Always a Pensions Angle

Nick and Tom shake off the Christmas cobwebs as the Pension Schemes Bill faces serious Lords scrutiny. Plus: The LGPS grapples with Fit for the Future timescales, and we talk bulk annuities.

Pour yourself some mulled wine and settle in as Nick and Tom dissect the wildest year in pensions for ages. They tackle the Pension Schemes Bill's many moving parts, explore the dramatic LGPS pooling reorganisation, and debate the merits of last-minute Christmas shopping. From mega funds to local investment mandates, value for money frameworks to defence spending controversies - it's pensions, politics, and festive cheer. What more could you want?

What a week for pensions policy! Nick and Tom are back for Episode 2, and there's a LOT to unpack.Fresh from the Pensions Expert Annual Conference at Pennyhill Park (where everyone finally "got" pension dashboards), the team tackles two massive stories: the Pension Schemes Bill's third reading AND the Autumn Budget.We cover plans to modernise fiduciary duty and what it means for domestic investment, the OBR leak that led to Richard Hughes' resignation, and what the budget actually delivered: salary sacrifice caps, PPF pre-1997 indexation wins, and LGPS stamp duty relief.Plus: why your rugby club mate thinks their pension is doomed, Tom's absolute nightmare journey to Wales involving cancelled trains, a broken phone, and Bristol Parkway (which is definitely not in Newport).Oh, and Jenny the trainee guide dog makes her podcast debut with strong opinions on anything chewable.

Welcome to Always a Pensions Angle – the podcast where Thomas Parker and Nick Reeve break down the biggest news stories of the day and uncover what they really mean for pensions. In this first episode, they explore why the upcoming Budget has triggered so much speculation, diving into the political pressures, the rumours around income tax and National Insurance, and the growing debate over capping salary sacrifice. With clear, candid analysis, Tom and Nick highlight the key pension implications to watch as Budget day approaches. 

Introducing Always a Pensions Angle. Join Pensions Expert's Nick Reeve and LAPF Investments' Thomas Parker as they dissect the biggest stories in the world of pensions.

Podcast: Biodiversity is a nascent theme for environmental, social and governance-focused investors, offering pension schemes the opportunity to invest for good and diversify their portfolios. Should pension schemes allocate capital towards this space? Newton Investment Management head of sustainable investment Therese Niklasson and NatureAlpha founder Dr Vian Sharif discuss biodiversity and pension scheme investment.