A retiree with a savings account balance, but without a pension, is confronted with an important investment decision that has to satisfy two conflicting objectives. Without a pension, the function of the savings is to provide post-employment income to the retiree. At the same time, most retirees...

This paper examines the characteristics of three funding strategies for pension plans and analyzes the investment strategies that complement these strategies. Although the primary focus is on defined benefit plans, which include Social Security, it also applies to employees’ defined...

Stress testing is a useful and increasingly popular, yet sometimes misunderstood, method of analyzing the resilience of financial systems to adverse events. This paper aims to help demystify stress tests and illustrate their strengths and weaknesses. Using an Excel-based template with...

This 2009 survey-based study describes how large global funds manage investment risk from strategy to implementation. In total, fifty-eight funds with assets aggregating to almost U$2 trillion participated in the survey. Almost all large funds (over U$25 billion) use some form of risk budgeting,...

This paper explores the introduction of collective risk-sharing elements in defined contribution pension contracts. We consider status-contingent, age-contingent and asset contingent risk-sharing arrangements. All arrangements raise aggregate welfare, as measured by equivalent variations. While...

This paper explores the introduction of collective risk-sharing elements in defined contribution pension contracts. We consider status-contingent, age-contingent and asset contingent risk-sharing arrangements. All arrangements raise aggregate welfare, as measured by equivalent variations. While...

Failure to take account of the mismatch between the assets in defined --benefit pension plans -- primarily equities -- and the liabilities -- deferred fixed annuities -- has long been a major unrecognized source of financial instability. The underfunding problems now facing state and local...