Description: The author speculates that the world wide promulgation of fair value accounting standards will make the normal shape of the rate curve downward sloping rather than the upward sloping curve that is normally seen. The author explains why this trend is expected.

Description: This session discussion is about the various pension plan issues which must be considered when buying, selling, or merging a company, including: - Funding issues, - Plan design for a merged or successor plan - Eligibility, coverage, and participation issues - FASB accounting issues - Comparability of plans - Legal and actuarial requirements. From Record of the Society of Actuaries Vol. 15, No. 3B.

Description: This is a panel discussion session on the future of defined benefit pension plans, including trends in termination, attitudes of sponsors, legislative changes, impact of economic factors, and FASB reporting requirements. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 9, No. 3.

Description: This paper uses economic principles to analyze alternative recognition schemes for end-of-period retirement plan liabilities the candidates, using U.S. nomenclature, are the vested benefit obligation VBO, the accumulated benefit obligation ABO and the projected benefit obligation PBO.

Description: A controversial alternative to ERISA/FASB actuarial cost methods and assumptions is presented as a challenge from the discipline of financial economics. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Volume 27, No. 1, Session 37PD of the Dallas Spring Meeting.

Description: This paper discusses the limits placed on actuarial pension practice since the passage of ERISA. From The Pension Forum, January 2003, Volume 15, Issue No. 1.

Description: What would we do if we could start pension funding all over? Would we have minimums, maximums, solvency-based contributions, the PBGC? What does financial economics say about how plans ought to be financed? From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 30, No. 3.

Description: This paper demonstrates that cash balance plans should invest all of their assets in taxable fixed-income securities and credit employee account balances with the total return on an equity index. From Cash Balance Symposium Monograph, M-RS02-3.

Description: This discussion from the 1983 SOA Vancouver Meeting looks at recent developments in pensions for the United States including TEFRA and Section 415 limits on defined benefit and defined contribution plans, the taxation of social security benefits, and FASB views on pension assets and liabilities. From Record of Society of Actuaries, Vol. 9, No. 3.

Description: Presented at June 2002 Spring Meeting. Panelists discuss current understanding of interest rate issues in pension plans, recent regulatory changes, adaptation to these changes and possible direction of additional legislation.