Description: The purpose of this paper is to explore pension plan metrics— – measuring the behavior of a defined- benefit pension plan in an uncertain environment. Our goal is to measure and evaluate the quantitative impact of competing policy choices. We proceed by investigating some basic pension metrics, evaluating the characteristics of each using a simulated pension plan. We find that some typical metrics— – such as the mean and standard deviation— – are useful only in certain circumstances and that other less traditional measurements are sometimes better suited to evaluating policy choices.

Description: This panel discussion from the 1977 Record of the SOA Vol.3 No. 3 involves plan design problems, technical aspects of handling the Funding Standard Account, and reporting and disclosure of individual policy pension trusts.

Description: Updated metrics for measuring financial stress among multiemployer pension plans in the United States.

Description: A frustrating aspect of pension funding rules for U.S. plan sponsors is that contribution requirements are adversely correlated with business cycles. For example, not only did plan sponsors get hit with large contribution requirements in the perfect storm of the early 2000s, but many sponsors were prohibited from contributing in the late 1990s boom due to full funding limitations. This is the abstract of a paper that proposes that plan sponsors be allowed to contribute the normal cost as a deductible contribution each year. In hindsight, this would have allowed plan sponsors to pay for benefits as they accrued in the late 1990s and ultimately mitigated some of the crash of the early 2000s. The authors aim to demonstrate that a contribution policy allowing contributions to be at least equal to the normal cost will result in less volatility of contributions and improve the funded status over time.

Description: This paper analyzes the likely increase in volatility for a representative plan and then considers the implications of adopting a hedged portfolio as a means of reducing the increased volatility. It then analyzes the effects of adopting a stochastic funding method which represents a simple extension of traditional expected value funding methods. From The Future of Pension Plan Funding and Disclosure Monograph, M-RS05-1.

Description: Essay reforming healthcare where participants have a vested interest in reaching the best answer.

Description: Presented at June 1996 Spring Meeting. This session examines both the rules and practitioners' experience in implementing rules enacted with GATT: reportable events, PBGC notification of financial status, participant notification for underfunded plans.

Description: This paper presents a procedure that can be used to find an efficient frontier for the variability in the contribution rates for pension plans. From the Actuarial Research Clearing House, January 1996, VOL. 1.

Description: This paper presents an analysis indicating that an asset level of 50 to 105 percent of annual OASDI expenditures generally would be sufficient to cover the effects of adverse economic conditions for about 5 to 10 years. A discussion of this paper is included.

Description: This session discussion is about what constitutes an adequately funded plan? It depends on your viewpoint. The session examines adequate funding from four different perspectives. From Record of the Society of Actuaries Vol. 14, No. 1.