This week’s call by TPR for trustees to “step up and sign the pledge” — Pledge to Combat Pension Scams — should sound a serious alarm for anyone concerned with protecting retirement savings — and ideally mark a turning point in how pension fraud is treated. As BBC Scam Safe week shines a spotlight on … Continue reading Why the new TPR alert matters — and why we at Get SAFE care
Tag: pensions
Keep It Simple — And Boring: Why Private Markets Don’t Belong in Your Pension
“Complexity is not a solution. It's a smokescreen.”— Steve Conley In July 2025, Donald Trump signed an executive order opening the door for U.S. 401(k) retirement plans to invest more heavily in private markets. On the surface, it’s sold as “democratisation”—letting everyday investors access the same high-return opportunities as institutions. But beneath the rhetoric, this … Continue reading Keep It Simple — And Boring: Why Private Markets Don’t Belong in Your Pension
“Nothing to See Here”: How Cognitive Bias and Conflicts of Interest Keep Wealthy Investors Asleep
By Steve Conley, Academy of Life Planning In the world of financial services, we like to think we’re rational. Professional. Unbiased. But dig a little deeper and you’ll find a system that may be blind—wilfully or otherwise—to its own conflicts of interest and the cognitive biases they produce. A Tale of Two Markets While trade … Continue reading “Nothing to See Here”: How Cognitive Bias and Conflicts of Interest Keep Wealthy Investors Asleep
🐷 Hands Off Our Pensions: Why Mandating Investment Isn’t Reform—It’s Raid
By Steve Conley | 9 July 2025 This week, Parliament debated the new Pension Schemes Bill—a bill that, if passed, would allow government ministers to direct how private pension funds are invested. It's being sold as a benign “backstop,” but to many in the profession, it looks less like reform and more like requisition. Bank … Continue reading 🐷 Hands Off Our Pensions: Why Mandating Investment Isn’t Reform—It’s Raid
Last Nail in the Coffin – But for Whom?
Last Nail in the Coffin – But for Whom? “You can’t build a strong economy by hollowing out its people.” As we approach the next Mansion House Speech on July 15, the spotlight once again turns to the cosy relationship between government and City lobbyists. Behind closed doors, the so-called “growth agenda” will be showcased … Continue reading Last Nail in the Coffin – But for Whom?
Dear Nikhil Rathi: A £1.5m Crypto Scam Got 12 Years — But What About £10bn QROPS Fraud?
By Steve ConleyFounder, Academy of Life Planning 👏 Well done, FCA. Two fraudsters who scammed 65 individuals out of £1.5 million through fake crypto investments have rightly been sentenced to a combined 12 years in prison. Justice was swift, public, and commendable. But what about the 40,000 British victims of the QROPS scandal — robbed … Continue reading Dear Nikhil Rathi: A £1.5m Crypto Scam Got 12 Years — But What About £10bn QROPS Fraud?
The Great Pension Heist: Are Our Retirement Savings Being Looted?
By Steve ConleyFounder, Academy of Life Planning "They say it's putting money in people’s pockets — but like the artful pickpocket, they’re actually taking it out." Today’s unveiling of the UK government’s Pension Schemes Bill has been lauded in headlines as a “game-changer,” a “blockbuster,” even a “revolution” for savers. But scratch beneath the surface … Continue reading The Great Pension Heist: Are Our Retirement Savings Being Looted?
Who’s Responsible? The Legal Duty to Prevent Pension Transfer Scams in the UK
In the wake of widespread pension transfer scandals—many involving unregulated overseas schemes and unqualified advisers—a fundamental legal question arises: who is responsible for ensuring pension transfer advice is lawful, regulated, and safe? This is not a hypothetical debate. Real victims have lost life savings. These cases expose regulatory cracks across the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), … Continue reading Who’s Responsible? The Legal Duty to Prevent Pension Transfer Scams in the UK
The Blame Game: How UK Regulators Are Failing Victims of Pension Fraud
When Responsibility Becomes a Hot Potato Victims of pension fraud—often robbed of their life savings and left emotionally scarred—expect at the very least one thing from the authorities: accountability. Instead, what they get is a game of regulatory pass-the-parcel. As exposed through recent correspondence shared by campaigners, victims who report fraud find themselves bounced between … Continue reading The Blame Game: How UK Regulators Are Failing Victims of Pension Fraud
Labour’s Legacy on Pensions: A History of Tax Raids and Shifting Sands
For many in the UK, pensions have long represented the promise of security in retirement, a reward for a lifetime of hard work. But recent history has seen pensions repeatedly swept up in policy changes, each bringing new challenges for savers. Today, it seems we’re on the cusp of yet another significant shift, prompting many … Continue reading Labour’s Legacy on Pensions: A History of Tax Raids and Shifting Sands
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