Description: Recent meetings on financial economics have promoted the idea of an all bond asset allocation. Financial economics calls us to take a corporate-centric, rather than plan-centric approach to pension asset allocation selection. However, we can also learn about the risk of investing in stocks by using some traditional actuarial tools, like measuring the "probability of ruin".

Description: This paper takes the position that a truly transparent pension accounting expense could be developed to produce superior reporting that reflects experience as it occurs. Contributions could also be based on some asset and liability information about the pension plan, but with flexibility to allow for more controllable and stable contributions. From Current Pension Actuarial Practice in Light of Financial Economics Symposium, M-RS04-1.

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: Employers and investors have suffered recently from taking too much investment risk inside their defined benefit DB plans, producing calls for more transparent accounting. Some employers have tried to eliminate this pension risk by moving to defined contribution DC plans. From Pension Section News, January 2005, Issue No. 57. However, this is not the only, or even the best, option available. From Pension Section News, January 2005, Issue No. 57.

Description: A plan sponsor asked me a very interesting question. He noted that if we looked back at where we were 10 years ago, we would find that we set out anticipating a certain level of expected return on the pension portfolio. Had we gone to sleep and woke up 10 years ago, we would find that we set out anticipating a certain level of expected return on the pension portfolio.

Description: This article looks at the risk of investing in stocks by using traditional actuarial tools, such as measuring the probability of ruin. From Pension Section News, September 2004, Issue No. 56.

Description: This paper will describe why self-insurance is less attractive with transparent-accounting rules, and the will examine two strategies an employer can execute to reduce the plan's and the plan participant's risks.

Description: Abstract of Managing Volatility in a Mark-to-Market World: The Stochastic Funding Method presented at The Future of Pension Plan Funding and Disclosure Symposium held July 14-15, 2005 in Washington, DC.

Description: Full version of Pension Section News, Issue No. 57, January 2005.