Related links: http://www.richmondfed.org/publications/research/region_focus/2010/q3/cover_weblinks.cfm

Motivated by a continuous debate on pension plan shortfalls and a concern for the long-term viability of defined benefit pension plans, CGA-Canada saw a fit to update its estimate of the standing of defined benefit pension plans presented in its 2004 report titled "Addressing the Pensions...

The purpose of this paper is to advance understanding of defined benefit pension plans in Canada by focusing on important questions related to the funding, accounting and policy aspects of management of defined benefit pension plans. As well, the paper aims to impart a reasonable estimate of the...

This paper assesses the relative performance of different investment strategies for different structures of the payout phase. In particular, it looks at whether the specific glide-path of life-cycle investment strategies and the introduction of dynamic features in the design of default...

The issue of under-funded defined benefit (DB) pension plans has become one of the most perplexing financial issues facing business executives, legislators and Canadian pensioners who are or will in the future be reliant on pension income as an important component of their overall retirement...

This paper analyses the UK market for Defined Benefit (DB) pension buyouts and considers its implications for the USA. A DB pension fund buyout refers to a transaction in which a pension plan sponsor pays another company a fee to take over the assets and liabilities of the pension plan. Using...

Many baby boom era workers, those born between 1946 and 1962, count on various retirement benefits accumulated during their working years to ensure adequate resources as they grow older. A man turning 65 today can expect to live to age 83; a woman to age 85, according to Social Security...

China’s household saving rate has increased markedly since the mid-1990s and the age-savings profile has become U-shaped. We find that rising income uncertainty and pension reforms help explain both of these phenomena. Using a panel of Chinese households covering the period 1989-2006, we...

A key question in Canada’s pensions debate is whether Canadians will be able to maintain their living standards in retirement, and if policy needs to respond to the risk that some will experience painful declines.To date, it has been very difficult to estimate how current trends might affect...

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...