Welcome to the summer 2008 edition of Foresight.

Already this year, the economic climate has been one of doom and gloom and the signs are that this uncertainty will continue, at least over the short term. So it’s a challenging time in the pensions world for both employers and trustees. This issue addresses the key concerns in pensions and investments, healthcare and risk benefits which are particularly pertinent in our current climate.

On our news pages, we look at the implications of A-day’s fast-approaching deadline and we also examine the Pensions Bill’s proposed introduction of a national system of personal accounts in 2012. With new rules surrounding the calculation of pension transfer values being introduced, Foresight examines the implications, in Beat the transfer deadline.

Governance remains a vital issue in the pensions world and on Plugging the governance gap, Foresight addresses the ‘governance gap’, which will become of increasing concern for employers and trustees alike.

Mercer strongly supports activities such as member communication and on Financial decision making made crystal clear, we highlight why employees must be armed with the right information to make informed financial choices.

Elsewhere in this publication, we take a look at Mercer’s innovative healthcare modelling tool  to help employers better manage insurance premium costs.

We welcome your feedback on this issue of Foresight so that we can continue to make this publication as relevant as possible to the issues you face. Please email foresight@mercer.com with your comments.

Source: This article is an extract from Foresight, Issue 2, 2008.