Trustees and employers need to keep on top of developments in the Defined Contribution world and respond appropriately.

Our one-day Defined Contribution course – being held in central locations in London and Manchester – will help you comply with legislation and follow best practice at all times.

If you want to set up a new scheme, strengthen your scheme governance framework, update or simply improve your Defined Contribution knowledge, this course is designed for you.

Under the Pensions Act 2004, trustees must demonstrate a sound awareness of investment principles. They should also be able to question and challenge investment advisers effectively.

In this half-day course, we cut through the jargon to give trustees a clear understanding of pension scheme investment.

Do you know your statement of strategy from your statement of funding principles, or your schedule of contributions from your recovery plan?

This 45-minute webinar takes place on Thursday 22 May 2025 at 10am. It’s aimed at charity trustees and managers who need a good understanding of Defined Benefit (DB) scheme funding. We’re running it in collaboration with the Charities Pensions Club.

In the webinar, our pension specialists will answer key questions such as:

• Who runs your DB scheme?
• What are your responsibilities as a DB scheme sponsor?
• How does the actuarial valuation process work, and what needs to be agreed?
• What is changing because of the new funding code?

There will be time for Q&A.

Scheme trustees need knowledge and understanding of legal, financial and investment issues. This half-day course takes trustees through:

• The role and duties of the trustee
• Scheme governance
• Scheme funding.

Scheme trustees need knowledge and understanding of legal, financial and investment issues. This half-day course takes trustees through:

• The role and duties of the trustee
• Scheme governance
• Scheme funding.

Another financial year, another significant increase in bond yields. On the surface, this is good news for your balance sheet but as always, the devil is in the detail.

This 45-minute webinar takes place on Thursday 10 April 2025 at 10am. It’s aimed at employers with a 31 March year-end.

In the webinar, our pension cost accounting specialists will discuss:

• Financial market developments over the past 12 months and what they mean for your balance sheet
• Options for DB schemes with an accounting valuation surplus
• Scope for flexibility when setting your assumptions at year-end
• What auditors are talking about this year (including the latest news on the Virgin Media and TPT legal cases).

In this 45-minute webinar, which takes place on Monday 31 March 2025 at 11.00am, we’ll give housing associations a head start on the key pension issues of 2025. These will include sector-wide pension issues as well as LGPS-specific ones.

Our housing pension specialists will update you on:

• The outlook for the 2025 LGPS actuarial valuation
• Opportunities to engage and influence the valuation outcome
• Latest SHPS news, including the legal case and DC transition
• How to mitigate employer NI contribution rises with salary sacrifice
• How to improve staff recruitment and wellbeing with group protection benefits.

Speakers will include Dale Walmsley and Neal Thompson.

There will be time for Q&A.

Keen to employ the best people, UK employers are competing to offer attractive employee benefits. Group protection policies add real value to reward and employee wellbeing strategies.

In a one-hour webinar, which takes place on Thursday 20 February 2025 at 10.00am, our employee benefit consultants will take you through the basics of group protection, discussing:

• What life assurance, income protection and critical illness schemes provide and how they work
• Wellbeing support and services your employees can enjoy free of charge as part of their group protection cover
• What help is available to UK employers.

Speakers are Lee French, Suzie Nedza and Tarquin Taylor from First Actuarial’s employee benefits team.

There will be time for Q&A.

Over the past few years, we’ve seen material increases in gilt yields. More recently, equity markets have hit record highs while credit spreads have narrowed.

In a 45-minute webinar, which takes place on Monday 16 December at 3pm, we will discuss how all these market changes impact Defined Benefit schemes.

A panel of investment specialists will cover:

• Gilt markets – Is deflation likely to affect hedging strategies?
• Equity markets – Is the market overvalued and excessively concentrated?
• Corporate bonds – How are tight credit spreads affecting schemes in various positions?
• Alternative asset classes – Where do we currently see value?

Speakers will include Andrew Overend, Ross Bennett, and Jennifer Mahtani.

There will be time for Q&A.

As we approach the end of 2024, the balance sheet positions of DB schemes have never been stronger. But improved accounting positions bring new options to consider and different questions to answer.

In this 45-minute webinar, which takes place on Wednesday 4 December 2024 at 10am, our pension cost accounting specialists will discuss:

• Changes in financial markets over the last 12 months and what they mean for your accounting position
• Key areas of flexibility in setting your assumptions at the year end
• Hot topics for auditors this year, including the latest developments in the Virgin Media legal case.