V-FM: The Pensions Podcast

In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico are joined by SEI's Head of DC, EMEA and Asia, Steve Charlton.
Steve chats about SEI’s investment-led approach to running a master trust, and how the business has evolved from its roots as a technology firm into asset management and pensions. We cover some of the big issues currently shaping the DC landscape, including the role of AI and technology, Mansion House and the debate around mandation, private markets, investment philosophy, and the Government’s continued push for greater scale in DC workplace pensions.
We also find out about Steve's career and how he got into pensions, and, of course, hear what value for money means to him.

In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico are joined by Paul Maynard, former Pensions Minister and MP for Blackpool North and Cleveleys.
In a wide ranging chat about pensions, politics and what really happens inside government, we cover pension dashboards, Mansion House, productive finance, consolidation, tax relief, the Pensions Commission and why policy often looks very different from the ministerial hot seat. Paul also brings a powerful constituency perspective, challenging some baked in industry assumptions as he does so.
We discuss how Paul got into politics and pensions and, of course, find out what value for money means to him.

In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico catch up on a whole host of topics that are currently making the pensions news.
We talk about Retirement CDC, Pensions UK Retirement Living Standards, the PPI Megafunds report, and start to unpack some of the key themes from the Pensions Commission's interim report.

In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Nico and Darren chat to Sam Seaton, CEO of CAPA Data.
Through CAPA Data, Sam provides the data platform behind the Corporate Adviser Master Trust and GPP Defaults Report, which takes a deep dive into the performance, asset allocation and structure of DC workplace pension defaults.
We chat about pensions adequacy, auto-escalation, member engagement, legacy data challenges, and the risks of relying on blunt retirement glide paths. We also cover why investment outcomes matter most, and how better data could reshape scrutiny of workplace pension defaults.
And, of course, we find out how Sam got into pensions and ask what value for money means to her.
 

In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to Scottish Widows' Director of Workplace Jerry Butcher.
In a very wide-ranging episode we chat about engagement, defaults, the use of AI, the FCA's Consumer Duty, the Scottish Widow's Retirement Report and the latest analysis from the Pensions Commission amongst a whole host of other things! We find out how Jerry moved from parachuting to pensions and, of course, find out what value for money means to him.

In this episode of V-FM Pensions hosts Darren and Nico chat with AF Advisory's Jasper Haak.
We discuss the "Wet toekomst pensioenen", the Dutch "Future of Pensions Act", which came into force in 2023 and refocuses the second pillar away from defined benefit / ambition towards collective and individual DC. We chat through what this all means for the Dutch pension system from a member and investment perspective, the transition of assets and its impact on accrued rights, and, of course, ask Jasper what value for money means to him.

In this episode of the podcast, Darren and Nico catch up on some of the recent pensions news. In a surprisingly fiery episode we throw out some difficult questions for regulators and the industry, alongside a fair bit of ranting...
We cover:
* The Pension Schemes Bill becoming law
* The Pensions Regulator admitting that scale is not a guarantee of success
* Bank of England warnings about the AI investment bubble
* The upcoming Pensions Commission interim report

In this episode of V-FM, hosts Darren and Nico are 'out and about' at the PMI's DC and Master Trust Symposium where we recorded an 'as live' session on Pensions and Housing.
We are joined by Anna Brain who led a significant piece on research for NEST Insight and Schroders' Rich Fox who was involved in the Lifetime Savings Initiative, as we examine the evidence and debate whether pensions could and/or should be used to support home ownership.

In this episode of V-FM pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to Standard Life's Esther Hawley about all things decumulation. We hear about Standard Life's approach to helping people with the knotty challenge of how to turn pensions into income including segmenting members, the anchoring decisions around essential versus discretionary income, and offering a guided “starter” solution rather than simply presenting the customer with a blank page.
We chat through the range of challenges in helping people at retirement particularly around couples and data integration, and, of course, touch on the total nonsense (Darren's words) of having separate regulatory regimes for people in contract schemes and trust-based schemes.
But underpinning it all is a sense of hope... the new regulatory direction on retirement income defaults gives providers greater licence to act.
 

In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Nico and Darren continue ploughing through listener questions, with a focus this time on how the system actually turns pots into pensions.
We chat retirement income and pension freedoms; investment in the UK; pension dashboards; product innovation; lessons from Australia; regulation and what the future might look like.