Retirement

Of all the many consultations which the Department for Work and Pensions has been pushing out over the last few months, one which seems to have been slightly overlooked is the issue of protected rights.

Minister for pensions reform James Purnell has hit back at industry commentators who suggest personal accounts will lead to a mis-selling scandal by arguing they don't understand how means-testing works.

The Department for Work and Pensions has issued amending regulations on how age discrimination legislation will affect pensions.

The BBC's Panorama programme recently featured the alleged payment of bungs (more politely referred to as ‘irregular payments' by the Premier League) to football managers.

The delay for implementing personal accounts until 2012 could be a way for Gordon Brown to push the reforms into the "long grass".

The barriers between self-invested personal pensions and other types of pre-retirement planning will disappear in the near future, suggests Suffolk Life.

Under the new pension reforms the government will only be responsible for providing a basic income in retirement, says James Purnell.

Rowanmoor Pensions has officially launched its first product combining a private pension with a discretionary trust.

The UK government's gilt issuing policy may not only be affecting annuity values but also the prospects of deferred members of pension schemes which are winding up.

The expense of introducing auto-enrolment on a national basis has put some European countries off from following the UK's example with personal accounts.