Employees who have paid 5% of salary into defined contribution (DC) schemes for 10 years will today have pension pots lower than their total contributions.

Apple UK is to launch one of the first defined contribution schemes that can alert members by text of key events and investment changes.

DC pension scheme savers have been hit hard by the falls in equity markets

Lifestyle funds are the cornerstone of DC provision, but the industry realises a new approach is needed to make them work for members, says Pádraig Floyd

2009 will be focused heavily on every fund’s ability to maximise returns. Our four experts offer their views on the key issues facing default DC funds

Ongoing reviews of DC default plans are essential to ensure the long-term needs of scheme members are met, says Dietrich Hauptmeier

In this head-to-head debate, two DC heavyweights from two of the largest global investment houses tackle the benefits and limitations of lifestyle funding strategies and diversified growth funds.

White-labelled funds have been around for many years, but now these formerly complex vehicles are becoming more widespread and offer trustees a greater flexibility than ever before, argues Mark Rowlands

A lot has happened in the world of employee benefits over the last few years. Pension provision in particular has gone through a sea change, with some interesting waters to chart along the way. This article is not an attempt to retrace well-worn routes. Rather, it is to suggest a new perspective. Treat it like a map; a survey of the landscape we all inhabit, perhaps with a hint of a route out of this tricky territory. We will also look at who is taking the journey; the hazards on the way; the ultimate destination and the detours, shortcuts and slack water.

As the industry braces itself for a difficult year ahead, defined contribution schemes are also likey to face many challenges. Four of the industry’s finest discuss what they believe schemes, sponsors and employees should focus on in the months ahead.

Transforming technical, heavy-going pensions guidance into useful information will help employers manage trust-based DC in the long term, says the Pensions Regulator

Concerns about the prudence of using corporate bonds as a measure of pension fund liabilities is leading schemes to switch to gilts-based measures.

The quantitative easing strategy employed by the government will impact on pension schemes in three ways.

The European Court of Justice has confirmed legal predictions by ruling that employers could enforce retirement at age 65 provided it was “appropriate and necessary”.

Many employers are struggling to cope with mounting pension scheme deficits, particularly in the current economic climate

Employers covered by the Church of England (C of E) Pensions Board face a rise in their contribution rate to 50%-60% of earnings.

MetLife and Barnett Waddingham are offering smaller schemes the chance to obtain quotes for buyout for a £1,000 one-off payment.

Job confidence in the pensions industry remains high despite redundancies at a few firms, recruitment consultants have revealed.

Government data has revealed a disparity between how much old and young low paid workers will benefit from personal accounts.

Apple UK is to launch one of the first defined contribution schemes that can alert its members by text of key events and investment changes.

The Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group (JLT) has cut its pension fund deficit after a big switch from equities to bonds between April and June last year.

Around 2.2 million adults plan to delay their retirement because of the falling value of their investments, Prudential estimates.

Employees who have paid 5% of salary into defined contribution (DC) schemes for 10 years, will now have pension pots lower than their total contributions.

Prudential’s UK corporate pension sales rose by 1% over 2008 to £249m.

Analysis: Though government and public alike have thrown their hands up in disgust at Sir Fred Goodwin’s pension payoff, future agreements may be more closely scrutinised as a result, says Charlie Kirby

Trustees often do not receive enough training to help them efficiently conduct the business of the pension scheme

The question any trustee or sponsor will want an answer to is how much risk am I taking off the table?

Among sponsoring employers of occupational pension schemes, contingent assets are increasingly being used to provide support. A contingent asset is simply an asset in reserve, acting as a contingency plan for specified events or triggers, the most likely of which are the employer becoming insolvent and the scheme failing to meet its funding level.

The next month could be a defining moment for investors to determine whether the end of the bear market is nigh, says Mike Fox

The recession is providing pension schemes with new opportunities.

I am not being glib. Like everyone in the industry I am working daily with employers and trustees facing agonising decisions in extremely difficult times. But the recession does mean that some of the taboos have gone and new thinking is possible. There are three areas that could benefit here.

Private equity can broadly be defined as investments in equity or equity-like securities in non-publicly traded companies. These investments can be made at different stages of a company’s lifecycle.

Paul Bourdon: It is no longer about trying to benchmark returns against the equity index because they have clearly had a number of hits over the last 10 years. The idea is to try and create something like the old with‑profit type return process with insurance companies. With‑profits have a bit of a dirty name nowadays, but the essence of that was your funds grow as far as possible each year. In years of outperformance you would take some of that and bank the profit, and apply some protection against underperformance.

Inalytics has appointed Graham Dixon as a director, to specialise in transition management.

Hammonds has appointed Carol Jones as a senior associate to its London pensions practice.

Independent Transition Management (ITM), a data, IT and administration provider, has appointed Steven Weiss as director of adviser data services.

Watson Wyatt has appointed Nicholas Smith as senior investment consultant and head of the firm’s defined contribution (DC) investment team.