangea founder Nick Stoop.
As well as the usual V-FM chat we talk about the election, shareholder resolutions, pensions regulation, and the recent IMF report on the UK economy.
We have a great discussion about what Nick is trying to achieve with Pangea - a pension that considers everything through an impact lens.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to the Labour MP for East Ham and Chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee Stephen Timms. Stephen has been an MP for over 30 years and shares his experiences and views on pensions and a whole lot more.
In a V-FM Podcast first, this episode was recorded with a live audience at the DG Publishing DC Strategic Summit.
In this episode of V-FM: the pensions podcast, hosts Darren and Nico chat to Pentech guru Martin Freeman. Martin has seen it all when it comes to pensions technology and administration and has recently set up his own company to help schemes and providers deal with the considerable administration and systems challenges that the pensions industry faces.
We talk pension dashboards, pensions uprating, CDC, coffee, fountain pens and Manchester City (we wanted to get Martin on before the end of the season so he couldn't gloat....). We also, of course, ask Martin what value for money means to him...
Another fantastic guest on the podcast!
In this episode hosts Darren and Nico chat to all round pensions industry legend Sally Bridgeland.
Tune in to find out how Margaret Thatcher encouraged Sally to get on her bike, how James Bond style space lasers are nearing reality, and how Sally got into pensions (inducing a discussion on sexism in the city and some of the barriers that Sally and others face). We discussed the People's Pensions new RI policy, Pensions Bee research covering investment in tech giants and why actuaries can't count.
We also, of course, chat about what Value for Money means to Sally.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, co hosts Nico and Darren spend an hour chatting about the news, life and some of the the themes coming out of the podcast so far this year. We also, of course, discuss Arsenal.
We chat about AE contribution rates, transfer incentives, at retirement, politics and value for money. And we pay tribute to Frank Field, who recently sadly passed away, for his contribution to politics and welfare reform.
Nico also asks Darren about his new venture as part of Untamed Consulting.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to Royal London's Director of Policy Jamie Jenkins.
As well as being a star billiards player, Jamie is a bit of a pensions legend having led the policy charge at Standard Life and now Royal London. Jamie is a PPI trustee, PLSA policy board member, and was one of three reviewers looking at how to improve auto enrolment back in 2017.
We chat dashboards, at retirement, earth day, adequacy, and all the topics you would expect us to cover in just over an hour's worth of V-FM chat. In another V-FM first, we also find out a bit about billiards.
In this episode of V-FM pensions, hosts Nico and Darren chat to the CEO of Railpen John Chilman. As well as heading up one of the largest pension schemes in the UK, John is also chair of the PLSA Policy Board and chair of the Pensions Policy Institute's Finance Committee.
We find out about a new Chechnyan law that means that this podcast will now be banned in that country (due to Nico's music...).
We talk about all the classic VFM topics that you'd expect, including what motivates John and, of course, what value for money means to him.
In this episode of V-FM pensions, hosts Nico and Darren chat to the ABI's pensions and long term savings guru Rob Yuille. Rob's seen it all in his 12 years at the ABI and, along with his team, has been instrumental in feeding in to the big pensions policy debates and discussions.
A discussion that covers the plethora of changes coming into effect at the beginning of the next tax year (cue discussion about the LTA and pensions tax relief), recent research on pot for life, TPR's climate commitments and a whole lot more, including, of course, Rob's take on value for money (with a couple of good analogies thrown in on cars and speakers....).
In the latest episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to Aviva's Managing Director (workplace) Emma Douglas.
The usual canter through the V-FM staples of dashboards, productive finance, fees and charges and investments, is hijacked by some very important and timely health advice, a pop quiz on bamboo toilet roll, bin liners and, to top it all off, we had a very passable Yoda impression. We also had a big announcement with V-FM doing its first show with a live audience!!
We had some technical issues while recording the podcast (basically Darren's computer metaphorically blew up) so had to record over two sessions, but we got there in the end!
In this episode hosts Darren and Nico spend an hour chatting to the CEO of Make My Money Matter Tony Burdon.
We talk about what Tony is trying to achieve (alongside Richard Curtis) with Make My Money Matter, his innovative campaigns (have you checked out Oblivia Coalmine...?), and the power that pension schemes and insurers can leverage in delivering meaningful change to help tackle the world's climate challenges. We also chat pension freedoms ten years on and whether we need two regulators.
Tony has had a really interesting purpose-driven career having worked at Oxfam before joining the Treasury (giving a certain Gordon Brown a 5 point ultimatum) and subsequently the Department for International Development (as it was at the time).
In this episode of V-FM Pensions hosts Darren and Nico chat to Executive Chair of Schroders Solutions James Barham.
As well as the usual V-FM chat and a discussion about the news and topical pensions issues (including Jeremy Hunt's disclosure drive for UK pension funds and Hymans latest retirement research), we talk about the recently launched Lifetime Savings Report that Schroders have carried out with the Pensions Management Institute. We also, of course, ask James what value for money means to him.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, Nico and Darren chat to the CEO of Pensions for Purpose, Charlotte O'Leary.
This episode was recorded on the morning of Jeremy Hunt's 2024 Budget, so we had a bit of speculation, alongside discussion of some of the pre-announced pensions measures. We discussed the gender pensions gap, something Charlotte campaigns passionately about, moves by the Chancellor to force DC schemes to disclose their assets held in the UK and the introduction of Aus-style performance league tables, and the recent investment changes by The People's Pension. We also discuss systems change and whether fiduciary duty hampers Trustees from investing with a purpose.
The episode ends on a discussion about fitness where Nico outrageously questions Darren's commitment to the fitness cause (Charlotte is an uber-athlete). But we also talk about the importance of neurodiversity in decision-making and keeping the mind as well as the body fighting fit.
A fabulous episode!
In this episode of V-FM Pensions Darren and Nico chat to one of the architects of auto enrolment in the UK and current NEST CEO Helen Dean.
Helen talks about her role in helping to deliver the biggest pension reform ever seen in the UK and the creation of NEST. This episode has it all.... pensions, the need for scale, productive finance, wider savings and financial wellbeing, and, of course, we ask Helen what value for money means to her.
In this episode of V-FM, the Pensions Podcast, hosts Darren and Nico spend an hour chatting to Joanne Segars.
Having been in the driving seat behind the NAPF and PLSA for a number of years, and a stalwart of the pensions industry, Joanne now has an impressive portfolio career including chairing the Now Pensions trustee board, the LGPS Central Pool and Legal and General's Independent Governance Committee. She is also a member of CERN's pensions governance board (cue a couple of dodgy one liners from Darren).
We talk about the gender pensions gap, pensions engagement, consolidation and supertrusts, and productive finance.
We also, of course, ask Joanne what value for money means to her!
In this episode of V-FM, your hosts Nico and Darren talk value for money with Aon's Jo Sharples. An actuary by trade, Jo has spent her career in a variety of different roles at Aon and is currently CIO of Aon's DC solutions.
As well as the usual V-FM chat, this episode covers the latest inflation figures and the PLSA's retirement living standards, calls from the People's Pension for a new Pensions Commission and a recent FT piece highlighting how climate change is affecting insurance and reinsurance availability.
In this episode of V-FM, Darren and Nico chat to Sir Steve Webb about politics, pensions and his time leading the pensions charge during his time as pensions minister.
Steve was in post for 5 years and broke the mould of having a new pensions minister every nine months or so. He was instrumental in reviewing and helping to deliver the auto enrolment reforms and in the introduction of the single tier pension. He also had his finger prints on the pensions triple lock; the Lib Dem manifesto commitment that made its way into the Coalition Agreement. He certainly made the most of his time in the pensions hot seat!
We talk PLSA retirement living standards, tax relief and the LTA, triple lock and the state pension, pensions freedom and choice, small pots consolidation and pot for life, and a whole lot more! We also find out what value for money means to Steve.
In this episode of V-FM, the pensions podcast, Darren and Nico chat the Pension Policy Institute's Chris Curry. Chris is also Principal of the Pensions Dashboards programme.
As usual, topics for discussion are wide and varied: labour's pensions review, DC priorities for 2024, consolidation, the PPI's Policy Wheel, state pensions, admin, data and dashboards and, of course, what value for money means to Chris! (spoiler: it's the PPI!)
As an added bonus, and in a V-FM podcast first, Nico gets to crack the first quantum mechanics joke on V-FM!
In the first V-FM special of 2024, Nico and Darren talk to Lord David Willets of Havant.
Lord Willets served as Minister of State for Universities and Science from 2010 until July 2014, as well as being in John Major’s Government in the mid 1990s. He became a member of the House of Lords in 2015 and is President of the Resolution Foundation.
This podcast has it all: intergenerational inequality and his book titled 'The Pinch', state pensions, housing, auto enrolment, and productive finance.
We also, of course, ask Lord Willets what value for money means to him.
In this season opener, Darren and Nico chat to Scottish Widows' Pete Glancy and Rob Cochran.
We welcomed Rob back to the pod to talk about his Mountain Warehouse rucksack, and Pete joined us to talk snooker and fine wines.
In the podcast we look forward to the year ahead and chat about the importance of communicating effectively. We talk Big Zuu and pensions attention, pot for life, the pensions mirror, understanding members, and, of course, value for money and consolidation.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, Nico and Darren look back on season one of the podcast, picking out some of the key themes and talking points that have been raised by our fantastic guests over the past year. We cover value for money, dashboards, at retirement, Mansion House reforms, small pots and a whole lot more!
Seasons greetings to all our listeners! We'll be back with season two in 2024...!!
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, Nico and Darren chat to former Australian politician and now Super trustee, Nick Sherry. Nick squeezes in a cheeky reference to the cricket, but discussion quickly moves on to Aussie Rules (phew...!).
Nick was Australia's first Superannuation Minister and has been instrumental in shaping the highly-regarded Australian system. We talk about all the topics you'd expect us to discuss and more: certainly lots of lessons for UK pensions from our friends down under.
In this episode of V-FM Darren and Nico chat to Paul Watson who has had a distinguished career shaping and helping deliver the Australian Superannuation system.
We ban Paul from talking about cricket... but we cover loads of ground including illiquid investments, the mansion house reforms, dashboards, admin, net benefit and value for money, and pot for life to name just a few topics. Paul's visit was incredibly timely given the Chancellor's Autumn Statement announcements and it was great to hear Paul's perspective and insights on what this all might mean.
In this episode of V-FM: The Pensions Podcast Darren and Nico have a great chat with Railpen's Caroline Escott. Caroline wears many different hats and, in addition to being a senior investment adviser at Railpen, is Chair of NextGen and a trustee director for the Standard Life mastertrust.
We, of course, discuss aspects of the autumn statement. But we also discuss stewardship, responsible investment and Caroline's fantastic work with Next Gen.
In this episode of V-FM, Nico and Darren talk to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and governance specialist Uche Enemchukwu. Uche is a passionate employee benefits champion and co-founded Nelu, a US-based employee benefits consultancy. We chat the FCA diversity and inclusion consultation, research showing 'wasted' spend by employers through their employee benefit strategies, Labour's proposed pensions review and a whole host of things covering employee benefits and DE&I. We also chat a bit about value for money.
In this episode Darren and Nico chat to the People's Partnership's pensions policy guru Tim Gosling. Tim is a real policy expert, loves getting stuck into the detail and offers his views on a wide range of topics including the Covid inquiry, productive finance, small pots, pension levies, at retirement, and costs and charges. We also ask Tim what value for money means to him.
In the longest episode so far of V-FM: the Pensions Podcast, Darren and Nico are joined by Richard Smith for 90 or so minutes of pure pensions dashboards delight. Richard kindly surprises Darren and Nico with a gift, gives an amazing (and unexpected) answer to the value for money question and chats through the latest dashboard developments, including highlighting the findings from his recent dashboard tour of Europe. Richard's commitment, energy and passion towards pension dashboards is infectious.
In this episode of V-FM: The Pensions Podcast, Darren and Nico chat to Will Martindale, co-founder of recently launched Canbury insights. We talk about Will's career, including at the UN PRI and a stint at Oxfam, and why he decided to co-found and launch Canbury. We discuss geopolitics, regulation, biodiversity, the MPs pension scheme and pension credit. And, of course, we chat about what value for money means to Will.
In this episode of V-FM: The Pensions Podcast, Nico and Darren welcome Margaret Snowdon, OBE to the pod. Margaret has an amazing pension career and continues to be very active in the industry, most notably through her work on leading the good fight against the scammers. Margaret, just back from a break in South Africa where she was tracking leopards, covers a lot of ground. We chat about the new financial advice task force she is involved with, consolidation, risk and Margaret's work on tackling scams including more recent work she has been doing on investment scams.
In this episode of V-FM: The Pensions Podcast Darren and Nico have the pleasure of chatting to Alistair Byrne from State Street Global Advisors. Alistair's seen it all when it comes to DC investment and has also spent time in academia researching and writing about behavioural finance. We cover DB transfers, mastertrust regulation, behavioural finance, private equity and illiquids. And, of course, we ask Alistair what value for money means to him.
In this episode Darren and Nico chat to Liz Pfeuti, Chief Client Officer at Rhotic Media, about pension schemes and climate change, the general levy, illiquid investments and the general state of politics and policymaking. We also chat about value for money in DC pensions....
In this episode of V-FM, the pensions podcast, Nico and Darren chat to Louise Farrand, former journalist, now a freelancer and Executive Director of the DCIF. We talk about Lou's time as a journalist and editor of Pensions Insight and how Lou views value for money in her life (and pensions). Lou also brings in a coupe of cracking news stories about great thinkers and home working. Nico and Darren also learn what a "shoffice" is.....
In this episode of V-FM the pensions podcast, Darren and Nico chat to the CEO of WPS Advisory Simon Chrystal. A great chat going beyond pensions focusing on people and communication alongside with an impromptu game of Mallet's Mallet in celebration of the Pensions Attention campaign.
In this episode of V-FM, the pensions podcast, Nico and Darren chat to the editor of corporate adviser, John Greenwood about what value for money means to him.
In a wide ranging discussion, the trio talk about the state pension, pension scams, CDC, contracting out, and John's work in developing the 'CAPA index' as a way for the industry and others to compare investment performance.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions Darren and Nico chat to Barnett Waddingham's Damian Stancombe. We talk about people's relationship with work, calls from an asset manager to increase pension contributions, the pensions walk and talk, and Damian's personal countdown to retirement. We also chat a bit about value for money. Cracking episode this one! Also tune in to hear Nico's dodgy attempt as a Russian accent.
In this episode Darren and Nico chat to professional trustee and former pensions manager Chris Parrott. As usual a wide ranging chat about all things pensions, from investing in the green transition, climate reporting, costs and charges impacting on investment returns, and Chris' take on value for money - which is all about quality. Great to chat to Chris and also hear about his career.... he's certainly worked in some pretty cool places!
In this episode of V-FM: the Pensions Podcast Nico and Darren talk to industry legend Paul Budgen about... all sorts...
We discuss the women's world cup, Paul taking a sabbatical to study theology, his chaplaincy work and his interest in sports chaplaincy, his time in the pensions industry and, of course, what value for money means to him. We also talk about his new 'My Time' venture as he enters the world of budding entrepreneurs - you'll have to listen to the podcast to find out more!
In this episode of V-FM, the Pensions Podcast, Darren and Nico talk to multi award-winning journalist Charlotte Moore. As well as having a pop at Nico for once wearing a cravat, Charlotte manages to cause trouble on the podcast on a news story about Monzo potentially entering the pensions market. We also talk fixed income, Mansion House reforms, sustainability and the importance of focussing on delivering great outcomes for savers. Charlotte also gives a hint of an upcoming piece of work that a few of us are working on looking at asset managers' approach to communicating ESG - watch this space!
In this episode of V-FM, the Pensions Podcast, Darren and Nico chat to actor and Quietroom co-founder Vincent Franklin about investment, the state pension, his acting career and, of course, what value for money means to him.
In this episode of V-FM, the Pensions Podcast, Nico and Darren chat through some high level reactions to the DWP's value for money consultation response. They also have a good old chin wag about the news, including transfer times, short term politics getting in the way of longer term policy development and concern about recently announced governance changes at the IFoA.
In this episode of V-FM, Nico and Darren chat to Lou Davey from the Pensions Regulator about all things DC and value for money. Lou talks about how TPR is changing, how it is looking to drive better outcomes and its exciting agenda for reform. We also find out why Lou buys expensive trainers....
In this episode of V-FM: The Pensions Podcast, Darren and Nico chat to the man with many hats, the one and only Adrian Boulding about what value for money means to him. The conversation centres around Adrian's work on Collective Defined Contribution, but we also draw on Adrian's significant experience in the pensions sector and as an actuary for a fantastic conversation.
In this episode of V-FM Nico and Darren chat to Nathan Long from Hargreaves Lansdown. We weren't short of things to cover this week with the launch of various DWP policy papers - we discuss all that and more, including, of course, what value for money means to Nathan.
In this episode Darren and Nico chat to the founder of Re-educating Earthlings' Mattea Pauc about the climate crisis and how Mattea's work aims to reconnect people with nature through education. Mattea is a self publisher of two educational books, and as well as covering her excellent work, we also touch on what value for money in pensions means to her.
In the latest episode of V-FM, the Pensions Podcast, Darren and Nico chat to Muse Advisory's Ian McQuade. This is a wide-ranging discussion about all things DC, including Ian bringing in a news story that we all found hard to believe. We cover the role that independent advisors such as Muse can play in helping employers and schemes really think about what good looks like from a member perspective, and, of course, what value for money means to him.
In this episode of V-FM The Pensions Podcast, Nico and Darren chat to Andrew Warwick-Thompson, formerly of the Pensions Regulator and now a professional trustee. We cover loads, including master trust authorisation, transfer scams, illiquid investments, market consolidation and the importance of ED&I in the consideration of value for money. Well worth a listen!
In this episode Darren and Nico have the pleasure of speaking to Retirement Line's Mark Ormston about value for money in DC pensions, particularly focussed on at retirement and annuities. We also discuss CDC as well as other topical items in our usual round up of the pensions news.
In the latest episode of VFM the pensions podcast, Darren and Nico chat to Altus' director of life and pensions, Robert Holford. Robert has had a distinguished career in the industry spanning the consultancy Spence Johnson, the FCA and TPR. We, of course, talk all things V-FM, but we also get the tragedy of the commons into the discussion and a bit of a random chat about handbags... Enjoy!!
In this episode, Nico and Darren chat to Broadstone's new head of market engagement, Simon Kew.
As well as the obligatory chat about value for money, we talk about Robin Ellison's call for trade association consolidation, CDC, the revival of annuities and Simon's rescue greyhound, Rudy.
In this episode of V-FM Pensions, Darren and Nico take a step back and reflect on some of the key points and debates that have cropped up in the podcast so far. Retail vs institutional; forward looking vs backward looking metrics; decumulation and end outcomes; communications and engagement are all discussed in this V-FM special.
In this episode Darren and Nico chat all things DC pensions and value for money with Mercer's Brian Henderson. Who would have known that Brian did a PhD on lasers and would bring a story to the podcast that prompted a reference to Back to the Future and Flux Capacitors. Listen to hear all.
In this episode Nico and Darren speak to Hymans Robertson's Rona Train about what value for money in pensions means to her. As always, a lot of ground is covered starting with how Australian wine producers are adapting to climate change. Rona also talks about the importance of focusing on member outcomes, not just cost and, in particular, increasing contributions. Another great episode! Enjoy!
In this episode of V-FM: Pensions, Darren and Nico talk to Pension Bee's Romi Savova about why she founded Pension Bee, her views on the DWP's value for money consultation and the importance of good customer service in delivering better member outcomes.
In this episode of VFM Pensions, Darren and Nico chat to the Financial Times' global pensions correspondent, the one and only, Jo Cumbo. They talk about kangaroos, Jo surviving the outback, productive finance and, of course, value for money. We also ask Jo about the piece of journalism she is most proud about - another must listen episode!
In this episode Darren and Nico chat to Jenny Segal about purpose and hybrid working, her new book that has just been published and, of course, what value for money means to her.
In this episode Darren and Nico chat to Scottish Widows' Robert Cochran about what value for money means to him, the importance of engagement and communications, and his time on the Pensions Bus.
In this episode Darren and Nico respond to the DWP's value for money consultation. This episode was submitted to DWP on Monday 27th March 2023 as part of its formal consultation process (we also sent a transcript).
In this episode of VFM: The Pensions Podcast, Nico and Darren chat to Northern Trust's Mark Austin about custody platforms, value for money and designer belts. Enjoy!
In this episode Darren and Nico chat with the renowned climate scientist, author and founder of Small Word Consulting, Mike Berners-Lee. A fascinating chat that kept coming back to the poly-crisis and the existential threats facing our planet. This is an episode you really don't want to miss!
In this episode Darren and Nico chat all things V-FM and a lot more with Cushon's Julius Pursaill. Recorded on the day after Budget 2023 we talk about the main pensions budget measures, before tackling measuring VFM, investment in private markets and the use of offsets.
In this episode, Nico and Darren chat value for money, investment and pensions with the DWP's Des Healy.
In this episode Darren and Nico chat to Sophia Singleton from XPS about how she got into pensions, her career to date and, of course, her views on VFM. Sophia talks about the need to for schemes and providers to focus on providing an income - a common theme that is emerging among our guests.
In this episode Nico and Darren chat with NEST's Zoe Alexander about what pensions value for money means to her
In this episode Darren and Nico talk to Andy Cheseldine, all round DC guru and small pots czar about value for money and his work on trying to drive forward a solution to the small pots problem. We ask Andy if he could only have one solution to the small pots problem what would it be: pot follows member or consolidators? You'll have to listen to find out what Andy had to say!
Darren and Nico chat to Agewage CEO and prolific pensions blogger Henry Tapper. We learn why Henry became known as the Pension Ploughman, how he stumbled into his pensions career, and, of course, discussed Henry's views on the recent V-FM consultation.
Is supporting Yeovil Town value for money? Listen to this episode to find out!
In this week's episode of V-FM: Pensions, Nico and Darren chat to former Pensions Minister Gregg McClymont about politics, pensions, scale and, of course, value for money.
In this special episode of V-FM: Pensions your hosts Nico Aspinall and Darren Philp talk about the DWP's DC pensions value for money consultation launched on Monday 30th January 2023. Is it a hit or a miss? Will it move the VFM dial in DC pensions?
Nico and Darren talk to Amanda Latham who used to work at the Pensions Regulator and now works on strategy at the consultancy Barnett Waddingham. A wide ranging chat including talking about how Amanda got into pensions, the use of offsets, and an idea to set up a new national pensions service to provide more support and help to people in managing their retirement, delivering more value for money to more people.
Nico and Darren talk to the one and only David Farrar who worked on workplace pensions at the Department for Work and Pensions for 7 years. We chat to David about his time at DWP and his role in the various VFM initiatives that we are still discussing now (including the charge cap).
Nico and Darren talk to David Butcher, independent trustee, about his story, value for money and the role that mindfulness plays in David's life from both a personal perspective, but also in terms of how it leads to better outcomes and decision-making.
When two pension geeks have an idea (developed over a few pints) to start a Podcast on value for money in pensions: V-FM.
In this Pilot Episode Nico Aspinall and Darren Philp chat about value for money and why they have set up this weekly show.
Next week Darren and Nico will be joined by our first guest, David Butcher, Trustee of the Scottish Widows' and People's Pension Mastertrusts.