Employees are being given more and more decisions to make with regards to their pension and healthcare plans. Yet increasing research in the social sciences shows that the decisions 'real' people make are not those of the thoughtful and well-informed economic agent often portrayed in economic research, but are often based on flawed information and made without a full understanding of their financial implications. The contributors to Pension Design and Structure explore theassumptions behind commonly-held theories of retirement decision-making, and the consequences of the growing volume of research in behavioural finance and economics for the field of pension research. Contributors are drawn from a variety of disciplines, and include leading pensions experts.

This handbook draws on research from a range of academic disciplines to reflect on the implications for provisions of pension and retirement income of demographic ageing. it reviews the latest research, policy related tools, analytical methods and techniques and major theoretical frameworks.

A real-world look at the pension revolution underway The Future of Pension Management offers a progress report from the field, using actual case studies from around the world. In the mid-70s, Peter Drucker predicted that demographic dynamics would eventually turn pensions into a major societal issue; in 2007, author Keith Ambachsheer's book Pension Revolution laid out the ways in which Drucker's predictions had come to pass. This book provides a fresh look at the situation on the ground, and details the encouraging changes that have taken place in pension management concepts and practices. The challenges identified in 2007 are being addressed, and this report shows how design, management, and investment innovation have led to measurably better pension outcomes. Pensions have become an everyday news item, and people are rightly concerned about the security of their retirement in light of recent pension scandals and the global financial crisis. This book provides a note of encouragement, detailing the ways in which today's pensions are becoming more and more secure, and the new ideas and practices that are chipping away at the challenges. Learn how pension management practices are improving Examine the uptick in positive outcomes over recent years Discover why pension investing is turning toward the long-term Consider the challenges that remain and their possible solutions Drucker's vision of a needed pension revolution is unfolding in real time. Better pension designs, more effective pension governance, and more productive pension investing are mitigating many of the issues that threatened collapse. The Future of Pension Management provides a real-world update on the state of pensions today and a look forward to the changes we still need to make.

While not attempting to train readers as professional economists, this book aims to provide a secure grounding in the theory and practice of economics insofar as it deals with pension matters. From reading this book, the user will understand: * The key types of pension scheme * The role of pensions in maximizing individual lifetime welfare * The role of pensions in individual savings and retirement decisions * The role and consequences of the pension plan from the company's viewpoint * The role of pensions in promoting aggregate savings * The role of pensions and retirement in overlapping generations models * The economics of ageing and intergenerational accounting * The social welfare implications of pensions * The lessons of behavioural economics for pensions

Praise for Pension Revolution "When Keith Ambachtsheer puts his keen mind to work on a problem, watch out! Here he exposes today's fragile arrangements for the most serious social dilemma of our times--financing retirement. Then he provides a compelling and powerful set of solutions. His writings are essential reading for all who care about the future of American living standards." --Peter Bernstein, founder and President, Peter L. Bernstein, Inc., and author of Capital Ideas and Against the Gods "This book describes one of the most ingenious inventions in the history of mankind: pension funds offering credible promises about old-age income. It reads like a thriller: how can well-governed pension funds be created in an imperfect world in which mortals wrestle with foibles and moral shortcomings? One of the world's leading experts on pensions searches for the answer--and finds it." --Lans Bovenberg, Scientific Director, Network for Studies on Pensions, Aging, and Retirement, Tilburg University, The Netherlands "Pension Revolution exposes the inadequacies of current pension systems and persuasively makes the case for the fundamental changes that are needed. It is essential reading for both the pension industry and policymakers." --Elizabeth Bryan, Chair, Investment Committee, Unisuper Management PM Ltd, Australia "Most analyses of complicated issues deal with complexity by simplifying or only looking at one piece-part, and, in doing so, provide limited value. In stark contrast, Keith Ambachtsheer boldly wades into the complexity in Pension Revolution to come up with a valuable integrative solution. He is a most welcome revolutionary!" --Roger Martin, Dean, Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, Canada "We have known Keith for over ten years, and consistently over that time, he has constructively and comprehensively challenged conventional wisdom. He has done this so effectively that many of his initial thoughts have now become universally accepted norms. Such is his energy however that he continues to push the boundaries of pension and investment thinking." --Peter Moon, Chief Investment Officer, Universities Superannuation Scheme Ltd, UK "Pension Revolution not only explains the shortcomings of the existing pension system and the underlying design features that have resulted in the current pension upheaval. It also offers thoughtful and creative suggestions for prospective pension design. A must-read for anyone interested in the future of retirement finance." --James Poterba, Professor of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a member of the TIAA-CREF Board of Trustees

Mandatory pensions are a worldwide phenomenon. However, with fixed contribution rates, monthly benefits, and retirement ages, pension systems are not consistent with three long-run trends: declining mortality, declining fertility, and earlier retirement. Many systems need reform. This book gives an extensive nontechnical explanation of the economics of pension design. The theoretical arguments have three elements: * Pension systems have multiple objectives--consumption smoothing, insurance, poverty relief, and redistribution. Good policy needs to bear them all in mind. * Good analysis should be framed in a second-best context-- simple economic models are a bad guide to policy design in a world with imperfect information and decision-making, incomplete markets and taxation. * Any choice of pension system has risk-sharing and distributional consequences, which the book recognizes explicitly. Barr and Diamond's analysis includes labor markets, capital markets, risk sharing, and gender and family, with comparison of PAYG and funded systems, recognizing that the suitable level of funding differs by country. Alongside the economic principles of good design, policy must also take account of a country's capacity to implement the system. Thus the theoretical analysis is complemented by discussion of implementation, and of experiences, both good and bad, in many countries, with particular attention to Chile and China.

Recent years have shown an increase in development and acceptance of quantitative methods for asset and liability management strategies. This book presents state of the art quantitative decision models for three sectors: pension funds, insurance companies and banks, taking into account new regulations and the industries risks.