Mercer DC Master Trust puts your pension savings in safe hands

Mercer is a large global consultancy firm, employing more than 25,000 colleagues in over 40 countries.

At Mercer we have over 25 years’ experience of running master trusts around the world. We’ve been doing it since 2014 in the UK.

The primary role of the Mercer DC Master Trust is to ensure your pension savings are well looked after and to help you fund the retirement you deserve.

If you’re a member of the Mercer DC Master Trust, you can view and manage your retirement savings via our Mercer Money website and app.

Mercer Money can help you see the big picture by letting you securely connect all your financial accounts to create an overview of your finances in near real-time, across all devices.

If you don’t select an investment option in the Mercer DC Master Trust, your retirement savings will be invested in the Mercer SmartPath™.

This investment strategy is designed to build your retirement savings throughout your working life and then gradually reduce your exposure to risk as you approach retirement.

As the date you are due to start taking your retirement savings nears, your savings will be switched to a fund that reflects:

• The way you intend to take your retirement savings
• When you will start to take them

If you prefer to choose your own investments, the Mercer DC Master Trust has you covered. It has a broad fund range that is monitored and regularly updated to reflect Mercer’s best investment ideas.

This includes a choice of funds to suit all attitudes to risk and funds that invest in all the main types of investment assets.

Your retirement savings are invested for a long time and could become one of the most valuable pots of money you have. We recognise that many members care about the wider impact their investments have, which is why the Mercer DC Master Trust only uses funds that are invested responsibly.

Responsible investment ensures that environmental, social & governance (ESG) factors (both risks and opportunities) are taken into consideration when making investment decisions. It is also about engaging with the companies in which your savings are invested.

Consistent with our sustainable investment approach, we have committed to a target of net-zero absolute carbon emissions by 2050¹ for our multi-asset funds and plan to reduce portfolio carbon emissions by at least 45% from 2019 baseline levels by 2030². This includes the Mercer Growth Fund used within our default investment option.

¹Defined as absolute carbon emissions, per $1 million of assets under management and Scope 1&2 emissions.

²Per dollar of assets under management. While the funds continue to maintain an investment objective of seeking long-term growth of capital and income, they also promote environmental characteristics through progressive decarbonisation with a view to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

If you’ve been approached by someone offering to “unlock” your retirement savings before you reach age 55, or promising guaranteed high investment returns if you transfer your pension pot, you’ve probably been contacted by a scammer.

These scams are widespread and have left thousands of Britons out of pocket in their retirement. In 2017 alone, Action Fraud reported hearing from 253 people who, between them, had lost £23 million to pension scammers. That’s an average loss of £91,000 per victim.

If you’ve been tempted by an offer to transfer your pension savings it’s essential you check it’s legitimate. Once you’ve handed over your savings it will probably be too late to act.

The Financial Conduct Authority website fca.org.uk/scamsmart explains how pension scams work, how to avoid them and what to do if you suspect you’re being targeted by a scammer. It also provides a warning list of firms known to be running scams or operating without authorisation.

If you’ve applied to transfer your pension savings elsewhere but are having doubts about the legitimacy of the transaction, contact your plan administrator to see if they’re able to stop the transfer before it takes place.

You should consult an authorised financial adviser before making any irreversible decisions like transferring your pension pot.