Skip McMullan - Engaged Investor Article Jan/Feb 2012
05 February 2012
Pi Associate Skip McMullan who has been chairman of trustees at Bank of America since 2006 outlines how they completed a full review of the plan. The overhaul was such a success the Bank of America trustee board won the Engaged Investor 2011 Best Investment Strategy.
Confirming the statutory employer – What trustees need to do
10 January 2012
It is vital trustees of Defined Benefit (DB) pension plans understand the level of support that employers are legally obliged to provide and investigate and monitor the extent to which those obligations can be met.
John Oldland named in Pension Insight Top 10 Independent Trustee list
5 January 2012
Good to see John has been listed as being one of the most influential independent trustees in the UK in Pensions Insights latest edition.
Government confirms plans to abolish short service refunds
4 January 2012
In a move that could have a major impact on trust based schemes, Steve Webb has confirmed the Government will abolish short-service refunds for DC schemes saying...
Is there a growing argument for cash balance schemes?
3 January 2012
The recent ACA survey highlighted the growing gap between public and private sector schemes..
Scheme pays - What does it mean and are your administrators ready?
29 November 2011
Now is the time to ensure that “scheme pays” is on trustees’ agenda to consider its implications and to give time to plan for any decision making or communication considerations.
Ian Richards - Insight Article Nov 2011
8 November 2011
Pi Associate Ian Richards comments on the importance of best practice for DC, highlighting the danger of too much information being expressed in isolation. Good governance with a holistic view is the key.
ETB® and iPad - Perfect Partners
1 November 2011
iPads are fast becoming a new tool for company board meetings and trustee board meetings alike. Board members are keen to ditch the swathes of papers that accompany such meetings and companys are keen to avoid the costs involved in regularly printing and mailing such a bulk of paper.
Pi Consulting establishes Trust Corporation
2 November 2011
Pi Consulting has recently established Trust Corporation status for their trustee services. There are currently few genuine Trust Corporations, given their need to be capitalised....
Pi Consulting Open Evening
1 October 2011
Pi welcomed clients and professional contacts alike to our new offices in Allington Close, Wimbledon Village....Amanda Burden joins Pi
1 September 2011
Amanda Burden joined Pi on 1 September 2011 as the Business Development Consultant.....
Bribery Act 2010 - What should Trustees do?
1 September 2011
The Bribery Act 2010 came into force on 1 July 2011. The Act reformed the criminal law of bribery in the UK and abroad. Trustees, both individuals and corporate trustees, should consider what procedures they need to put in place to avoid actions and decisions they take being called into question.
Auto-enrolment - The road beyond your staging date
23 August 2011
Much is being written about auto-enrolment and many employers are assessing the implications for their businesses. Inevitably one result will be the growth defined contribution (DC) pension provision. This will be in both trust based and contract based arrangements, plus of course NEST.
Susan Smith joins Pi
7 July 2011
Susan Smith joined Pi on 1 August 2011 as the joint head of the Consulting and Trustee Services Team, sharing responsibilty with Roger Cooper...
Sailing Away
21 June 2011
Pi's corporate hospitality sailing days this month were blessed with a few good gusts of wind to see them off to a good start....
Flexible drawdown
3 June 2011
Legislation is currently going through parliament which, with retrospective effect from 6 April 2011, will set a ‘Minimum Income Requirement’ (MIR) for individuals of £20,000 a year. This is the amount of secured lifetime income an individual must have in the form of State pension benefits, scheme benefits and/or annuities when they choose to take their benefits to enable them to benefit from the new rules. Once the MIR is satisfied, any excess amount can, in theory, be taken under the new ‘flexible drawdown’ rules. The Rules apply to DC benefits, but the extent to which schemes including DB schemes choose to adopt this new regime remain to be seen.
All change for pensions?
3 June 2011
2011 heralds a new age of flexibility around retirement options for members of pension schemes. The abolition of the default retirement age from October 2011, coupled with the introduction of greater flexibility from April 2011, will allow members of pension schemes more options as to when and how they take their benefits. Members’ may also be thinking of how this could fit in with changes to State Pension Ages.
Christine Brightwell joins Pi
24 November 2011
Christine joins Pi as an Associate in the field of trusteeship and consultancy.
Abolition of Default Retirement Age
3 June 2011
Individuals will no longer have to retire on the basis of the age at which their State retirement benefits are payable. Instead, employers will need to operate a retirement policy that can be objectively justified.
Changes to State Pension Age
3 June 2011
A few comments on state pension provision cannot go amiss when considering the implications of changes to default retirement age and flexible drawdown.
John Oldland Nominated for Engaged Investor Award 2011
6 May 2011
John Oldland has been shortlisted for the Independent Trustee of the Year award being organised by Engaged Investor in their 2011 Trustee Awards.
Auto-enrolment - the perfect storm
April 2011
Against a backcloth of extreme investment market volatility, unpredictable returns and devastatingly low annuity rates, employers and their employees will soon be faced with the choice of auto-enrolling into a qualifying scheme such as NEST or other pension vehicle.
Pi is 10 Years' Old
September 2010
Pi Consulting celebrated a very special occasion on the 1st September – its 10th anniversary!
Pi News & Views - Back issues
Click below to access copies of back issues of Pi News & Views that were issued in printed form.

