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The Stockton, Calif., municipal bankruptcy may provide a dangerous precedent for how public pension plan members are treated relative to other obligations, such as bondholders.

Marked-to-market pension accounting is not gaining popularity these days. Financial statements that use the principles of marked-to-market pension accounting show growing pension liabilities that are virtually meaningless. Funding regulations that use the principles require painful contribution

The cardinal rule of investing is, “know what you are buying.” In no other asset class do investors so plainly ignore this rule as with the equity of banking conglomerates.

A renewed rash of headlines around the country is thrusting the finger of blame at public pension plans for ongoing state and local government fiscal ills, from budget shortfalls to municipal bankruptcies. Focusing narrowly on one small part of a very big picture makes it easy enough to demonize ...

With the Presidential debates under way, election season should now move from the phase of ideological chest-pounding to a more substantive discussion of the path toward economic recovery.

Institutional investors should be concerned with the impact that repeated sanction violations by financial institutions might have on valuations and portfolios.

As government bond yields continue to fall to new lows in several developed market economies, most obviously in the U.S. and the U.K., the impact on pension liabilities has been acute. How regulators are responding and moving to alleviate the effect of ever lower yields on the funded status of ...

The University of Notre Dame's endowment provides nearly $100 million in financial aid annually to help students pay for college. Less than a generation ago, in 1990, the number was around $5 million. We've been able to keep pace with the rapidly growing financial needs of our students, in part, by

In the debate between economists and actuaries over how to value public sector pension liabilities, it seems we cannot even agree on the simple things.

The EU has been following its dream of a united Europe in the face of conservative nationalistic forces.

The White House Council of Economic Advisors in a recent report, “Supporting Retirement for American Families,” expressed concern that the shift to defined contribution plans from traditional defined benefit plans diminished the prevalence of lifetime income benefits and increased the risk that ...

The mantra of advocates of the switch to DC plans from DB is loud and consistent: “These changes need to be made to cut the cost of retirement benefits.”