Useful Links

These are a collection of sites we find useful. We do not necessarily endorse all of the information on these sites, and recommend using them with care, as we do.  Our usual Disclaimer applies.

Please click on one of the following Link types to view further details:

Government bodies | Investment Matters | Miscellaneous | News & Weather | Professional | Reference

• Government bodiesComment
• Acts of parliamentEvery Act since 1988
• Bank of EnglandNews from the Bank including the Quarterly Bulletins and MPC meeting minutes
• DirectgovThe entry portal to all government sites
• DWP consultationsConsultation papers issued by the DWP and responses
• Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)A neat way of keeping tabs on DWP ministers’ speeches … go to Newsroom/Ministers’ Speeches
• Financial Services AuthorityContains information, publications and advice on financial services
• The Government Actuary’s DepartmentProvides advice to the government and is itself a consulting firm. Useful information on public sector pension schemes and demographic data
• HMRC – Pension Scheme ServicesThe pensions branch of the HM Revenue & Customs
• HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)Online versions of HMRC leaflets including self assessment
• HM TreasuryIncluding details of the Budget
• Judgment rulings of the House of LordsIncludes the Preston v Wolverhampton NHS Trust case regarding part-timers
• Office for National StatisticsIncludes latest information on the economy including the usual indices
• Pension Protection Fund (PPF)Created under the Pensions Act 2004, the PPF came into effect from 6 April 2005. For eligible defined benefit pension schemes, the PPF takes responsibility for paying pensions where the sponsoring employers become insolvent
• The Pensions Regulator (TPR)Created under the Pensions Act 2004, with effect from 6 April 2005 the TPR replaces OPRA as the new regulator of UK work-based pension schemes
• Nest Corporation NEST Corporation is the trustee body responsible for overseeing NEST
• TPR: Stakeholder Pensions  Provides information on stakeholder pensions for employers, providers and individuals

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• Investment MattersComment
• Exchange rate lookupCovers most currencies, and allows historical data to be downloaded in csv format for use in Excel
• FSA AnnuitiesOnline open market annuity rates
• FTSE.comIncludes archive of recent index values
• iboxx indicesUseful information on the £ and € bond market including prices and yields
• World currencies and abbreviationsA full listing of world currencies and their official names

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• MiscellaneousComment
• Babel FishTranslation service
• FT Your MoneyThe pensions part includes a pension and annuity calculator
• How stuff worksNo introduction needed
• Symantec AntiVirus hoaxesGives fixes for problematic viruses
• The Big ProjectGives links to just about anything you can think of
• WhatIsExplanation of computing terms

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• News & WeatherComment
• BBC newsOnline version of the BBC News
• BBC Weather forecastsThe most talked about subject in the UK
• FTThe Financial Times – online version
• GuardianOnline version
• IndependentOnline version
• ITNOnline version of Independent Television News
• News NowUpdated every five minutes. Covers world news stories
• ReutersThe news agency
• TelegraphSearchable archive from The Daily Telegraph
• TeletextITV’s text service
• The EconomistComplements the magazine
• The TimesOnline version
• Yahoo UK newsReuters and other newsfeeds

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• ProfessionalComment
• Accounting Standards Board (ASB)Includes Statements of Standard Accounting Practice (SSAPs) and Financial Reporting Standards (FRSs)
• Actuary magazineThe magazine for actuaries published by the Staple Inn Actuarial Society
• Association of Consulting Actuaries (ACA)Discussion papers, press releases, policy statements provided by association members, all of whom are consulting actuaries
• Association of Pensions Lawyers (APL)Information on publications, conferences, seminars etc provided by the association
• Faculty and Institute of ActuariesThe professional bodies for UK actuaries
• International Accounting Standards Board (IASB)News and full details of accounting standards issued by the IASB
• National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF)Gives details of the NAPF’s training courses, conferences and news
• The Pensions Advisory Service (TPAS)Gives information, guidance and help to pension scheme members
• Pensions OmbudsmanGives details of procedures for complaints and disputes in the running of pension schemes
• The Pensions Management Institute (PMI)Provides information for pensions professionals
• The Society of Pension Consultants (SPC)The representative body for a wide range of providers of advice and services to work-based pension schemes and their sponsors
• UK parliament publications search engineCan search on words, dates, speaker’s surname etc.

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• ReferenceComment
• The AA Needs no introduction
• BT Directory Enquiries A free version of the old 192 service, renamed 118500 for short! Use the wildcards * and ?.
• Mappy Equivalent to the AA site for planning journeys in Europe
• National Rail EnquiriesIncludes train timetable within the UK
• Royal Mail Postcode or address finder
• Smooth Hound Search guide for Hotels and Guest Houses in the UK and Worldwide
• StreepMap Alternative to the A-Z
• Thompsons ‘Up My Street ‘Pop in your postcode and see if the ACORN profile fits you!
• The Trainline.com Books train tickets
• Transport for London Information on transport services including tubes and buses
• The Tube All about the London Underground including route planner and ticket prices
• Yell.com Contact details for businesses and services in the UK
• YourDictionary.com US dictionary and thesaurus

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