Professional Pensions launches Conjecture

The Conjecture live debates will begin on April 17 and will only be available to an exclusive and invited audience of registered members.

Each debate will last approximately 45 minutes.

Questions can be e-mailed beforehand or during the live debate. A review of each debate will also appear in PP.

The subjects for the first three Conjecture debates are:

- Is the current Pensions Bill the 'last chance saloon'� for final salary schemes? And if so, what changes should the government consider to help protect private sector defined benefit provision? Conjecture will look at some of the most compelling arguments.
- In the past, problems over liquidity, small capitalisation, political and other risks have deterred schemes from making large allocations to emerging market stocks. But times are changing. Allocations to UK equities are falling and research shows that many schemes believe it is an asset class which will be most suited to their needs over the next few years. Conjecture is linking with Nomura Asset Management to look at the asset class and its distinctive approach to investment.

- Trustee liability - Is The Pensions Regulator's requirement for trustees to have greater knowledge and understanding a double-edged sword? Defined benefit scheme members in future may be less forgiving when investments do not
perform as they expected or hoped. Defined contribution members may complain that they were locked into underperforming funds and were let down by trustees over investment choices. Do trustees understand fully the risks that they face? Conjecture will look at the key issues.

To apply to become a member please go to the Conjecture website.