We’re running a webinar to help employers and trustees strengthen their Defined Contribution (DC) scheme investment oversight and improve member outcomes.

Our 45-minute webinar, Are your DC investments delivering for members?, takes place on Wednesday 7 October at 2.00pm.

Our DC investment specialists will guide you through best practice on:

• Monitoring and reviewing your default investment strategy
• Strengthening your stewardship and ESG framework
• Assessing your core fund range.

There will be time for Q&A.

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

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.

At 1pm on Wednesday 30 September 2026, our housing pensions specialists will scan the horizon for the latest developments affecting the sector.

The webinar will cover:

• The outlook for the 2026 SHPS valuation
• An update on the Verity Trustees v Wood court case
• Bulk transfers from SHPS and evolving governance options
• Latest developments in Collective Defined Contribution (CDC) schemes
• What the largely positive outlook for LGPS employers means in practice, alongside the more mixed picture on exit valuations

There will also be an opportunity to ask questions during a live Q&A session.

To help newly appointed trustees and board members build their understanding of the complexities of actuarial valuations, we’re running a webinar to go through the basics.

This 45-minute webinar, Understanding actuarial valuations will take place on Thursday 10 September 2026 at 10am.

In the webinar, our actuaries will give clear and practical answers to the questions that attendees need to know, including:

• What is an actuarial valuation and why does it matter?
• What are the roles of the trustee, employer and the Scheme Actuary?
• How do we assess a scheme’s funding position?
• What assumptions are used and why are they important?
• What happens if a scheme is in deficit or surplus?
• What is the valuation process and timeline?
• What happens after the valuation is completed?

There will be time for Q&A.

From setting assumptions for pension accounting disclosures to the TPS and USS valuation results… This year-end, the agenda is packed with pensions hot topics for finance and HR teams.

Our 45-minute webinar – Pensions in education – What’s on the agenda this year-end? – will take place on Tuesday 11 August 2026 at 11am.

Our expert speakers – John Ingoe, Kate Hulme-Vickerstaff and Grace Coleman – will help you get to grips with your pensions position at year-end and how it may change in future, covering:

• Findings from our pension benchmarking study of higher education institutions
• Key issues for pension cost accounting disclosures as at 31 July 2026
• Results of the 2024 TPS and 2026 USS valuations – What do they mean for your institution?

There will be time for Q&A.

The Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) employer contribution rate is set to fall materially from April 2027.

This change, arising from the new SCAPE discount rate, will provide welcome relief to independent schools beleaguered by the mounting costs of staff pensions.

Our 45-minute webinar takes place on Wednesday 24th June at 10am. It’s aimed at pension decision-makers in independent schools.

In the webinar, pension specialists from First Actuarial will be joined by Adam McRae-Taylor, Senior Associate at Stone King LLP, to discuss:

• The SCAPE rate and other factors that impact the actuarial valuation
• How this will affect the TPS employer rate from April 2027
• Implications for TPS employers in the independent sector – what options are available?
• Legal factors for schools operating hybrid schemes
• Why the impact will vary according to your school’s pension strategy.

There will be time for Q&A.

A material fall in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) employer contribution rate is looking extremely likely, taking effect from April 2027.

This change, arising from the new SCAPE discount rate, will provide welcome relief to HE institutions facing financial challenges.

Our 45-minute webinar takes place on Wednesday 17th June at 11am. It’s aimed at pension decision-makers in the HE sector.

In the webinar, pension specialists from First Actuarial will be joined by Raj Jethwa, CEO of the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), to cover:

• The SCAPE rate and other factors that impact the actuarial valuation
• How this will affect the TPS employer rate from April 2027
• What a lower employer rate means for future pension provision in the sector
• Why UCEA must keep campaigning for fair and flexible HE pensions
• Options available for employers.

There will be time for Q&A.