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Defined Benefit Plans amid Market Volatility -- A report prepared in collaboration with Towers Perrin

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Abstract:: Defined benefit plans are here to stay, according to senior finance executives in North America. In CFO Research's second annual study of the pension plan landscape, survey respondents expressed a preference for an incremental approach to pension risk management, rather than drastic changes in plan design, to fulfill their long-term commitments to employees. Amid a fluctuating economic outlook, shifting regulatory and accounting requirements, and a dynamic job market, finance executives plan to focus on risk reduction in these retirement vehicles rather than on large returns. To do so, they plan to remove risk through portfolio management methods, not risk transfer to third parties. Our series of interviews with senior finance executives provides insight into companies' motivation for maintaining defined benefit plans, with a few changes, as well as their investment tactics for the years to come.

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