Press cuttings

  • Professional Pensions – Age discrimination - 05/10/06
    Truestone Employee Benefits expresses concern that not all advisers are guiding clients as to the full impact of the new age discrimination legislation. Whilst changes to high profile areas such as recruitment and redundancy were widely understood, it was less clear that benefits packages were being checked.
  • People Management – Age Discrimination - 12/10/06
    John Deacon of Truestone Employee Benefits explains how the practise of red-circling employee terms following corporate reorganisation may not be possible under new legislation.
  • Human Resources – Pension Pitfalls – 01/11/06 (November issue)
  • Employee Benefits - A Day commentary from John Deacon in feature - 9/11/06
    John Deacon of Truestone contributes to the debate on how A day will affect employers responsibilities to employees. Deacon warns that employers have a responsibility to communicate the new rule to ensure employees are not disadvantaged.
  • Professional Pensions – Corporate confusion over CSR – 30/11/06  
  • Financial Adviser – Passing the buck – 07/12/06
  • Employee Benefits – Anti-ageist rules can hit pensions – 01/01/07
  • Employee Benefits – Who is responsible for CSR? – 01/01/07
    92% of small and medium sized businesses believe CSR has an important role in how a company is run but there is still much debate about who should be responsible for it at the top level.
  • Human Resources – Who’s job is CSR – 01/02/06 (February)
    Mark Markiewicz argues that corporate social responsibility is often best put in the hands of the HR department. He says that success is about winning hearts and minds and HR directors are well placed to do that. Without winning that battle businesses often settle for doing the minimum needed to avoid bad PR.
  • Pensionsnews.com- NPSS is tax on employers,says Truestone- 28/02/07
  • Personnel Today – The ‘ostrich’ approach to the NPSS - 10/04/07
    'The pensions industry has buried its collective head in the sand rather than provide useful comment to HR’. That is the view of Truestone Employee Benefits on the introduction of NPSS. There are a number of areas employers need to start thinking about including the potential competition between existing DC pension schemes and the new account. Auto enrolment and scheme charges in particular need addressing.
  • The Times – For the high rollers among you – 03/02/06
  • FTAdviser.com – Social investment gains in popularity – 14/02/07
  • FT – When philanthropy meets profit making – 17/02/07
    Paul Szkiler of Truestone explains the role of microfinance organisations in the investment market. These opportunities are moving into the mainstream investment market delivering benefits to those who cannot access capital from other sources but also providing returns which need to be taken seriously.
  • Investment Adviser – Truestone finds investors are more keen to go green – 19/02/07
    The Co-operative Financial Services research shows 67% of ISA investors are considering investing in schemes that offer a positive environmental benefit. Paul Szkiler of Truestone concurs that an increasing number of Truestone clients are allocating part of their portfolio to investments with wider social benefits. 
  • Financial Adviser – Appetites assessed – 22/02/07
    Truestone chairman, Paul Szkiler announces plans to run a pilot scheme amongst clients to assess the demand for social investments. To date there appears to be considerable levels of interest.
  • Investment Adviser – What’s my motivation? – 05/03/07
    Paul Szkiler explains the role of social enterprises and the increasing demand for socially motivated investing amongst Truestone clients. These are investments that offer a double bottom line in that they provide both social and financial returns
  • Financial Adviser – Crash and burn – 08/03/07
    Ian Handley of Truestone says that agreeing mortgages purely on an affordability basis is not sustainable. Increases in mortgage rates may destabilise the market.
  • The Times – Rich environment for investors – 17/07/07
  • Mortgage Introducer –Rethink on housing association funding – 19/03/07
    Ian Handley of Truestone believes that the government are rethinking the way housing associations are funded. He believes that the government may be seeking involvement from private lenders whilst taking on some of the financial risk itself.
  • Mortgage Introducer – Lenders ‘blinkered’ by BTL trusts – 19/03/07
    Ian Handley of Truestone and Ray Boulger of John Charcol are surprised that so few mortgage lenders are providing buy-to-let trusts. Ian sees the advantages for wealthy parents to help get their children on the property ladder.
  • Daily Mirror – Budget (IHT comment) – 22/03/07
  • The Sun – Budget (IHT comment) – 22/03/07
  • Irish News – Budget (IHT comment) – 22/03/07
    Ian Handley points out the impact of inheritance tax on those who have owner their homes outright for five to ten years. The chancellors increases in IHT allowances are illogical when placed alongside house price inflation.
  • Argus Lite – Budget (IHT comment) – 24/03/07
    The move by the chancellor to increase IHT allowances from £285,000 - £350,000 will barely keep pace with RPI let alone house price inflation says Ian Handley of Truestone.
  • Investment Adviser – More than ½ will ponder on ethicals – 26/03/07
    Paul Szkiler reveals that 50% of clients approached said they would be interested in allocating up to 10% of their portfolio to socially motivated investments. Quadris, Belu Water and Café Direct have attracted the interest of Truestone clients.
  • Pensions Management – UK hears Gore’s message – 01/04/07
    Al Gore would have been pleased to find out about the pilot being run by Truestone to offer clients the opportunity to place part of their investment portfolios into companies such as Quadris which is buying back rainforests to create sustainable hardwood production.
Audit, Strategy, Implementation, Communication