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A utility-based comparison of pension funds and life insurance companies under regulatory constraints

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  • Broeders, Dirk
  • Chen, An
  • Koos, Birgit

Abstract

This paper compares two different types of annuity providers, i.e. defined benefit pension funds and life insurance companies. One of the key differences is that the residual risk in pension funds is collectively borne by the beneficiaries and the sponsor's shareholders while in the case of life insurers it is borne by the external shareholders. First, this paper employs a contingent claim approach to evaluate the risk return tradeoff for annuitants. For that, we take into account the differences in contract specifications and in regulatory regimes. Second, a welfare analysis is conducted to examine whether a consumer with power utility experiences utility gains if she chooses a defined benefit plan or a life annuity contract over a defined contribution plan. We demonstrate that regulation can be designed to support a level playing field amongst different financial institutions.

Suggested Citation

  • Broeders, Dirk & Chen, An & Koos, Birgit, 2011. "A utility-based comparison of pension funds and life insurance companies under regulatory constraints," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(1), pages 1-10, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:insuma:v:49:y:2011:i:1:p:1-10
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Chen, An & Nguyen, Thai & Rach, Manuel, 2021. "Optimal collective investment: The impact of sharing rules, management fees and guarantees," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    2. Dirk Broeders & An Chen, 2013. "Pension Benefit Security: A Comparison of Solvency Requirements, a Pension Guarantee Fund, and Sponsor Support," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 80(2), pages 239-272, June.
    3. Bohnert, Alexander & Born, Patricia & Gatzert, Nadine, 2014. "Dynamic hybrid products in life insurance: Assessing the policyholders’ viewpoint," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 87-99.
    4. Philipp Müller & Joël Wagner, 2017. "The Impact of Pension Funding Mechanisms on the Stability and Payoff from Swiss DC Pension Schemes: A Sensitivity Analysis," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 42(3), pages 423-452, July.
    5. Guelman, Leo & Guillén, Montserrat & Pérez-Marín, Ana M., 2014. "A survey of personalized treatment models for pricing strategies in insurance," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 68-76.
    6. Eling, Martin & Holder, Stefan, 2013. "The value of interest rate guarantees in participating life insurance contracts: Status quo and alternative product design," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(3), pages 491-503.
    7. Alexander Bohnert, 2015. "The Impact of Guarantees on the Performance of Pension Saving Schemes: Insights from the Literature," Risks, MDPI, vol. 3(4), pages 1-28, November.
    8. Janko Gorter & Jacob A. Bikker, 2013. "Investment risk taking by institutional investors," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(33), pages 4629-4640, November.

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