Retirement

Nearly three-quarters of advisers believe getting their clients a better income in retirement proposition is a top priority over the next 12 months.

Rowanmoor Pensions has appointed a sales consultant for the southern region to provide consultancy and support services for advisers.

Final salary pension deficits of the UK's top 100 companies fell by £37bn in 2006 because of increased stock market returns.

outlook

Members of the European Parliament's inquiry into the collapse of Equitable Life have decided to ask for a further three-month extension to their mandate.

Equitable Life has announced the sale of one of their subsidiaries, University Life, to Reliance Mutual for an undisclosed sum, effectively leaving the company to operate as a large with-profits fund.

The Work and Pensions Select Committee has announced the launch of an inquiry into the proposals for a new system of personal accounts.

Government proposals for state pension reform could mean people no longer need to pay voluntary National Insurance contributions.

Joint analysis on the risk profile of defined benefit schemes reveals 43% of DB members are still in an open scheme.

I know Christmas is coming when my desk starts to creak under the mass of government papers scattered over it. Civil servants are clearly incentivised to clear their desks before the year end, and they do that by covering mine.