QROP

QROP

QROP http://wealthmanagementhongkong.com/qrops/

Do you have a UK Pension - Then Read This - it could save you £1,000's

We are contacted by many people throughout the world, who have a UK pension and who would like to explore their options about transferring their UK Pensions usually for one of the following reasons.

1. To Secure YOUR pension (money); UK Pensions Deficits YOUR pension (money) is at risk.
2. To Reduce YOUR Tax and increase you pension income for you to spend as you wish during your lifetime.
3. To Secure the MAXIMUM benefits for your loved ones.

Firstly, its all about securing your pension as many pension schemes Occupational (Final Salary, Salary Related, and Money Purchase Defined Contribution) are in deficit (UK Pensions Deficits Retirement Income Risk). This means that you may lose your pension (money) and not receive any pension income at all.

Secondly, is all about reducing your taxation so that you increase your pension income to spend as you wish in your lifetime.

Finally, is about securing the maximum benefits for your dependents (beneficiaries) your wife or husband, children, or for example charities on your premature death.

We are the go to QROP UK pensions transfer specialists with UK advisers providing UK pension transfer advice no matter where you are in the world.

If you would like to explore your options further please explore our website and download your FREE QROP Pension Guide.

Should you feel we can help further you can also contact us here using our contact form

DownloadHere Your FREE British UK Pension Transfers QROP Pension Guide; QROPInformation Explained

We will never share, sell or pass on your details to anyone else.

Thank you.

We will be pleased to forward to you your FREE British UK Pension Transfers QROP Pension Guide to you, please check your email.

Do you have a UK Pension - Then Read This - it could save you £1,000's

Are you aware of the tremendous financial planning opportunities that are available to you today by transferring your UK Pensions to a Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme; a QROP.

QROP are available to wide range of people; in fact almost anybody with a UK pension can have a QROP, including UK residents.

So the question is why transfer your UK Pensions to a QROP.

Well essentially its all about UK Taxation, and hands up if you like paying UK Tax to HMRC.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could reduce the income tax payable on your pension income by up to 45%, leaving you with up to 45% more income to spend as you wish.

What about removing the 55% UK Tax rate from your pension fund, would that also be a good idea.

Would you also like to increase your Pension Commencement Lump Sum (Tax FREE Cash) that you can receive.

And of course we all would like to leave 100% of the balance of our pension fund to our loved ones without any liability to UK Inheritance Tax (IHT) payments.

If these are not enough benefits and reasons for you to transfer your UK Pension to a QROP, then what about the fact that you may not receive a pension at all.

You see many British UK Pensions Schemes Are in Deficit (Technically Bankrupt) which means that you may not receive any pension at all or at best a reduced income.

Now remember this is your pension money (your money) that we are talking about, and I ‘am sure you would agree that it is simply not worth the risk of entrusting your pension to a third party, when you could be in complete control of your pension.

So how can you get your pension money out and secure your pension?

By transferring your UK British Pensions to a QROP.

All of these benefits mentioned are available to you by transferring your UK British Pension to a QROP.

Sounds too good to be true, well the transfers of UK British Pensions to QROP are fully supported and agreed in UK law by HMRC and the UK government.

Want to find out more then for Full Detailed Information Please Download Your FREE British UK Pension Transfers QROP GUIDE; QROP information explained, by British Pension Advisors, providing British Pension Advice, for discerning people wherever you are in the world.

British UK Pension Transfers To Wherever You Are In The World

We are here to answer your questions, and explore your options together when transferring your British UK Pension. We have British Pension Advisors, providing British Pension Advice, wherever you are in the world.

If you have a UK British Pension and are living, working, retired, or retiring abroad, you can transfer your UK British Pension to a Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme (QROP) to minimize your UK Taxes, and remove your pension from your British UK Pension Schemes RISK of failure (Bankruptcy), putting you back control of your pension; money.

The Benefits Of Transferring Your Expat UK Pension To A QROP (Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Schemes)

We are contacted by many people from around the world; who have lived and worked in the UK, asking what if anything can be done regarding their UK British Pensions that remain or are frozen in the UK. And how can they find British UK trained Independent Financial Advisers with the in depth knowledge that they are looking for. Fortunately with regard to the following UK British Pension Schemes we can help:

• Employee Final Salary Schemes (Salary based Pensions)
• Employee Salary Related Schemes (Salary Related Pensions)
• Occupational Pension Schemes (Money Purchase)
• Occupational Pension Schemes (Defined Benefits)
• Personal Pension Plans (PPPs)
• Self Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPS)
• Small Self Administered Schemes (SASS)
• Section 32 Pension Plans

If you have a UK British Pension Scheme or a Frozen UK British Pension Plan, and are now living, working, retired or retiring overseas, then there is a lot that can be done with your UK British Pension by Transferring Your UK British Pension to a QROP, wherever you are in the world.

Including the following:

• Many UK British Pensions Schemes Are in Deficit (Bankrupt); so how can I get my pension money out? – by transferring it into a QROP.
• Increasing the Pension Commencement Lump Sum (PCLS) (Tax FREE Cash) that you can receive.
• Reducing the income tax payable on your pension by up to 45%, and therefore increase your pension payments for you to enjoy.
• Reducing the death tax (45% to HMRC) on your pension.
• Remove the potential 55% HMRC tax rate from your pension.
• Removing any IHT liability on your pension.

The transfers of UK British Pensions is fully supported and agreed by HMRC. We help people with UK British Pensions to compare the UK British Pension Transfer Market so that they can make an informed choice of what is available and what their options are.

We are here to answer your questions, and explore your options together when transferring your British UK Pension by providing British Pension Advisors, British Pension Advice, wherever you are in the world.

Understanding The Benefits Of British UK Pension QROP Schemes, wherever you are in the world

A Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme is an overseas pension scheme that has met the requirements of the HMRC, which can receive the transfer of UK Pension Benefits without penalties for unauthorised payments. QROP were introduced in April 2006 in order to simplify pensions and allow UK Pension Holders to access their funds in their country of residence, and pay local taxes.

A QROP will broadly mirror the way a UK British Pension Scheme works, meaning you will receive a lump sum and pension when you retire.

We are established worldwide QROP UK Pensions specialists within the worldwide UK Pensions advisory environment; considered the go to advisory worldwide for UK Pension Transfers to Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Schemes QROP,  transferring UK pensions to QROP pension schemes wherever you are in the world.

Our highly experienced UK advisers will review your UK Pensions and if appropriate, will work with you to transfer them into a Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme (QROP).

We advise, service, and arrange QROP UK Pensions for clients from all over the world for example we have clients in Australia with the main enquires coming from Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth, Queensland, Sydney, and Victoria, New Zealand NZ mainly living in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington, United Arab Emirates UAE, Dubai, Bahrain, Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal, USA, Canada, South Africa from Johannesburg and Cape Town, Brazil, Mexico, Moscow Russia, New Delhi India, Islamabad Pakistan, France, Monaco, Germany, Switzerland, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Panama, Costa Rica, and all of Asia; Hong Kong, Macau, Belize, Jakarta Indonesia, Tokyo Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Taipei Taiwan, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Phuket Pattaya Bangkok Thailand, Manila Philippines, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh Vietnam, including Beijing, Shanghai and all of China, transferring UK pensions wherever you are in the world.

So no matter where you are in the world we can help and advise you; and should a QROP transfer be the right course of action for you we can make all of the arrangements for you.

We have been at the forefront of the development of QROP worldwide since their inception; and we retain strong links with the most respected QROP pension providers worldwide. We are the most experienced independent advisory company in the QROP pensions worldwide market place. Advising not only private clients, but also private bankers at some of the largest institutions such as UBS, HSBC, and Credit Suisse.

Would you like to ask us a question or receive further information. Then please use our contact form, we will be pleased to answer any questions you may have.

Our FREE Review and British UK Pension Transfers QROP GUIDE; QROP information explained, will answer the following questions.

• Many UK British Pensions Schemes Are In Deficit (Bankrupt), how can I get my pension money out? – by transferring it into a QROP.
• What other taxes can you save?
• How can you pass 100% onto my loved ones?
• How to reduce the income tax payable on your pension by up to 45%.
• And therefore increase your pension payments for you to enjoy.
• How to remove the death tax (45% to HMRC) on your pension.
• How to remove the potential 55% HMRC tax rate from your pension.
• How to remove ALL IHT liability on your pension.
• How to take investment control of your pension funds?
• What types of pensions can you transfer?
• How will the Lifetime Allowance reduction affect you?
• How will the future government policy pension changes affect you?

As part of the free UK Pension review that we offer, we will take into account the following:

• How much you need to retire?
• Should you give up the benefits of your final salary scheme?
• What currency should you hold your pensions in?
• Where you live for Taxation purposes?
• How can you keep your costs to a minimum?
• What are the costs of transferring your pension?
• What taxes will you have to pay?
• What is your risk profile?
• What fund managers give the best pension returns?

Request a FREE review and download your FREE British UK Pension Transfers QROP GUIDE; QROP information explained, below to understand how you and your family could benefit from your UK British Pensions by transferring to a QROP.

What Happens Next?

Should you wish to find out more about these benefits to you, then please contact us by completing our contact form. We will be please to help you further including forwarding to you our FREE Expat British UK Pension Transfers QROP GUIDE; QROP information explained.

One of our UK advisers will then contact you to discuss your objectives, they will then analyse your pensions and help you come to a decision on whether QROP is right for you.

Get your FREE British UK Pension Transfers QROP Pension Guide; QROP Information Explained, and always seek out Independent Financial Advice before making any financial decisions "To Avoid Making Costly Mistakes".

We will never share, sell or pass on your details to anyone else.

Thank you.

We will be pleased to forward to you your FREE QROP Pension Guide, please check your email.

Would you like to ask us a question or receive further information. Then please email us using our contact form, we will be pleased to answer any questions you may have.

RETIREMENT SEEMS MANY YEARS AWAY SO WHY SHOULD I ADDRESS MY UK PENSION FUND NOW?

Many people have far more money built up over many years in their pension fund than they realise. It is not uncommon for a fifty year old to have built up twenty plus years of contributions into a pension fund often accumulating a “Money pot” in excess of £200,000.

Failure to plan correctly may result in the loss of your money (UK Pensions Deficits Retirement Income Risk) take control today.

Pension funds will have been built up in many ways and can include anyone with deferred benefits in a company scheme, public sector scheme (including for example, teachers, doctors, nurses, police and members of the Armed Forces) and those with personal pensions.

Now is the ideal opportunity review and to take control of this large investment.

I AM STILL NOT SURE WHY I SHOULD NOT WAIT?

There are various reasons why it may be appropriate to address your pension now. Firstly, your own personal circumstances, and that of your family may change.

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, future legislation may change restricting or prohibiting transfers to QROP and SIPP UK Pensions. HMRC regularly reviews QROP and in 2008 removed QROP status from all Singapore schemes, and in 2015 from New Zealand and Australia schemes.

Please remember; we are only trying to help you achieve the following:

1. Secure YOUR pension (money).
2. Reduce YOUR Tax and increase you pension income for you to spend as you wish during your lifetime.
3. Secure the MAXIMUM benefits for your loved ones.

Don’t waste your opportunity to achieve all three benefits for yourself and your family; contact us now here on our contact form we are here to help you.

Still Not Convinced, well please read the following independent sourced evidence about the fact that you may not receive a pension at all

You see many British Pensions Schemes Are in Deficit (Technically Bankrupt) which means that you may not receive any pension at all or at best a reduced income (UK Pensions Deficits Retirement Income Risk).

Now remember this is your pension money (your money) that we are talking about, and I ‘am sure you would agree that it is simply not worth the risk of entrusting your pension to a third party, when you could be in complete control of your pension.

UK Defined Benefit Schemes 2015 Aggregate Deficit £228bn After another difficult year, according to research from JLT Employee Benefits.

Source: professionalpensions.com 5^th January 2016

The figure has dropped slightly from the £248bn shortfall recorded at the end of 2014, but the firm warned schemes faced greater challenges in the year ahead.

Last year many large firms including Tesco and United Utilities announced plans to close DB schemes.

JLT Employee Benefits director Charles Cowling said that pension schemes with triennial valuations last year will have seen record deficits, which could lead to "painful" rises in company contributions.

He said: "Looking forward, contracting-out will end in 2016, while there will be further tax changes to pensions, namely the reduction in the annual lifetime allowance (LTA).

"These changes mean that even with deficits and soaring costs aside, DB pension provision is looking less and less attractive in the private sector."

Cowling expects that the few remaining companies with open DB schemes will throw in the towel and switch to defined contribution (DC) provision.

He said that, although the recent interest rate rise by the Federal Reserve may offer some relief to DB deficits this year, other economic indicators did not look promising.

"We believe it is quite possible that we could get through the whole of 2016 without any interest rate rise. With the added worry for markets of a possible Brexit vote, there is every possibility that 2016 will prove to be another very difficult year for DB pension schemes."

Cowling thinks trustees and companies should be focusing on liability management, liability-driven investments (LDI) and buy-ins and buy-outs.

"As a consequence, we believe that 2016 could be another record year for the buyout market," he said.

1,000 Final Salary Pension Schemes Face Going Bust

Source: FTadviser.com December 14, 2015

Today (14 December 2015) a new report from the Pensions Institute, part of Cass Business School, has shown up to 1,000 defined benefit schemes are at ‘serious’ risk of falling into the Pension Protection Fund.

The report, ‘The Greatest Good for the Greatest Number’, predicts that the businesses of hundreds of employers will become insolvent well before the end of their recovery plans, under which the trustees and sponsor agree contributions to make good the deficit over an agreed number of years.

It shows that on insolvency, these schemes may have insufficient funds to pay members’ pensions in full.

Of the 1,000 defined benefit schemes at ‘serious’ risk of falling into the Pension Protection Fund, 600 schemes may only receive PPF compensation, and many sponsors are expected to become insolvent in the next five to 10 years.

Additionally, the remaining 400 sponsoring employers might initially survive, but may eventually fail if they are not able to off-load their pension obligations.

The argument in the report is the worst case scenario of insolvency can be averted if the approach to managing pensions changes to one that is prepared for many more schemes to pay less than full benefits on a planned and co-ordinated basis, with all parties in agreement on how best this is achieved.

The Pensions Institute stated freeing an employer from the burden of its pension fund whilst avoiding insolvency, can create extra value which can be shared with the members to achieve a better outcome.

David Blake, professor of pension economics at Cass Business School, said “In aggregate the schemes have liabilities of £225bn, assets of only £180bn and therefore deficit of £45bn.

“If this situation is not urgently addressed, business which may be saved will be lost to the UK economy and those members will end up receiving PPF compensation.”

“Government policy is predicated on the assumption that employers with DB schemes, over time, will be strong and prosperous enough to pay benefits in full.

“The report challenges this rose-tinted view and seeks answers to the following question: What actions should trustees take, to secure the best possible outcomes for the members they serve, if the employer is not strong, is unlikely to prosper, and, the prospect of the Pension Protection Fund ‘lifeboat’ looms?”

He added that in reality, many trustees are trying to manage significant conflicts of interest.

Additionally, Mr Blake said there was a collective silence amongst trustees.

UK Pension Deficits Widen As Contributions Drop

Source: FT.com August 10, 2015

UK companies are paying less towards meeting their pension shortfalls than at any point since 2009, even as aggregate pension deficits reach their highest level in five years.

The widening gap means companies are likely to face pressure this year from scheme trustees to increase payments towards their deficits, according to Barnett Waddingham, a consultancy.

FTSE 350 companies paid £7bn towards their defined benefit pension deficits in 2014, 20 per cent less than the previous year and 40 per cent below the amount each year between 2009 and 2012, the survey found.

At the same time, the aggregate deficits for FTSE 350 companies increased from £53.3bn to £64.7bn during the year, as falls in corporate bond yields pushed down so-called discount rates, which are used to calculate the present value of payments the scheme expects to make.

Most companies have closed their defined benefit schemes to new employees, but some still face heavy liabilities from existing members, who number at least 7m in total.

Market conditions suggest deficits will probably continue widening, with falling bond yields counteracting strong investment performance within many schemes’ portfolios, said Barnett Waddingham.

A code of practice introduced by the Pensions Regulator in 2014 allows employers more flexibility in paying down scheme deficits where this may affect the companies’ growth. BT, which faces a £7bn deficit, said in January it had agreed with scheme trustees a plan to reduce its annual payments.

However, Nick Griggs, head of corporate consulting at Barnett Waddingham, said: “The increase in deficits seen towards the end of 2014 will almost certainly translate into pressure from scheme trustees to reverse, or at very least address, this trend [of lower deficit contributions] in 2015 and beyond.

“If you look at the levels of cash that a lot of companies are holding, there does seem to be potential for increased deficit contributions.”

A small group of companies face the most severe pension deficit risks: 18 have deficits exceeding 10 per cent of the company’s market capitalisation, while seven hold equities within their pension schemes with more than 50 per cent of the company’s market capitalisation.

“This is a recurring problem but it has been acute in recent years. The regulator has to balance the interests of members, employees and shareholders,” said Tom McPhail, head of pensions research at Hargreaves Lansdown.

An interest rate rise may help by diminishing projected liabilities, he said. “But if those falling liabilities are offset by falling asset values, that could mean they are just running to stand still.”

Companies are shifting rapidly towards defined contribution pension schemes, in which members buy annuities or enter income drawdown based on the total assets in their pension pots, rather than on their final salaries or years worked. The average amount paid into such schemes increased by a fifth in 2014.

However, about 170 FTSE 350 companies still have a defined benefit scheme; in total, these are expected to pay out £970bn in the next 30 years.

“It is remarkable to consider the level of resources that UK businesses are having to contribute towards legacy benefits,” Barnett Waddingham said.

Lower deficit payments contributed to a more positive picture for investors in companies with defined benefit schemes: net dividend payouts have risen steadily as deficit payments declined since Barnett Waddingham began its surveys in 2009.

Dividend payouts reached £56.9bn in 2014, up from £47.3bn in 2009, but in 2014 there were still 24 companies that paid more in pension deficit contributions than they handed to investors via dividends.

Funding Shortfall For Final Salary Pensions Worsens

Source: FT.com May 22, 2015 Josephine Cumbo; Pensions Correspondent

Funding shortfalls in many defined benefit pension schemes have worsened despite £44bn of extra contributions, prompting the regulator to remind employers of the options they have to deal with the deficits.

The aggregate deficit of more than 6,000 private sector defined benefit schemes covered by the Pension Protection Fund soared to a record £375bn in January this year, compared with £215bn the same time three years ago. Market movements had reduced this figure to an estimated £242.3bn at the end of April but the deficits remain stubbornly high.

The Pensions Regulator said trustees and employers sponsoring some schemes could consider taking longer to eliminate the deficits, or change their assumptions about future investment returns to help mitigate the problem.

The regulator said in a statement on Friday that persistently low interest rates and falling gilt yields had created a “very challenging environment” for schemes conducting their regular statutory three-yearly check on financial health.

“Despite all major asset classes having performed well and schemes having paid £44bn in deficit repair contributions over the past three years, our analysis suggests that many schemes with 2015 valuations will have larger funding deficits due to the impact of falling interest rates and schemes not being fully hedged against this risk,” said the regulator.

“The extent of the impact of market conditions will depend on a scheme’s specific circumstances such as the exact dates of valuations, asset allocations and interest rate and inflation-hedging strategies.”

Towers Watson, the pension consultants, said the regulator‘s analysis showed that, for the median scheme, deficit contributions would need to rise 66 per cent if the timetable for eliminating the shortfall were not pushed back.

“For most schemes, the deficit recovery period would need to be extended by more than three years if contributions stayed the same,” said Towers Watson.

“The regulator no longer says that deficits should be cleared as quickly as employers can reasonably afford; companies who don’t want to put their hands in their pockets are very conscious of that.”

During the scheme valuation process, trustees acting on behalf of members of final salary schemes and the employer sponsoring the scheme agree on ways to plug any funding gap.

Last year, the regulator set a new objective allowing for business growth to be taken into account when determining how much cash should be set aside for shortfalls.

On Friday the regulator suggested that schemes with “capacity to take additional risks” could look to “modest extension to their recovery plans, a modest increase in deficit repair contributions and/or changing their assumptions relating to investment returns.” Other schemes with “less capacity to take risk” should seek higher contributions, it added.

The statement came as industry observers noted an increasing trend for employers to push out their recovery plans.

A survey by PwC, the consultancy published in March found more than half of 200 company pension funds had lengthened their recovery plans by three years or more.

“It’s concerning that while the economy is recovering, pensions deficits are still increasing and employer deficit contributions are falling,” said Lincoln Pensions, which advises trustees.

“Our experience is that sponsors regularly cite the regulator’s sustainable growth objective as a reason to propose lower deficit contributions even when deficits increase. In doing so they are increasing risk for both the company and for members.”

The National Association of Pension Funds, which represents workplace pension schemes, welcomed the regulator’s statement saying it reiterated the need for scheme trustees to “manage, rather than eliminate”, risk.

Final Salary Pension? Your retirement income is at risk

Source: The Telegraph February 21, 2015

These 'gold-plated' schemes are supposed to be guaranteed – but savers are being misled, a top pension’s official has warned.

Savers in their forties and fifties are being "misled" over the safety of their final salary pensions and could suffer a 10 per cent cut to their retirement incomes, a senior official has warned.

In a stark warning, the head of the government's pension’s lifeboat said five in six final salary schemes had fallen into the red and faced a struggle to pay savers a full pension.

Alan Rubenstein, chief executive of the Pensions Protection Fund (PPF), said that many of the 11 million people with a supposedly guaranteed, inflation-linked pension were being led to believe their pension was safe, when "for many that isn't the case".

Savers who tried to cash in their final salary pots early, by using the new pension freedoms due in April, face losing up to 40 per cent of the value of the pension they've built up, he said.

The comments, in an interview with The Telegraph, represented the most overt warning from a government-backed organisation since the crisis in the early 2000s when thousands of workers faced the loss of their pensions as companies collapsed with deficits in their schemes.

Mr Rubenstein, whose organisation was set up in the wake of that scandal to rescue final salary plans when they fail, said: "It is misleading to allow people to expect promised pensions when in fact there is only money enough to pay about 60 per cent of those pensions [should they be cashed in today] and where nothing is being done about the shortfall."

Final salary pensions are typically worth a maximum two-thirds of a worker's wages on retirement depending on their years of service, with payouts rising with inflation and half going to a spouse on death.

The pensions are more generous than schemes where the size of the pot is linked to the stock market.

George Osborne's pension freedoms will arrive as the health of final salary pensions is deteriorating dramatically. Around 5,000 pension schemes face a funding shortfall of at least £300 billion, the largest since 2012, figures show. Low interest rates and the fears over Greece's exit from the Eurozone have conspired to increase funding costs for firms that offer final salary pensions.

A customer seeking to transfer their entitlements out so they can cash in the pension would typically get just £6 for every £10 in their name, Mr Rubenstein said, because schemes were so far in deficit.

If the company behind the pension was unable to meet its promises, it would have to be taken over by the protection fund. In such cases, most members are given 90 per cent of their predicted retirement payments each year. Wealthier savers stand to lose more as annual payouts are capped at approximately £30,000.

Those already retired will be protected, leaving those in their forties and fifties, who will claim benefits in future years, most at risk.

It is unclear how many schemes would fail, Mr Rubenstein said, because companies were hiding the scale of the problem.

"We should be having this conversation now, rather than leaving people under the impression they will have a pension as promised," he said.

Mr Rubenstein added that while pension schemes with large holes in their finances were required to have "recovery plans", some were unlikely to work, having been stretched over a nine-year period on average. Recovery plans are easily derailed if returns fall below expectations. Many companies were "travelling in hope", he said.

Stephen Soper, chief executive of The Pensions Regulator, which oversees the funds, said:

"We are prepared to work with [struggling schemes] to try to deliver a solution that balances the interests of the members, PPF and employer."

Many final salary schemes have closed as a result of long-term funding problems, with just 8 per cent open to new members, according to the National Association of Pension Funds.

The gap between the money held in such schemes and the pensions they have pledged to pay is widening dramatically.

While such pensions hold £1,200bn of investments, the most conservative valuation of their pension promises is closer to £1,500bn. This £300bn gulf has grown from almost nothing in just 12 months. The shortfall highlighted in this data, however, is not the real extent of the gap. The £300bn figure is based on the reduced pensions that workers would be paid if their scheme collapsed and had to be taken over by the PPF.

In broad terms, if your scheme fails – in most cases because your current or former employer goes bust – the PPF will step in, paying 90pc of promised pensions up to an annual cap of £30,000. For most workers the cap is high enough to mean they receive 90pc of their promised income. But for higher earners, with big pension entitlements, the cap can inflict a brutal loss of retirement income.

The gap between pension schemes’ investments and the value of actual promises made to pensioners is therefore far higher than the £300bn that would deliver the PPF level of payouts. One independent estimate, by Citigroup, put the real gap at £850bn.

Even figures from the Pensions Regulator, the body charged with monitoring schemes’ solvency; suggest that if schemes had to pay all their pensions as promised today, they would be 45% short.

It is possible that shortfalls could shrink in time if investment returns grew and companies contributed more. Mr Rubenstein said: “You shouldn’t be scared by one month’s numbers. But companies need realistic recovery plans. Many are on life support at the moment, kept alive by cheap loans.”

Actuary Henry Tapper, of consultant First Actuarial, said: “There is no silver bullet. There is no obvious factor that will induce growth. The only guarantee is what the PPF would pay if it had to take over your pension.”

The PPF expects to bail out twice the value of pensions in the coming year as in the previous one. This increase is not due to a rise in insolvencies, but to the growth of the shortfalls in the funds that fail.

Pilot’s pension cut from £47,000 to £26,500

The Pension Protection Fund, the lifeboat scheme for savers in stricken salary-linked pension schemes, is able to guarantee most people 90pc of their promised pension.

But for bigger pensions the scheme has a cap. The most you can receive is £36,000 per year – less if you retire before you are 65.

The pension scheme of Monarch Airlines is currently being taken over by the PPF following a restructuring of the company. There was not enough money in the fund to meet all the pension promises made in earlier years. While most staff’s pension will fall below the cap, meaning they will get 90pc of their entitlements, some high-earning pilots will see drastic cuts.

One Monarch pilot, 51, who did not want to be named, planned to use his generous promised pension of £47,000 per year to help his children and pay off his mortgage. But he and his wife have been forced to rethink their plans because under the PPF they will get a maximum of £26,500. “I’m still in a state of shock,” he said. “It’s like a grieving process. There’s this sense of injustice. My pension is something I’ve paid into over the years and it’s something I was promised. I was paying around £1,000 a month from my salary, excluding the company contribution, and I’ve always regarded my pension as deferred pay. It wouldn’t be so bad if I was in a position to do something about it, but for me the time available is short.”

UK Pension Deficits Double To More Than £100bn

Source: FT.com January 6, 2015

Pension deficits at the UK’s largest companies nearly doubled over the past year to exceed £100bn, as record low interest rates continued to take a toll.

The combined accounting deficits for FTSE 350 companies with final salary pension schemes ballooned from £98bn to £107bn between November and December, compared with £56bn a year ago, a survey published on Tuesday by pension consultants Mercer found.

Consequently, funding levels — or the ability of schemes to make payments as promised to members of final salary plans — reduced from 86 per cent to 85 per cent over the same period.

Mercer said the deterioration was “substantially” driven by a further fall in corporate bond yields, which are used to measure the pension liabilities reported in company accounts.

“The sharp fall in both corporate and government bond yields to historic lows during the second half of the year has resulted in a sharp rise in pension scheme deficits,” said Ali Tayyebi, a senior partner at Mercer.

“The accounting deficit is 90 per cent higher at the end of 2014 compared to the position at the end of 2013.”

According to the Mercer estimates, pension assets held by the top 350 UK companies rose £2bn to reach £608bn between November and December last year. But over the same period liability values rose £11bn to £715bn.

Mercer said a “huge variety” of financial and economic factors worldwide had affected yields in 2014 but it expected continued volatility in 2015.

“Whilst the recent fall in yields may cause many pension schemes to review the hedging of their interest rates, schemes should be open to the opportunities that volatility provides,” added Mr Tayyebi. “Companies and trustees should be prepared.”

With UK pension scheme deficits continuing to soar, some commentators are calling for a review of the Bank of England’s Quantitative Easing policy, or asset purchase programme, which is designed to revive economic growth but depresses bond yields.

Ros Altmann, an independent pension expert and investment adviser, said: “The impact of Quantitative Easing on corporate pensions and annuities has not been properly appreciated and is one of the dangerous unintended consequences of this policy experiment.

“The stronger economy and sharply falling unemployment would normally have heralded rising interest rates and equity prices. Instead, interest rates remained low and gilts became increasingly expensive as long yields fell to record lows towards the end of the year.”

In recent years pension funds have switched away from equity investment towards gilt and bonds, making them much more sensitive to movements in bond yields.

In 2006, more than 60 per cent of pension fund assets were in equities, but this fell to 35 per cent in 2014. In contrast, holdings of gilts and bonds have risen from 28 per cent to 44 per cent over the same period.

Pensions Black Hole Rockets To £250 billion

FINAL salary pension scheme deficits have soared by two-thirds in just 12 months, leaving a £249billion shortfall.

Source: The Express January 3, 2015

The black hole of all UK private sector schemes – where assets are outstripped by liabilities – rose from £150billion at the end of 2013 as a result of plummeting bond yields, new figures revealed yesterday.

The funding level – the proportion of payouts covered by a scheme’s assets – dropped from 88 to 83 per cent.

Charles Cowling, director of pension advisers JLT Employee Benefits, blamed the sharp rise on stalled UK equity markets and continuing low interest rates.

He said that the Bank of England’s suggestion that interest rates could normalise at an eventual 3 per cent ruled out any respite in the short to medium term.

Deficits of firms in the FTSE 350 rose by 59 per cent to £97billion while their funding level fell from 90 to 86 per cent, according to JLT.

FTSE 100 schemes also suffered, with deficits rising to £85billion from £54billion, pushing down their funding level to 87 from 90 per cent.

Last month it emerged Tesco has a £3billion hole in its scheme.

Other companies struggling in 2014 to fill the gap included Royal Bank of Scotland and BT.

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