Costs and Charges; are we there yet?

When

Tuesday, April 25th from 6pm - 7:30pm BST

Where

Online via Zoom.

Format

There'll be a great line-up of speakers plus ample scope for discussion and debate.

Why You Should Attend...

This event is inspired by the idea that despite ten years or more of activity around the issue of costs and charges in the pensions and investments space, we are still a long way away from investors – both institutional and retail – having access to the clear and intelligible information they need.

Without suitable information on costs and charges, it is not possible to make sufficiently informed decisions; and the bottom line is that opacity on costs and charges continues to drive sub-optimal outcomes. Ultimately, this means poorer returns than might otherwise have been the case. 

Our message is not that minimum costs are best – there are many reasons why the cheapest option may not be the best option. 

Our message is that clients deserve to know what the costs are so that options can be considered and benchmarked, properly, thereby enabling well-informed decisions to be made. 

Why is it taking the pensions and investments sector so long to get something as fundamental as proper costs disclosure to happen?

The Regulators, trade bodies and professional associations have understood the importance of costs disclosure in having a transparent, efficient and fair market for ten years or more. 

So why aren’t we there yet?

If, like us, you want real and meaningful improvements to the way the financial system operates, get involved

Our event is one more step forward in galvanising support for the positive, progressive and purposeful finance reform that is desperately needed.

We’ll be considering a range of questions such as: 

  • Are asset managers finding ways to evade transparency; and if so, is that unprofessional “opportunistic opacity” on their part; or a necessary, innocent and pragmatic response to the shortcomings of the regulations?
  • Are any organisations failing to comply with the rules that are already in place; if so, which ones?
  • Where has the Cost Transparency Initiative got to? – is it stuck in the long grass?
  • What are the Trade Bodies and Professional Associations doing to protect the interests of consumers in relation to costs/charges? – is there a tension between them doing that effectively whilst also caring for the commercial interests of their members?
  • Is it safe to assume that the costs data disclosed is going to be accurate; or should there be independent data verification?
  • Will we ever get to “one single figure” to represent costs? – could we ever have “one single figure” to represent value for money?
  • Is the Ad Valorem fee model becoming obsolete?
  • …and more

 

Here's the programme so far...

Andy Agathangelou

Founder, Transparency Task Force; Governor, Pensions Policy Institute; Chair, Secretariat Committee, APPG on Pension Scams; Chair, Secretariat Committee, APPG on Personal Banking and Fairer Financial Services; Chair of the Violation Tracker UK Advisory Board

 

Des Healey

Defined Contributions Policy Manager, Department for Works and Pensions

 

Further information about the TTF

You can click on the button below to read about the 130+ Transparency Task Force Ambassadors. The list includes world class academics and highly respected thought leaders from right around the world.

Click here to see the TTF Ambassadors

Transparency Task Force Advisory Group

You can click on the button below to read about the Transparency Task Force Advisory Group, which is Chaired by the former Chair of the Financial Conduct Authority’s Financial Services Consumer Panel.

Click here to see the TTF Advisory Group

If you want to read testimonials…

If you haven’t been to one of our events before you can use the link below to read some testimonials:

Click here for Testimonials

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