Finally

Sense and insensitivity

Government pensions know no interest rates and are now a major attraction of state employment. The Lib Dems propose to give pensions on more normal terms which is very simple but shouldn't we all be saving more instead? Still I'm not allowed to contribute 20 per cent of my salary to a pension fund.

NCC sees the big picture

The LIA pick up on an NCC press release. It says that there's more to pensions than corporate pension schemes. On that basis I look forward to the report the NCC mentions here.

Targeted funds in the US

AP spots Targeted retirement funds in the US. They are already available in Germany and Sweden.

Some sensible suggestions

The least they could do. Pensions liabilities are liabilities. Using accounting standards as an instrument of social policy is madness. Maybe everyone is growing up.

Truth in Accountancy

Volatility from Paris on wrongheadedness about pensions.

America too

Here is a wonderfully optimistic view from across the water with a good discussion of what is involved in "pay in advance" schemes here.
This from on Individual accounts is good. This covers some issues on the funding of the American Social Security system, as does this.

Adair Turner and the Prophets of Doom

Guardian coverage of Adair Turner realising how bad it all is.

Punch & Judy

It ought to be easy to attack the government's pension means test. It taxes the savings fo the poorest investors at 40 per cent or more and discourages savings on the part of the very people they claim to be trying to encourage. Attacking the tory proposal to earnings link the pension should be even easier. It obviously cannot be done for more than very short time so it is basically just a rise and a soundbite that serve as a smokescreen for a plan that removes benefits from the poor and gives to the rich.
Still they are making a hash of it.

Telegraph tells tales on means testers

A useful round-up of the impact of means testing in the Telegraph . I guess they are writing about it now to do their bit for the Tories. Kean Seager makes an excellent point -- if the pension credit scheme continues as it does it wil hardly be worth saving but by the same token so many people will be relying on the credit that there is a significant risk that ithe scheme will become unsustainable, in which case htey need to save. Such a scheme is likely to end up punishing the wrong people. Mind you, index linked pensions aren't going ot last for twenty years either.

Now reading

Peter Lilley'spamphlet published by the Social Market Foundation.