“There comes a point where silence becomes betrayal.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
For decades, workplace pension schemes have promised security in retirement. But behind the scenes, a silent transfer of power—and profit—is taking place.
Defined Benefit (DB) pension schemes, once the gold standard of retirement provision, are being sold off en masse to life insurers. Over £40 billion of pension liabilities are transferred every year in the UK alone. It’s being sold as a “de-risking” strategy. But de-risking for whom?
The Hidden Cost of Buyout Deals
Life insurers are raking in windfall profits, fuelled by regulatory arbitrage and opaque assumptions. Members, meanwhile, lose out:
- 💸 Discretionary pension increases disappear
- 🔒 Statutory protections are replaced by weaker insurance schemes (FSCS) with no government backstop
- 📉 Surpluses that could improve member benefits are locked away or siphoned off
- ⚠️ No clear risk-benefit analysis is shared with members
Most shocking of all? Many trustees haven’t even properly compared the financial outcomes of running the scheme on versus selling it off—as required by actuarial standards (TAS300 V2.1). In plain terms: the maths is missing.
What’s the Alternative? Run-On for Good.
Government policy is finally catching up. Consultations from HM Treasury and the DWP now support the idea of “run-on” schemes. This means:
✅ Schemes stay in place, well-managed, and long-term funded
✅ Surpluses can be recycled into better pensions and UK investment
✅ Discretionary increases can be made for members, particularly after the inflation shock
✅ Trustees can fulfil their fiduciary duty with transparency and fairness
This isn’t about nostalgia for the past. It’s about using DB schemes as engines of economic renewal—funding real wages, real infrastructure, and real retirements.
Take Action: Ask For More
We’ve partnered with our friends at C-Suite Pension Strategies to give you the tools to act.
📨 Use the template letters to write to:
- The Chair of your Pension Scheme Trustees
- The Chair of your Company Board
Ask them:
- Has a full actuarial comparison of buyout vs run-on been done?
- Can discretionary increases now be made for members after recent high inflation?
- Are you aligning your strategy with updated government policy on DB surpluses?
It takes 10 minutes to send a letter. But it could change the retirement future of thousands—including yours.
Let’s Shift the System—From Extraction to Empowerment
This is your pension. Your future. Your money. You have a right to know the truth—and a voice in how it’s managed.
We’re in the Age of Aquarius now. The old model—where power sits with secretive institutions and members are kept in the dark—must go. The new model demands transparency, empowerment, and integrity.
Let’s make 2025 the year pension scheme members stopped being passengers—and started driving change.
📝 Want help drafting your letter?
📩 Reach out to the Academy—we’re here to support you.
🔗 More at: www.c-suiteps.com/run-on-4-good-pension-funding-strategy-for-2025
#RunOn4Good #PensionJustice #FinancialEmpowerment #AoLP #MPOWER
Further Reading:
- Defined Benefit Pension Schemes: Major, Immediate Public Policy Wins
- Pension Risk Transfer (PRT) and the Triumph of the Life Insurers
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