Description: Understanding U.S. defined-benefit plan annual funding notice definitions and what they are meant to represent is a key to understanding how “healthy” or “unhealthy” a pension plan is. This article offers a description of several types of funded status measurements and their applications under the rules mandated by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service to fund private employer-sponsored defined-benefit pension plans.

Description: This session dealt with pension fund investments with respect to the following discussion topics: A. In May, 1962, there was a drastic fall in stock prices. What effect, if any, did this have on a objectives as to the proportion of pension funds invested in equities and b methods of valuing equity pension assets for pension- fund valuation purposes? B. Where pension funds are invested in a pooled or commingled account what special problems are encountered in asset valuation for pension-fund valuation purposes as distinguished from investments held in an individual separate account or trust?

Description: Asia is experiencing changing demographic, social, and cultural tides which threaten to submerge existing retirement-pension systems.

Description: This article presents the background around the Post Retirement Needs and Risk call for essays focused on: (1) defined contribution plan risk management strategies; (2) decumulation strategies for retirement and (3) long-term care financing. The important essays from that exercise are presented in this Pension Section News publication along with interviews of the winning authors.

Description: This article discusses index separate accounts and their use by insurance companies for group pension clients, including product design and regulatory developments.