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  • Thought Leadership & Insights

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    Thinking Forward

    Insights, debate and bold thinking to help make financial security in retirement more achievable and widespread

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Thinking Forward

Insights, debate and bold thinking to help make financial security in retirement more achievable and widespread.

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  • Article card image
    Pension Reform

    Value for money: what will this mean for the role of trustees?

    The role of EBCs is likely to prove essential in providing advice on the relative strengths and weakness of different master trusts.
    featued article author
    Donna Walsh

    January 22, 2025

    3 mins read
    Read more
  • Article card image
    Pension Reform

    Video | Retirement income: what help do people really need?

    Making decisions about retirement income is tough. The stakes are high, the options plentiful – yet people often receive little or no help. So how can we change this situation? Find out in our discussion with Claire Altman, Managing Director, Individual Retirement at Standard Life, and Matt Burrell, Senior Public Affairs Manager at Phoenix Group.

    November 26, 2024

    25 mins read
    Read more
  • Article card image
    Pension Reform

    Video | Former pensions ministers on regrets, successes and why the UK system has to change

    Guy Opperman, former UK pensions minister, and Nick Sherry, former Australia pensions minister, discuss adequacy, Value for Money, Mansion House, trustee responsibilities – and a few broken bones along the way.

    November 12, 2024

    40 mins read
    Read more
  • Article card image
    Pension Reform

    Video | The future of retirement income: what needs to change?

    How can the pensions industry ensure people get the right guidance and advice when they retire? And are the right products available to provide both certainty and flexibility – and ultimately provide better outcomes? Find out in our discussion with Claire Altman, Managing Director, Individual Retirement at Standard Life.

    October 22, 2024

    18 mins read
    Read more
  • Article card image
    Pension Reform

    Video | Small pots: does Australia’s stapling model provide the answers?

    In Australia they don't suffer from small pots and employees have more say over the choice of pension fund. But not everything about their system is rosy. Find out more in our discussion with John Greenwood, Editor at Corporate Adviser, and Paul Leandro, Partner at Barnett Waddingham.

    September 30, 2024

    24 mins read
    Read more
  • Article card image
    Pension Reform

    Video | Value for Money: should the UK emulate Australia's performance test?

    Does the UK's Value for Money framework lack teeth? If so, what might we learn from Australia's more penal performance test? Find out in our discussion with John Greenwood, Editor at Corporate Adviser, and Paul Leandro, Partner at Barnett Waddingham.

    September 27, 2024

    24 mins read
    Read more
  • Article card image
    Pension Reform

    Video | When it comes to illiquid investments, can the UK emulate Australia?

    In Australia, illiquid investments are more common and average pension returns are higher. So what does this indicate about the likely success of Mansion House and the UK's investment aspirations? Find out in our discussion with John Greenwood, Editor at Corporate Adviser, and Paul Leandro, Partner at Barnett Waddingham.

    September 26, 2024

    29 mins read
    Read more
  • Article card image
    Pension Reform

    Video | Retirement solutions: lessons from Australia

    When it comes to retirement income, how does the UK compare to other markets? Is it a global problem? And what are the short- and long-term solutions? Find out in our discussion with John Greenwood, Editor at Corporate Adviser, and Paul Leandro, Partner at Barnett Waddingham.

    September 25, 2024

    23 mins read
    Read more
  • Article card image
    Pension Reform

    Video | The year of elections: what it means for pensions and investments

    This year national elections are due to be held in at least 64 countries – representing around half of the world’s population, and over 60% of global economic output. To understand what this could mean for pensions and investments, we speak to Anthony O'Brien, Head of Market Strategy at Phoenix Group.

    September 17, 2024

    17 mins read
    Read more
  • Article card image
    Pension Reform

    Video | UK political and economic trends: what they mean for pension reform

    What’s changed economically since the general election? How do overseas investors perceive the UK? And what pension reforms would we like to see in October’s Budget? Find out in our discussion with Anthony O’Brien, Head of Market Strategy at Phoenix Group.

    September 04, 2024

    13 mins read
    Read more
  • Article card image
    Pension Reform

    Spending and saving habits in the US: lessons for the UK

    Emergency savings, spending behaviours during retirement, why some really retirees return to work, and how retirement products can cater for the “100-year life”.

    August 28, 2024

    3 mins read
    Read more
  • Article card image
    Pension Reform

    Auto-enrolment: how increasing contribution rates could boost the UK economy

    Increasing pensions investment into private asset classes is critical to supporting competitive and high-growth sectors.
    featued article author
    Mike Ambery

    August 21, 2024

    3 mins read
    Read more
  • Article card image
    Pension Reform

    Improving pensions adequacy: is personalisation the key?

    If default pension contribution rates are insufficient, could technology help to tailor rates more to individual needs?
    featued article author
    Helen Dean

    July 19, 2024

    3 mins read
    Read more
  • Article card image
    Pension Reform

    Video | What the US presidential election could mean for UK pensions

    We chatted to David John, US pensions and retirement expert, about Biden vs. Trump, ESG, pension reform, and why most people don't plan a lot for retirement.
    featued article author

    June 18, 2024

    30 mins read
    Read more
  • Article card image
    Pension Reform

    Master trust secondary market: what’s the role of ceding trustees?

    As activity in the secondary market increases, it’s vital that ceding trustees are fully involved and act independently.
    featued article author
    Donna Walsh

    March 27, 2024

    3 mins read
    Read more
  • Article card image
    Pension Reform

    Illiquid asset investments: can the UK emulate Australian superannuation?

    Australian superannuation is sometimes cited as a model that the UK pensions industry might seek to emulate. But is it really that simple?
    featued article author

    January 03, 2024

    2 mins read
    Read more
  • Article card image
    Pension Reform

    Value for money: what can the UK learn from Australia?

    For many in Australia’s superannuation industry there is one principal measure of value for money: net benefit outcome.
    featued article author

    January 03, 2024

    2 mins read
    Read more
  • Article card image
    Pension Reform

    Pot for life: lessons from Australia’s stapling model

    The Australian system doesn’t suffer as much from small pots as the UK and members have more choice of fund. But this wasn’t achieved overnight.
    featued article author

    January 02, 2024

    3 mins read
    Read more
  • Article card image
    Pension Reform

    Auto-enrolment: how and when should default contribution rates rise to 12%?

    Our new framework outlines tests for determining the economic conditions that would allow for default contribution rates to increase. It also outlines tests that would necessitate a pause.
    featued article author
    Neil Hugh

    November 16, 2023

    2 mins read
    Read more
  • Article card image
    Pension Reform

    New Zealand’s KiwiSaver: a template for auto-enrolment reform in the UK?

    To help understand how auto-enrolment may evolve in the UK, here are some insights into New Zealand’s KiwiSaver – the world’s first auto-enrolment opt-out national savings scheme.
    featued article author

    October 09, 2023

    4 mins read
    Read more
  • Article card image
    Pension Reform

    Podcast | What the UK can learn about auto-enrolment from New Zealand

    Two leading experts on pension reform discuss the merits of allowing pension withdrawals for home ownership, member engagement and financial education – and whether you really need tax incentives to encourage people to save for retirement.
    featued article author

    September 15, 2023

    38 mins read
    Read more
  • Article card image
    Pension Reform

    6 trends that have reshaped the pensions landscape

    Many future generations of pensioners are likely to face substantial financial difficulties in older age – unless there’s policy action. So what are the challenges facing the UK pensions system, and how can they be overcome?
    featued article author
    Gail Izat

    June 21, 2023

    2 mins read
    Read more
  • Article card image
    Pension Reform

    Video | Challenges facing the UK pension system: is it time for a new review?

    Paul Johnson, Director at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, explains the Pensions Review report, insufficient pension contributions, the State Pension age – and why the UK pension system needs a review.
    featued article author

    June 01, 2023

    15 mins read
    Read more
  • Article card image
    Pension Reform

    Podcast | Challenges facing the UK pension system: is it time for a new review?

    We speak to Paul Johnson, Director at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, about the Pensions Review report, insufficient pension contributions, the State Pension age – and why the UK pension system needs a review.
    featued article author

    June 01, 2023

    30 mins read
    Read more
  • Article card image
    Pension Reform

    Podcast | What the Australian pensions system tells us about future reform in the UK

    What has driven consolidation in Australian superannuation, retirement income policy shifts and infrastructure developments? To find out, we spoke to The Hon. Nick Sherry, an ex-Australian Pensions Minister for Superannuation and Senator for Tasmania.
    featued article author

    August 01, 2022

    30 mins read
    Read more
  • Article card image
    Pension Reform

    What the UK pensions industry can learn from Australia

    Australia's superannuation sector is the fifth-largest pension system in the world, and can provide valuable lessons to the UK.
    featued article author

    July 21, 2022

    3 mins read
    Read more

The aims of Thinking Forward

We want to make financial security in retirement more achievable and widespread, and generally fairer. It's how we believe we can best support the long-term and diverse needs of savers, as well as supporting employers, advisers and trustees.

This is why we launched our thought leadership programme, Thinking Forward.

Through regular events and insights, we want to:

  • Support our customers with innovative retirement income solutions
  • Deliver better data- and insight-driven customer engagement and service
  • Build propositions with financial inclusion in mind
  • Invest responsibly
  • Champion financial wellness

As well as conducting our own research, we will work with industry experts worldwide to ensure we bring a global perspective to help drive and develop solutions based on research and best practice.

Standard Life's brand promise is to help people secure a life of possibilities.

Our brand ambition is to be a leader in the markets of which we operate by putting customers at the heart of everything we do.

Amoungst other things, this means being a thought leader, pushing debate on the topics that really matter to our. customers, our clients and their advisors.

Providing insightful views and making policy recommendations.

And if we do this well, we get the chance to broaden our influence base and impact across a wider set of channels.

Our joint research initiative with the OECD

We’re excited to have embarked on a three-year joint research initiative with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Find out more

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