The Milliman Actuarial Retirement Calculator (MARC) is a pension administration and communication tool for pension plan sponsors. The system offers data storage, benefit calculation, correspondence management, a participant website, and more.
In this video, Milliman’s Kevin Hicks explains some of MARC’s benefits. He also showcases MARC’s participant website.
To learn more about MARC, click here.
The 100 largest U.S. corporate pension plans experienced a minuscule funding improvement of 0.1% in 2015, according to the Milliman 2016 Pension Funding Study (PFS). The aggregate funded ratio increased from 81.7% to 81.8% based on a $75.8 billion decrease in the market value of plan assets and a $94.5 billion decrease in the projected benefit obligation (PBO). This resulted in an $18.7 billion improvement in funded status.
In this Milliman Hangout, PFS coauthor Zorast Wadia discusses the results of the study with Amy Resnick, editor of Pensions & Investments.
To read the entire study, click here.
The funded status of the 100 largest corporate defined benefit pension plans worsened by $16 billion during July, as measured by the Milliman 100 Pension Funding Index (PFI). The deficit rose to $261 billion, which was primarily due to a decrease in the benchmark corporate bond interest rates used to value pension liabilities. Pension asset gains during July helped to dampen the funded status decrease. The funded ratio declined from 85.5% to 84.8%. This breaks the upward momentum from the second quarter of 2015, where the funded ratio had increased for three consecutive months.
PFI co-author Zorast Wadia discusses the index’s latest results on this Milliman Hangout.
The funded status of the largest 100 corporate defined benefit plans declined by $131.3 billion in 2014 as measured by the 2015 Milliman 100 Pension Funding Study (PFS). Plan liability increases overwhelmed robust asset investment gains and annual contributions declined to $39.8 billion from $44.2 billion in 2013. PFS coauthors John Ehrhardt and Zorast Wadia discuss the results of the study with Amy Resnick, executive editor of Pensions & Investments, in this Milliman Hangout.
To read Pensions & Investments’ coverage of the study, click here.
To download the 2015 Milliman 100 Pension Funding Study, click here.
The Variable Annuity Pension Plan (VAPP) is now the Milliman Sustainable Income PlanTM (SIP).
Retirement security is tricky. Traditional defined benefit plans have contribution volatility that is difficult for sponsors to manage. Defined contribution plans typically do not provide participants with stable, lifelong income. Variable annuity pension plans (VAPPs), however, combine the best of both worlds—better meeting the needs of sponsors and participants. Sponsors get stable contributions like defined contribution plans and participants get lifelong income like defined benefit plans.
Milliman consultants Kelly Coffing and Grant Camp discuss some of the benefits that VAPPs offer sponsors and participants in this Milliman Hangout.
For more perspective on VAPPs, click here.
The funded status for the 100 largest corporate defined benefit plans decreased by $22 billion during December 2014, according to the Milliman 100 Pension Funding Index (PFI). Historically low interest rates were the dominant factor in the $105 billion deficit increase during 2014. While higher than expected investment returns produced a solid $81 billion gain, pension liabilities increased by $186 billion. The funded ratio was 83.6% as of December 31, 2014, down compared with the ratio on December 31, 2013, of 88.3%.
For more perspective on January’s PFI, watch our latest Milliman Hangout featuring coauthor Zorast Wadia.
Javier Sanabria on Google+