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2. Funding Pension Plans

Falling equity markets and interest rates have devastated a number of pension funds around the world over the past few years. In 1999, the S&P 500 Index companies enjoyed a collective pension surplus of $250 billion; by 2003 they faced a deficit of $168 billion. These circumstances highlight the weaknesses of the current funding practices for corporate defined benefits plans. This edition of Scholarly Works addresses the under-funding issue: its origins, the present situation and what lies ahead.

Our Picks

Blackburn, Robin. (2005). Pensions: Challenges and Choices: The First Report of the Pension Commission. The Political Quarterly Publishing Co. (pdf 132kb)

Schieber, S.J. (2004). Pensions in Crisis. Pensions: An International Journal, 9(3), 212-226. (pdf 2.7mb)

Stewart, G.B. (2003). Pension roulette: Have you bet too much on equities? Harvard Business Review, 81(6), 104-109. (pdf 1.5mb)

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