The stock market collapse led to political tensions between generations due to the fuzzy definition of the property rights over the pension funds’ wealth. The problem is best resolved by the introduction of generational accounts. Modern consumption and portfolio theory shows that the younger...

The aim of this article is to evaluate the effectiveness of voluntary pension savings plans in Poland, based on the principles of operation and rates of return of voluntary pension funds (pol. Dobrowolne Fundusze Emerytalne, DFE). The selection of those funds from a whole range of solutions...

Companies that freeze defined benefit pension plans save the equivalent of 13.5 percent of the long-horizon payroll of current employees. Furthermore, firms with higher prospective accruals are more likely to freeze their plans. Cost savings would not be possible in a benchmark model in which i)...

We introduce and analyze a novel collective defined contribution plan (CDC) which guarantees upon retirement at least a target benefit as a lump sum. The guarantee is provided by the remaining working generations under a pre-determined linear intergenerational risk sharing (IRS) rule.Through a...

In most OECD countries, the structure of the pension system does not give much potential for individual choice. The Swiss pension system is a particularly interesting case in this respect. Switzerland relies heavily on privately-managed, fully-funded pensions, which employers are obliged to...

Setting an adequate level for the fees charged by pension fund administrators is a key design element for policymakers when establishing a second pension pillar. A proper balance between the interest of future pensioners and the ones of administrators is required, but an optimal level of fees is...

We use historical particularities of pension funding law to investigate whether managers of U.S. corporate defined benefit pension plan sponsors strategically use regulatory freedom to lower the reported value of pension liabilities, and hence required cash contributions. For some years, pension...

The heavy reliance of Australian superannuation funds on service providers enables these entities to play an important role in fund operations and have a significant influence on the costs and investment performance of superannuation funds. The use of service providers creates a nexus of...

We examine the investment performance of over 160 thousand U.S. private pension plans. We find significant economies of scale in performance and administrative expenses, which are more prominent for defined benefit (DB) plans than for defined contribution (DC) plans. DC plans outperform...