occupational pensions

Pension scheme administrators need a "safe harbour" in which they can talk to scheme members about their pensions without fearing they have given regulated advice, the Pensions Administration Standards Authority (PASA) says.

The Welsh Church has granted equal pension rights to the civil partners of clergy members.

Fiona Murphy looks at how advisers are managing their clients' changing expectations in a volatile market.

Financial secretary to the Treasury Mark Hoban has said the government will not allow European regulators to overrule it on pensions.

The number of people saving into a company pension scheme has fallen from 6.3 million to 3.2 million since 1991, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) says.

This week's Retirement Planner quick-fire poll asks: Do clients on a fixed income understand the effect inflation can have on their purchasing power over the long term?

The FSA noted a jump in advised sales of personal pensions in 2010/11 compared with the previous year, and said this could reflect pension switching, a practice it pointed out some firms had failed to carry out appropriately in the past.

Retirement Planner's round up of the top pension stories this week.

A third of company pensions could be at risk of last-minute drops in the stock market before savers hit retirement, according to a report.

This week's Retirement Planner quick-fire poll asks: Should smaller employers be given more time to prepare for auto-enrolment?