Practical Guide for the Pension Fund Trustee (ePub)

Trustees play an important role in the management of the retirement fund they are affiliated to. Sadly, many trustees and boards fail to live up to their promise and potential, mainly because they're part-time trustees without a complete understanding of their fiduciary, legal and compliance duties, obligations and responsibilities. Trustees are required to consult with experts on matters that they lack sufficient knowledge in. However, some understanding of the subject matter is required among them in order for the board to assimilate the advice that they are given. The purpose of this book is to combine most of the many fields that trustees are expected to have a knowledge of in one publication, written in easy-to-understand layman's language, that can serve as a guide for the average trustee. The various types of retirement funds and benefits payable inside and outside of the fund are explained. Legislation with regard to minimum benefits, the responsibility of trustees to communicate to members and other stakeholders and what the minimum requirements are for this communication are also discussed. The role, fiduciary responsibility and duties of the board of trustees are carefully unpacked, the various pieces of legislation that the trustees deal with and the role that the rules of the fund play in the fulfilling of their duties are explained. All these are discussed and brought into perspective with the principles of good governance and ethics. And to make the read so much more interesting, the book includes about 50 pages of the principles of investments that a trustee should know. This publication should make trustees and boards less reliant on advice from the so-called experts whose advice leans towards their own interest. It should enable trustees to distinguish between the many excellent, honest and hardworking advisors and the few unscrupulous ones.