Work

Valuing Defined-Benefit Plans

Year: 2003
Type: article
Abstract: We examine issues surrounding the valuation of defined-benefit pension plans including benefit formulas, integration with Social Security, postretirement benefit increases, and default risk. We obtain a reasonible valuation with three key estimates—the level of retirrement benefits, the growth rate of postretirement benefits, and the discount rate. We consider the PBGC guarantee afforded many DB pensions. Usually, benefits are essentially default-risk-free, and the discount rate can be based on Treasury yields. We also offer methodological advances over current approaches. DB valuation is crucially relevant to asset allocation decisions and has litigation implications.
Language: English
Subfield: Finance
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W322943808
FWCI: 1.601
Cites: 14
Cited by: 12
Related to: 10