# drawdown (blogs) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 4 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover drawdown. Page: Feed: --- ## [What do people want ; we learn from the Big Conversation in Care proposals – and Nathan Hollow](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/22/what-do-people-want-we-learn-from-the-big-conversation-in-care-proposals-and-nathan-hollow/) _2026-08-22 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ In this guest column: PLMR’s Nathan Hollow, Trustee of The Care Workers’ Charity, discusses the experience of voting on Baroness Louise Casey’s Big Conversation on Care – you can find the original at Care Home Professional here. Never let it … Continue reading → ## [M&G’s “push me, pull you” bulk purchase annuity!](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/22/mgs-push-me-pull-you-bulk-purchase-annuity/) _2026-08-22 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ In a week when Standard Life announced they were replete with funds there was more interesting news (to me at least ) from M&G which is also Prudential. As I understand it from my friend John Quinlivan, this is a … Continue reading → ## [Have funds placed in Standard’s Life PRT war-chest missed the boat?](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/22/have-funds-placed-in-standards-life-prt-war-chest-missed-the-boat/) _2026-08-22 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ To great acclaim ( suspect from home support), Standard Life launched last week its funding for future buy-out business. It is hard though not to agree with estimates of their capacity to compete over the past 18 month, Standard Life … Continue reading → ## [It’s feeling a little hotter, and better in the back pocket!](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/21/its-feeling-a-little-hotter-and-better-in-the-back-pocket-2/) _2026-08-21 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ It’s been a wonderful summer (so far) and yesterday we felt happy for some rain. I know it doesn’t feel quite that way the further north you get but down here in the south it has been a summer like … Continue reading → ## [Dismay the marginalised lose trust in retirement saving – a Cambridge University study](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/21/dismay-the-marginalised-lose-trust-in-retirement-saving-a-cambridge-university-study/) _2026-08-21 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ This study tells us something we perhaps feel inside, that giving us the freedom to get out of saving retirement doesn’t make retirement very good. Here’s the abstract Both insufficient saving and early withdrawal of retirement savings jeopardize financial … Continue reading → ## [Retirement CDC – a long wait for something you can have now!](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/21/retirement-cdc-a-long-wait-for-something-you-can-have-now/) _2026-08-21 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ I like Johan Kriek, he asks difficult questions of Collective Pensions (CDC) and sometimes I agree. This is one of those times, I was the one of the people who responded to the Retirement Consultation that closed in 2025. I … Continue reading → ## [The predicted bad news for leaseholders is here; it’s a “cost of living” that can be addressed!](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/21/the-predicted-bad-news-for-leaseholders-is-here-its-a-cost-of-living-that-can-be-addressed/) _2026-08-21 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ For the second time this morning, I find myself thanking Amy Borrett providing me with data for thought! For those of us who live in cities (especially London) this is a particular problem No one’s buying , everybody seems to … Continue reading → ## [It’s that time again – time to grow your pension!](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/20/its-that-time-again-time-to-grow-your-pension/) _2026-08-20 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ It’s worth paying your pension some attention and it’s also time to check it! As I have posted elsewhere this morning, for most people the pension they’ll check first is their state pension! Here’s mine – make sure you’re getting … Continue reading → ## [State pension on course for £500 rise as earnings growth hits 4.1%](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/20/state-pension-on-course-for-500-rise-as-earnings-growth-hits-4-1/) _2026-08-20 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ Thanks to Ellie Carric for this look forward to later in the year when we discover how much we will “earn” in our state pension from April next year. I wish there were more articles as bonnie as this! I … Continue reading → ## [The horror of letting the taxman take your unspent pension pot!](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/20/the-horror-of-letting-the-taxman-take-your-unspent-pension-pot/) _2026-08-20 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ I have swum in a pool where mournful pensioners refill the water level with their tears. Bless Steve Hunt and all the others in that swimming pool. Open the article for page after page of indignation at the treasury’s designs … Continue reading → ## [Trade Bitcoin and Ethereum Today (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/j0bkuwflUn3V) _2026-08-20 · **Sponsored**_ Buy, sell, and margin trade BTC and ETH with EUR, USD, CAD, GBP, or JPY. ## [Where have the IGCs gone? What are we using to compare VFM?](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/20/where-have-the-igcs-gone-what-are-we-using-to-compare-vfm/) _2026-08-20 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ Royal London wrote the last IGC report I commented on. They always looked to IGCs to promote Royal London’s pension capacity. But IGC’s were published the same year as pension freedom came in and the DC workplace pension providers were … Continue reading → ## [Burnham’s big issue reaches me somewhere I never expected a prime minister to speak](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/19/burnhams-big-issue-reaches-me-somewhere-i-never-expected-a-prime-minister-to-speak/) _2026-08-19 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ I know this is a little geeky but I like someone who reaches out to me this way. I’m pleased to see Andrew Burnham writing this himself (I assume it is himself who’s taken a few minutes to write … Continue reading → ## [Autism -“Is it a superpower? No. Does it let me do things others can’t? Probably”](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/19/autism-is-it-a-superpower-no-does-it-let-me-do-things-others-cant-probably/) _2026-08-19 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ There is not much that I can say that Jon Dunkley has not said for himself. He is autistic, he is articulate and he gives us insight to many situations we have all been through. Thanks Johnny Timpson OBE for … Continue reading → ## [Why Gen Z are abandoning their pensions – I agree with Tom for a different reason.](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/19/why-gen-z-are-abandoning-their-pensions-i-agree-with-tom-for-a-different-reason/) _2026-08-19 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ Tom has written a great article that appears below and in the Times. I agree that there is good reason to prioritise other things than long-term saving when at work. But our parents insisted we paid the stamp (as my … Continue reading → ## [I wasn’t black, was at Cambridge and am still prejudiced](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/19/i-wasnt-black-was-at-cambridge-and-am-still-prejudiced/) _2026-08-19 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ I read this story with a sickening feeling of guilt. I was boasting last week that I read English at Cambridge like Andy Burnham and Amy Hunt as if that made me something. Of course it does, it makes you … Continue reading → ## [2.4m People flexibly accessed Pension Income before Age 65. The Treasury is the Big Winner](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/19/2-4m-people-flexibly-accessed-pension-income-before-age-65-the-treasury-is-the-big-winner/) _2026-08-19 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ This may or nay not be true but whether this was chicanery by the Exchequer of not, there is a lot of money that will not be paid as pension that was incentivised to be so. I’m agreeing with James … Continue reading → ## [The unions fired up by “collective pensions”](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/18/the-unions-fired-up-by-collective-pensions/) _2026-08-18 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ I have to say, I have been surprised and pleased by the interest of union pension officers in what we can now call “collective pensions” (formerly CDC!). There are three dates in my diary to catch up with them. The … Continue reading → ## [“There’s nothing special about dividends” – says Robin Powell.](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/18/theres-nothing-special-about-dividends-says-robin-powell/) _2026-08-18 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ This article is important to pensions though it’s aimed at people with portfolios of directly held shares. Pension funds of course don’t pay a dividend, they pay a pension which is an encashment of the fund. But people base their … Continue reading → ## [Life Insurers promote themselves as different but they dependably deliver the same thing!](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/18/life-insurers-promote-themselves-as-different-but-they-dependably-deliver-the-same-thing/) _2026-08-18 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ Who to believe? Both Scottish Widows and Standard Life are advertising their products with different messages but with the same pictures, pictures of happy clients being supported by human beings and by financial technology. The financial conundrum for insurance companies … Continue reading → ## [John (JQ) Quarrel , a great lawyer – a great voice speaking for decency in pensions.](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/18/john-jq-quarrel-a-great-lawyer-a-great-voice-speaking-for-decency-in-pensions/) _2026-08-18 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ This is not a happy end to John Quarrel’s life. I intend to go up north to wish him a better after life. Much went wrong in his later days and Susan and his daughter Helen have stood behind him … Continue reading → ## [Ask the crowd: AI or not (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/GSdLZaUbRjYI) _2026-08-18 · **Sponsored**_ Get a transparent verdict from verified humans via web, RSS, or API. ## [This should appeal to the young professional – get paid at a massive discount on tax!](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/17/this-should-appeal-to-the-young-professional-get-paid-at-a-massive-discount-on-tax/) _2026-08-17 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ Works for the hi-paid kids I know. Imagine paying 71% of your pay away when it could provide you deferred pay I don’t think that a Collective Pension excludes anyone. If you are young and you want to pay your … Continue reading → ## [The Dashboard is cleaning up our data – so we’ll see our retirement wages.](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/17/the-dashboard-is-cleaning-up-our-data-so-well-see-our-retirement-wages/) _2026-08-17 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ It makes us think;- the prospect of life with a pension dashboard! If Chris Curry is right, the dashboard has done part of its job- a year from starting. We don’t know when he’ll have it open to the public … Continue reading → ## [German pensions – this is the big new deal for asset managers](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/17/german-pensions-this-is-the-big-new-deal-for-asset-managers/) _2026-08-17 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ The big story for asset managers in Europe is not CDC or DC or the revival of DB as an investment opportunity, it is German funded pensions. ## [Threescore years and ten; 70’s now the age to retire , not to die!](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/17/threescore-years-and-ten-70s-now-the-age-to-retire-not-to-die/) _2026-08-17 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ There’s a murmuring doing the rounds mocking those of my generation (mid 60’s) who cannot stop working but who know their children wish they would. They result in announcement of a career end. But these retirement announcements always promise another … Continue reading → ## [Divorce means pensioner poverty for many of a certain age](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/17/being-single-and-retired-can-mean-pensioner-poverty-says-lcp/) _2026-08-17 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ Coping with the difference in lifestyle you face in retirement is one thing, maybe it’s not good for marriage. A high number of couples split up rather than go through a changed lifestyle – it would seem. While freedom from … Continue reading → ## [The Low Earner’s Pension Payments;- now pushed back to 2027 – it’s a scandal.](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/16/the-low-earners-pension-payments-now-pushed-back-to-2027-its-a-scandal/) _2026-08-16 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ Following any email of 9th July HMRC has written to provide an update on the delivery of the Low Earner’s Pension Payment (LEPP). It arrived early in August Yet another delay in the tax-man paying back pension payments They Continue reading ## [What is the future for GPP workplace pensions.](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/16/what-is-the-future-for-gpp-workplace-pensions/) _2026-08-16 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ My DC pot was established with L G by First Actuarial, my employer at the time of auto-enrolment. We were going to use Prudential but that large insurer which is now offering pensions through M G had recently withdrawn from writing Continue reading ## [SJP’s right to hold pre-eminence in managing financial affairs of the wealthy questioned](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/16/sjps-right-to-hold-pre-eminence-in-managing-financial-affairs-of-the-wealthy-questioned/) _2026-08-16 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ Yesterday I published an article by Gordon Aitken that stood up for SJP after it had taken a stock-marketing beating for losing customers. My argument has consistently been that SJP serves a place in society, they are an expense that Continue reading ## [The complexity of some tax free cash sum payments – and who to go to for answers.](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/16/the-complexity-of-some-tax-free-cash-sum-payments-and-who-to-go-to-for-answers/) _2026-08-16 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ Sensible but technical stuff for the smart and those who have smart advisers! Queries on Lump Sum Payments Dave King Pensions Technical Consultant, Aries Insight April 21, 2026 Across the last couple of weeks, Aries have been asked several questions Continue reading ## [Brian Henderson’s Retirement Value Scorecard – for the smart and smart advisers.](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/16/brian-hendersons-retirement-value-scorecard-for-the-smart-and-smart-advisers/) _2026-08-16 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ Yesterday I published Brian Henderson s brilliant thoughts on Value for Money as a way of helping individuals determine for themselves what is their best way forward at retirement. He converts the current VFM assessments to a tool known as Retirement Continue reading ## [Stop CI/CD & Supply-Chain Attacks (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/9psvDdapluig) _2026-08-16 · **Sponsored**_ Per-PR: 17 CI/CD checks and package malware scans with inline Check Run findings. ## [Brian Henderson asks whether CDC gives you better VFM than DC – it depends!](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/15/brian-henderson-asks-whether-cdc-gives-you-better-vfm-than-dc-it-depends/) _2026-08-15 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ You can download the document for yourself from here. Here is Brian s introduction on social media ## [Some thoughts on the SPP’s “Home Truths; Rethinking Retirement Wealth”](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/15/some-thoughts-on-the-spps-home-truths-rethinking-retirement-wealth/) _2026-08-15 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ You can read the SPP paper here The UK must stop treating pensions and housing as separate policy issues to address the growing retirement adequacy challenge, the Society of Pension Professionals (SPP) has argued. They re bang on In a Continue reading ## [Being all things to everyone’s annoying – Aon should not annoy DWP/HMT](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/15/being-all-things-to-everyones-annoying-aon-should-not-annoy-dwp-hmt/) _2026-08-15 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ This was a week when Aon brought employers all things to all private sector employers All private companies run workplace pension schemes so Aon run a product for every pension saver. The net accessible market for Aon is every employer Continue reading ## [Turning “de-risking”to “growth” through a new pension strategy.](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/15/turning-de-riskingto-growth-through-a-new-pension-strategy/) _2026-08-15 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ There is a story that Andy Smith is brace tell. He is an independent consultant and though he has skin in the game, his honesty is commendable. The de-risking of DB pensions through the buy-in/out of insurers is slowing. I Continue reading ## [Iain Clacher and John Greenwood ; funded pensions – investing in private markets.](https://henrytapper.com/2026/08/14/iain-clacher-and-john-greenwood-funded-pensions-investing-in-private-markets/) _2026-08-14 · henry tapper · AgeWage: Making your money work as hard as you do_ It is governance, scale and expertise – not mandation – that will deliver good private market returns. And schemes must beware zombie continuation vehicles, says Professor Iain Clacher. John Greenwood hears why in one of the articles of the year Continue reading ## [Portfolio Spotlight: AEROC — Giving Enhanced Rock Weathering Its Eyes](https://carbondrawdown.substack.com/p/portfolio-spotlight-aeroc-giving) _2026-08-06 · Carolina Rabini · CDR Updates from Carbon Drawdown Initiative_ This series highlights the companies Carbon Drawdown Initiative has invested in. ## [Carbon Drawdown Initiative Touches 5-10% of the CDR Workforce. Here’s What That Means.](https://carbondrawdown.substack.com/p/carbon-drawdown-initiative-touches) _2026-08-05 · Carolina Rabini · CDR Updates from Carbon Drawdown Initiative_ One in ten people working in carbon removal is connected to our portfolio. I'm proud of that number, but it also tells a bigger story. ## [Portfolio Spotlight: CREW Turns Wastewater into a Carbon Sink](https://carbondrawdown.substack.com/p/portfolio-spotlight-crew-turns-wastewater) _2026-07-30 · Carolina Rabini · CDR Updates from Carbon Drawdown Initiative_ This series highlights the companies Carbon Drawdown Initiative has invested in. ## [The Inflation Compass Model](https://cssanalytics.wordpress.com/2026/07/27/the-inflation-compass-model/) _2026-07-27 · david varadi · CSSA_ by David Varadi, MBA, CFA When inflation shifts from low to high, a traditional 60/40 equity-and-bond allocation breaks down because both fall together. You need real assets to act as the ballast. — Ray Dalio Inflation is one of the most powerful forces in asset allocation—and one of the hardest to measure in real time.Everyone \[ \] ## [\[RESEND\] Where does the CO₂-removal potential of enhanced weathering actually go?](https://carbondrawdown.substack.com/p/resend-where-does-the-co-removal) _2026-07-20 · Dirk Paessler · CDR Updates from Carbon Drawdown Initiative_ THIS IS A CORRECTION: Earlier today we unfortunately sent out an old version of this article. ## [To produce high weathering effects, we turned our greenhouse "up to 11": but where on Earth would that be?](https://carbondrawdown.substack.com/p/to-produce-high-weathering-effects) _2026-07-18 · Dirk Paessler · CDR Updates from Carbon Drawdown Initiative_ When we set up our greenhouse experiment in 2023 we deliberately maximised weathering to get the strongest possible signal: we turned every dial to "11", soil held at 19–30 °C, plants growing throughout the year, and we aimed for a lavish ~2,000 mm of irrigation a year (in summer we even had to apply up to 4000 mm, because otherwise we would not have collected enough leachate to measure carbon… ## [Jumping back in the pool(ing): testing pooling by asset class and portfolio weight distance](https://qoppac.blogspot.com/2026/07/jumping-back-in-pooling-testing-pooling.html) _2026-07-03 · Rob Carver · This Blog is Systematic_ This is post #10 in my 2026 series on portfolio optimisation. Time for a quick recap. I'm not going to revisit every post but instead summarise what I now think one should be doing when optimising forecast weights before costs (I haven't yet incorporated costs, nor thought about instrument weights). Pool all instrument returns together At a minimum use a 40 year EWM for SR estimates (and… ## [Is 2026 the Year European Carbon Removal Policy Finally Breaks Through?](https://carbondrawdown.substack.com/p/is-2026-the-year-european-carbon) _2026-07-01 · Carolina Rabini · CDR Updates from Carbon Drawdown Initiative_ A Symposium highlight from the Negative Emissions Platform's Secretary General and why his answer matters for the whole industry ## [Rolling, rolling, rolling.... updating statistical estimates yes or no](https://qoppac.blogspot.com/2026/06/rolling-rolling-rolling-updating.html) _2026-06-29 · Rob Carver · This Blog is Systematic_ The mega blog post series on portfolio optimisation continues! A couple of posts ago, here , I looked at using the idea of formal testing for structural breaks in parameter estimates. Important parameters like Sharpe Ratio (SR). Because stuff like this happens: This is the pre-cost performance of the momentum4 rule on CORN. The formal test found a structural break in 1989. It's fair to say the… ## [One of These Things (Is Not Like the Others). Or is it? Pooling rule p&l estimates across instruments.](https://qoppac.blogspot.com/2026/06/one-of-these-things-is-not-like-others.html) _2026-06-29 · Rob Carver · This Blog is Systematic_ This is the eighth post in a series I'm writing on portfolio optimisation. I haven't done one of these for a few posts, so here is the story so far: In the first post I showed that if you are optimising across forecasts from different trading rules and instruments, then you should first fit within; and then across, instruments. As I do anyway. In my second post I ran some experiments with… ## [A Tour of Our CDR Greenhouse Experiment](https://carbondrawdown.substack.com/p/a-tour-of-our-cdr-greenhouse-experiment) _2026-06-25 · Carolina Rabini · CDR Updates from Carbon Drawdown Initiative_ The welcome talk we gave at our greenhouse — for everyone who couldn't be there. ## [Three Observations from the Carbon Drawdown Symposium](https://carbondrawdown.substack.com/p/three-observations-from-the-carbon) _2026-06-23 · Carolina Rabini · CDR Updates from Carbon Drawdown Initiative_ Progress, open questions, and what comes next. ## [Breaking Badly: finding the structural breaks in parameter estimates](https://qoppac.blogspot.com/2026/06/breaking-badly-finding-structural.html) _2026-06-23 · Rob Carver · This Blog is Systematic_ Here's a nice picture from a lovely book written by a top bloke : It shows the cumulative p&l from different speeds of momentum over time (for portfolios containing 102 instruments) over 50 years of data. Notice how the two fastest speeds (2&4) get worse in the second half of the sample. I've called the line #2 here the 'second most famous hockey stick graph in history'. It certainly looks like… ## [To Cluster Or Not To Cluster That is the Question...](https://qoppac.blogspot.com/2026/06/to-cluster-or-not-to-cluster-that-is.html) _2026-06-18 · Rob Carver · This Blog is Systematic_ This is the sixth (!) post in a series I'm writing on portfolio optimisation. A quick reminder of the story so far: In the first post I showed that if you are optimising across forecasts from different trading rules and instruments, that the rules within an instrument cluster naturally together, suggesting you should first fit within; and then across, instruments. Luckily, this is what I've always… ## [Honey I shrunk the weights (instead of the inputs!)](https://qoppac.blogspot.com/2026/06/honey-i-shrunk-weights-instead-of-inputs.html) _2026-06-17 · Rob Carver · This Blog is Systematic_ TLDR: This is a post about something that doesn't work. So don't read if you only care about cherry picked delightful backtests. This is my fifth post in a rapid fire intense series on portfolio optimisation. In my last post I looked at the optimal amount of shrinkage to use with real data, when running a bayesian methodology for mean variance optimisation. I found two things. Firstly, the optimal…