National pensions debate needed before de-risking bubble bursts

James Phillips
clock • 2 min read

A national debate is needed to consider whether the investment approach of defined benefit (DB) schemes is storing up problems for the future, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) president Sir Brian Souter has said.

He believes schemes have squandered a decade of potential returns by switching investments from equities and corporate bonds to gilts and other similar bonds, while the expected benefit of these ha...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Pensions

Become a Professional Pensions Lite Member today

  • Three complimentary articles per month covering the latest real-time news, analysis and opinion from the industry
  • Receive important and breaking news stories via our two daily news alerts
  • Hear from industry experts and other forward-thinking leaders

Are you a trustee, investment consultant or in-house pension and benefit scheme professional? You can apply for full complimentary access here

Join now

 

Already a Professional Pensions
member?

Login

James Phillips
Author spotlight

James Phillips

Professional Pensions journalist from 2016-2022

More on Risk Reduction

Noble Foods pension scheme completes buyout with Utmost

Noble Foods pension scheme completes buyout with Utmost

Deal is the first external buyout Utmost has completed since entering the market in 2024

Holly Roach
clock 20 April 2026 • 1 min read
The birth of the buy-in: Reflections on 20 years of pension risk transfer

The birth of the buy-in: Reflections on 20 years of pension risk transfer

Clive Wellsteed reflects on how the buy-in came into being and why it has become the route of choice for many pension schemes

Clive Wellsteed
clock 15 April 2026 • 7 min read
Time taken to convert from buy-in to buyout increasing due to insurer backlog

Time taken to convert from buy-in to buyout increasing due to insurer backlog

Time taken to convert from buy-in to buyout increasing due to insurer backlog

Martin Richmond
clock 14 April 2026 • 2 min read
Trustpilot