Made Simple Guides

This Made Simple Guide looks at the current master trust market and how they compare to other types of DC arrangements. It also provides practical guidance on many of the key points when considering moving to a master trust and the process for doing so.

This guide highlights some of the key areas of private markets portfolio management for DC pension schemes looking to diversify away from traditional asset classes.

This Made Simple Guide provides insights and strategies to help PLSA members meet these standards by explaining the new requirements and offering practical advice for compliance.

Secure Income Made Simple explains the role secure income assets could play in achieving investment goals, especially in times of higher inflation, by addressing cashflow challenges, de-risking investment portfolios, and enhance returns through productive finance.

This guide explains how trustees should consider and prepare for de-risking using buy-ins and buy-outs, with tips for communicating with scheme members.

This guide explains how Cashflow Driven Investment (CDI) can provide both growth and certainty of delivering the required cashflows to meet liabilities as they fall due, without requiring future disinvestment.

This guide, produced in partnership with the AIC, explains the distinctive characteristics of investment companies and answers the key questions trustees might have about this investment vehicle.

This guide explains the process of litigation and its challenges, with case studies for trustees.

This guide will help pensions professionals understand the nature of the cyber threat and take action to ensure they have skills and processes in place to deal with a growing and evolving crime.

Defined Benefit De-risking Made Simple is a guide to the full range of de-risking options on offer. Its aim is to help pension funds choose the most appropriate option for their circumstances.

This guide explores the investment characteristics and opportunities of natural capital and some of the risks that need to be considered.

This guide aims to give you a good working knowledge of the various costs associated with managing a pension scheme, so you can make more informed decisions on behalf of your members.

This guide explains ESG as an investment concept and shows how it can be integrated into the investment strategy and oversight of pension schemes. It includes a glossary of relevant terms, highlights key ESG-promoting organisations and suggests a template for pension schemes to help them create their own ESG policy.

This guide brings the theory of Integrated Risk Management to life and explains, with examples, how it can be used in the context of trustee decision making along the journey to an appropriate endgame.

Long Term Asset Funds (LTAF) Made Simple explores the LTAF structure and demystifies private markets investing to provide trustees with a useful tool to aid discussions with managers and members alike.

Climate change is becoming one of the most important long-term investment risk factors, meaning trustees have an increasing need to measure and manage climate risk and to build climate resilient investment portfolios This guide, sponsored by MSCI, will help you understand how climate change indexes work and how they can help mitigate risk and promote good stewardship.

This guide covers the history, the methods and the roadmap for the future to help trustees prepare for and begin their GMP equalisation project.

This guide introduces the concepts and good practice associated with diversity and inclusion, including practical steps to help promote greater inclusivity.

This guide aims to help pension fund investors understand the role gold could play in pension scheme investment portfolios, looking at diversification, returns and liquidity, as well as covering the ESG and climate risk perspective.

Indices and Benchmarks Made Simple explains the multiple ways in which pension funds can use indices and benchmarks to measure investment performance and determine asset allocation. It also explains how indices can be used to create specialist investment products.

Patient Capital Made Simple aims to demystify the concept of patient capital and private markets investing and provide investors with a useful tool to aid discussions with trustees and members alike.

Multi-Strategy Alternative Credit Made Simple is a concise and informative overview designed to help pension funds understand this approach and how it might help them generate returns.

This free guide aims to help pension schemes become fully compliant with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).