Description: This article discusses the use of financial economics in managing pension plans and warns of issues with rapid change in this area.

Description: This article discusses the need for a better strategy for defined benefit pension plans. While pension costs per se can be considered independently of investment strategy, the volatility of costs cannot. Many defined benefit plan sponsors are acutely aware of this volatility and are freezing or terminating their defined benefit pension plans. From Pension Section News, September 2006, No. 62.

Description: This paper calls for a reconsideration of ASOP 27 in the wake of the scandals that began with Enron and have rocked the world of finance. The paper argues for a tighter standard, perhaps based on the different approach taken in ASOP 35. From Current Pension Actuarial Practice in Light of Financial Economics Symposium, M-RS04-1.

Description: This is an Excel workbook containing links to papers, articles and newsletters which are useful to the study of the principles of finance and their application to pension plans. Topics include accounting, assumptions/methods, actuarial standards, behavioral economics, design, financial economics, full funding, immunization, investments, minimum funding, market value, pension finance, PBGC, risk, and traditional defined benefit view. For each document listed in the workbook, its abstract or a short synopsis is also included to help the user choose appropriate readings.

Description: Pension Forecasts, Part One: Some Questions by Lawrence N. Bader from Risks and Rewards Newsletter, February 2001, Issue No. 36.

Description: This paper concludes that there are two index rates that could best replace the 30-year Treasury in the calculation of the Current Liability of a pension plan - either the 30 year swap rate or the benchmark 30-year FNMA bond.

Description: This Excel spreadsheet will perform examples of the tax arbitrage described in Section 4 of the 'Pension Actuary's Guide to Financial Economics' and should only be used in conjunction with the guide.

Description: Update to the SOA's longitudinal analysis of contributions among state-based and large-city pension plans in the U.S.

Description: This paper explores practical methods to hedge the fair value of pension scheme liabilities against changes in market conditions. From Current Pension Actuarial Practice in Light of Financial Economics Symposium, M-RS04-1.

Description: This paper discusses whether the use of relatively risk-free discount rates are appropriate under assumptions of substantial continuation of plan design and greatly increasing per capita payments, when the plan sponsor can dramatically change future cash flows. From Current Pension Actuarial Practice in Light of Financial Economics Symposium, M-RS04-1.