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Analysis of Pension Funding Under Erisa

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Author Info
Jeremy I. Bulow
Abstract

This paper begins by describing the tax, funding, and insurance aspects of the Pension Reform Act of 1974. Next, the implications of those laws are analyzed from the standpoint of the funding decision of the firm. The tax advantage of early funding appears to be quite small. Because there are insurance and other reasons (related to asymmetries in the pension law) why firms might wish to underfund their plans, there is no good reason to expect all firms to fund to the limit. The final section discusses the magnitude of the firms' unfunded pension liability, properly defined. This debt is shown to be quite small. A major reason for this is the substantial increase in long- term nominal interest rates, which have decreased the present value of accrued benefits and, equally, unfunded pension obligations.

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Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number 0402.

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Date of creation: Nov 1979
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Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:0402

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  1. Barro, Robert J, 1974. "Are Government Bonds Net Wealth?," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 82(6), pages 1095-1117, Nov.-Dec.. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  1. Laurence J. Kotlikoff & David A. Wise, 1987. "Pension Backloading, Wage Taxes, and Work Disincentives," NBER Working Papers 2463, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Gary S. Fields & Olivia S. Mitchell, 1982. "Economic Determinants of the Optimal Retirement Age: An Empirical Investigation," NBER Working Papers 0876, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Jeremy I. Bulow, 1981. "Tax Aspects of Corporate Pension Funding Policy," NBER Working Papers 0724, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Jeremy I. Bulow & Myron S. Scholes & Peter Menell, 1982. "Economic Implications of ERISA," NBER Working Papers 0927, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
    • Jeremy I. Bulow & Myron S. Scholes & Peter Menell, 1983. "Economic Implications of ERISA," NBER Chapters, in: Financial Aspects of the United States Pension System, pages 37-56 National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!]
  5. Martin Feldstein & Stephanie Seligman, 1981. "Pension Funding, Share Prices, and National Saving," NBER Working Papers 0509, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  6. Lawrence H. Summers, 1981. "Inflation and the Valuation of Corporate Equities," NBER Working Papers 0824, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Jeremy I. Bulow, 1981. "Early Retirement Pension Benefits," NBER Working Papers 0654, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. James E. Pesando, 1981. "Employee Valuation of Pension Claims and the Impact of Indexing Initiatives," NBER Working Papers 0767, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  9. Edward P. Lazear, 1983. "Incentive Effects of Pensions," NBER Working Papers 1126, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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