Barker Tatham: Pension Investment Consultancy for Small UK Schemes

BIG THINKING
for Your Small Pension Schemes

Barker Tatham: Providing you with strategic investment advice and managing risk on behalf of pension schemes.

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Defined Benefit Pension Schemes

There are ares within your investment strategy that could perform better, we know.

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Defined Contribution Pension Schemes

Trustees of defined contribution schemes should give greater attention to developing a suitable default strategy.

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Barker Tatham: Ensuring big returns for small pension schemes

Finding sound advice on effective investments for small pension schemes can be a challenge. That is why Barker Tatham focuses specifically on helping trustees and companies sponsoring small UK pension schemes for their employees. (For an explanation of what we mean by “small”, see our FAQ.)

Risk

If you want to reduce your risk, we can help you.

Returns

If you want to increase your expected returns, we can help you.

Risk and Returns

If you want to do both at the same time we can help you do this too.

How do we do this?

By identifying and removing those risks that your scheme is not paid to take, and keeping or increasing those risks that lead to high rewards. At Barker Tatham we have a passion for working with small schemes and have developed our approach specifically to suit their needs.

Speak to us about your pension investments

We focus on the most important issues

For trustees of small pension schemes, budget and time are often tight. Barker Tatham help you make the most of your resources by focusing on what matters most: asset allocation.

Research shows that asset allocation is the single biggest factor influencing pension returns, accounting for over 93% of the difference. We make sure the advice you get is cost-effective and valuable, avoiding complex strategies that aren’t suitable for smaller schemes.

We provide clear advice

When it comes to your investments, we won’t “sit on the fence.” We provide clear recommendations and explain the reasoning behind them, including other options you could consider.

We make sure all our advice is easy to understand. We even use professional editors to simplify complex financial terms into plain English, because we know that’s not always an actuary’s strong suit.

What Our Customers Say

Our clients trust our expertise and advice. Here’s what they have to say…

I work with Barker Tatham as investment advisers on two pension schemes on which I am a Trustee. They were recommended to me by a colleague, and I am very happy that I made the decision to appoint them.
Key attributes are
Their advice is clear, well-presented and understandable to the 'lay trustees' on the Boards of Trustees as well as being sufficiently sophisticated to match the demands expected of our investments.
Their analysis is thorough, but their solutions are not overly complicated and especially appropriate for small/medium sized pension schemes.
Their training is excellent, engaging, informative and fun.
They offer a cost-effective solution, again appropriate for small/medium sized schemes.
Overall, an excellent business, offering good quality, independent advice.

Barker Tatham has been an invaluable partner to our Scheme for over a decade. When they first began working with us in 2012, the Scheme was significantly underfunded, at around 75% on an ongoing basis. Through their expert guidance, strategic advice, strong support and diligent investment monitoring, they helped us steadily improve our funding position over the years.
Most recently, Barker Tatham supported us in securing a successful buy-in of our liabilities with an insurer. Their professionalism, expertise, and commitment to delivering the best results for the Scheme have been evident throughout our longstanding relationship.
I would recommend Barker Tatham to any Trustee looking for trusted investment consultancy services.

Clark & Butcher have been very pleased with the performance of our investments over the last 4 years, which ultimately has allowed the Pension Scheme to complete a Buy-in transaction in December 2024. When the Buy-in / Buy-out became a possibility and the Company decided to agree with the Trustees and pursue this, a hedging arrangement was put in place for over 6 months. This worked very well and maintained the scheme's surplus allowing the transaction to proceed.
Over the years, clear reports about markets and investment performance were provided together with attendance at Trustee meetings to explain these reports.
I would recommend Barker Tatham as ultimately the steady investment performance allowed the Trustees to reach the possibility of achieving a full Buy-out within the next 12 months.”

Barker Tatham have worked with us as our investment advisers for our Money Purchase Pension Scheme arrangements for over 5 years, during which time they also provided help and support with strategy reviews, SIPs and Implementation Statements. We have been more than happy with their services throughout this period.

Barker Tatham’s crystal-clear advice, proactive support, and efficient transitioning of assets, makes the trustees’ role more straightforward than is often the case. A rare breed amongst investment consultants. A pleasure to work with and highly recommended.

GP Investment Consultants have provided our pension scheme with well informed investment advice and high-quality administrative support. Their investment reports reveal a depth of knowledge and insight and are well presented, even when having to deliver them at short notice. I would have no hesitation in recommending their services.

What I like about Barker Tatham is that they genuinely understand the needs of smaller schemes. Firstly, they quite rightly work on the basis that smaller schemes tend to have all the problems of larger ones. Secondly, they recognise that smaller schemes need solutions that reflect the time, governance and resource issues that they may face. Thirdly, they deliver cost effective strategic solutions tailored to the specifics of each scheme.

Fixed costs give you control

Trustees for smaller pension schemes are rightly concerned about fees. While frequent, in-person meetings can be effective, they are also costly and time-consuming—and often not a good fit for schemes under £50 million.

We offer a smarter alternative: high-quality investment advice through a series of cost-effective tools and packages. You get fixed, predictable costs and only pay for the services you need, when you need them. This approach saves you both time and money.

We focus on what's special about your scheme

Much of the investment advice out there is generic. For example, the core principles of active versus passive management are the same for everyone. So, we’ve made that information free and accessible on our website at barkertatham.com.

This allows us to focus our time and expertise on what really matters: developing a specific investment strategy that’s tailored to your scheme’s unique needs.

Awards & Recognition

Professional Pensions: Investment Consultancy of the Year

Finalist ten out of eleven years from 2014 to 2024.
Highly commended 2015.

Pension Age: Pensions Consultant of the Year

Finalist nine out of ten years from 2016 to 2025.

Workplace Saving and Benefits

Pensions Consultant of the Year - Finalist all eight years from 2018 to 2025.
10 Years of Excellence in Employee Benefits Award - Finalist.

European Pensions Award: European Pensions Consultant of the Year

Finalist in all eight years from 2018 to 2025.