Pensions

Understanding the pension and benefit plans of seller organizations is an important part of any acquisition, yet many companies report having less time to complete this due diligence.

State Street Corp. agreed to buy General Electric Co.’s asset management unit for as much as $485 million in cash to expand alternative investments such as private equity and real estate.

In a competitive M&A environment, purchasers are becoming more willing to take on pension and post-retiree medical obligations, finds new Mercer research.

Commentary: The consequences of moving away from simpler, less sophisticated mortality improvement scales that change infrequently in favor of scales that depend heavily on recent data.

Deficits rose for both single-employer and multiemployer programs, a new report finds. Yet, the pension community is hopeful the new PBGC director will create a better future.

Single-employer premiums are set to increase, which could lead to fewer pension plans, resulting in less demand for DB consultants, ERIC CEO says.

As the U.S. retirement industry shifts its focus from the accumulation of wealth to Americans’ need for a steady stream of retirement income, industry experts search for answers in what other countries are doing.

Commentary: Teetering on the edge of the looming retirement crisis in America, partisan politics are part of the reason we have failed to move up in the rankings, says retirement expert Chad Parks.

Commentary: New statements and interpretations are about to shatter three decades of serenity in pensions like a chair flying through a saloon window, says The Principal’s Mike Clark.

Group pension buy-outs are usually seasonal, with the most activity happening in the fourth quarter, but industry analysts are seeing a trend toward more sales throughout the year.

While it’s widely assumed that defined benefit plans provide better retirement benefits than defined contribution plans that might not always the case.

Commentary: Pension liability risk management is now more critical than ever. If an employer triggers a withdrawal, they need to act within 90 days to preserve their legal rights.

Advisers are needed now more than ever to help individuals reach their retirement goals as employees assume the responsibility of managing their financial future.

Commentary: Bloviating terms have no meaning to plan participants, who simply want to know if their pensions will be delivered as promised.

The Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department have thrown a wrench into the pension de-risking plans of many corporations with new regulations aiming to eliminate the lump-sum payout option for retirees who already are receiving retirement benefits from their defined benefit plans.

Fiduciary responsibility requires the careful selection of default retirement investments. Benefit advisers can add value with knowledgeable advice on qualified default investment alternatives, including through the use of selection tools.

More employers are moving to a holistic benefits education approach that addresses health care and retirement savings at the same time.

The funded status of the 100 largest corporate pensions dropped by $6 billion in March, increasing the deficit to $349 billion, according to the Milliman 100 Pension Funding Index.

The past year was not a good one for the top 100 corporate pensions, according to research by Towers Watson. Falling interest rates and increased liabilities from updated mortality assumptions combined in 2014 to eradicate most of the gains from the previous year, Towers Watson found. The average funded status of the Towers Watson Pension 100 fell from 89% to 81% in 2014, even though plan assets gained in value. One bright note was that plan sponsors…

Top- rated states and localities have shortchanged payments to retirement plans as rallying stocks ease the funding pressure while services such as schools and crumbling infrastructure scream for resources.