pensions

Women are still likely to be at a financial disadvantage to men at retirement despite the government's proposed reforms to the State pension and personal accounts, suggests research produced for Scottish Widows.

Aegon UK has seen its new business sales rise again as a result of changes to A-Day, but distribution division Positive Solutions is named among assets which collectively are listed as operating at a loss, according to the latest figures.

FTSE 100 companies are consistently understating the life expectancy of people in their retirement schemes in a move which disguises the real size of pension deficits, reports the Daily Telegraph.

Growth of Standard Life's sales has been heavily dominated this year by the pension reforms of A-Day, according to the life insurer's latest business figures.

It's shaping up to be an autumn crammed full of government announcements on pensions reform, including personal accounts.

Life and pensions manufacturers and distributors are about to get the usual heads-up in the form of third quarter sales figures, but which this year comes with the added knowledge a booming stock market is making some types of sales all the more easier....

Pensions are the "single biggest policy failure" of Gordon Brown, with lower paid workers not in defined benefit schemes suffering the most, claims the Conservatives.

The government has continued to deny accusations of maladministration in its response to a report by the Public Administration Select Committee.

Ed Balls, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, has confirmed Isas will be made permanent and will continue indefinitely past the current deadline of 2010.

The FSA has confirmed packaged products and IFA businesses not officially covered by the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive will fall under its new Conduct of Business rules.