scholarly journals State and Local Government Pension Funding on the Eve of the COVID-19 Recession

2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-23
Author(s):  
John G. Kilgour
Keyword(s):  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Pension Plans ◽  
Public Pension ◽  
Asset Valuation ◽  
Governmental Accounting ◽  
The Public ◽  
State And Local Government ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Public Pension Plans ◽  
The Impact

This article examines the funding of public pension plans through 2019. Particular attention is paid to the impact of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board’s Standard No. 68. It addressed (1) discount rates, (2) amortization periods, (3) asset valuation and smoothing, and (4) the actuarial cost method used. The combined effect of these measures has been to increase the amount of public pension underfunding significantly. The actuarial funded ratio of the 126 plans in the Public Plans Database went from 101.9 in 2001 to 71.9 in 2019, on the eve of the COVID-19 recession. It will no doubt continue to worsen in the years ahead. The extent of that likely worsening is also explored.

Alternative investments: is it a solution to the funding shortage of US public pension plans?

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 491-510 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Peng ◽  
Qiushi Wang
Keyword(s):  
Local Governments ◽  
Private Equity ◽  
Pension Plans ◽  
Public Pension ◽  
Investment Performance ◽  
Alternative Investments ◽  
Investment Return ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Public Pension Plans ◽  
The Impact

AbstractSince 2001, public-pension plans have increasingly relied upon alternative investments (AIs). We examine the impact of this trend on investment performance and the factors that led to the reliance on AI. Using data from 92 largest plans 2001–2014, we found AI, especially private equity, generally had a positive effect on investment performance, but the effect was small and unsustainable. We also found that plans with a lower funded ratio and higher investment return expectation were more likely to allocate more assets to AIs. These findings suggest that the prospect of relying on AIs to meet investment return expectations remains a long-term challenge for state and local governments.

Public Pension Governance and Opportunistic Accounting Choice: A Politico-Economic Approach

2020 ◽  
pp. 027507402095439
Author(s):  
Odd J. Stalebrink ◽  
Pierre Donatella
Keyword(s):  
Pension Plan ◽  
Pension Plans ◽  
Certified Public Accountant ◽  
Financial Reports ◽  
State And Local Government ◽  
Pension Governance ◽  
State And Local ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Pension Liabilities ◽  
The Impact

The selection of actuarial assumptions used to value state and local government pension liabilities is an important culprit of the looming state and local pension crisis in the U.S. Due to the impact these selection choices have on the value of pension liabilities and annual required contributions (ARC), pension plans are often said to make these choices opportunistically for purposes of freeing up budget resources and making pension funding look better. Using empirical data on 114 state-administered pension plans, this research shows that the likelihood of such opportunistic pension accounting choices (OPAC) increases when the plan is underfunded, organized as a cost-sharing plan, governed by a politically embedded fiduciary body, and when the sponsoring government is surrounded by a high degree of unionization, and is divided in terms of partisan control. The results also show that the likelihood of OPAC decreases when a pension plan is subjected to an audit by a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), suggesting that professional gatekeepers can play an important role in limiting the adverse effects of OPAC behavior, including insufficient ARC payments and reduced transparency of governmental financial reports.

A Comprehensive Review of the Evolution of Accounting Standards for State and Local Government Pensions and Other Postemployment Benefits in The United States

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-77
Author(s):  
Dale L. Flesher ◽  
Craig Foltin ◽  
Gary John Previts ◽  
Mary S. Stone
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
The United States ◽  
Pension Funds ◽  
Defined Benefit ◽  
Defined Contribution ◽  
Defined Contribution Plans ◽  
State And Local Government ◽  
State And Local

ABSTRACT Both the business media and the popular press have emphasized the underfunding problems associated with pension funds that are set aside for state and local government workers, a group that also includes teachers and professors at state-affiliated colleges and universities. The realization that pension funds are typically underfunded stems from the fact that the accounting standards associated with state and local government employee pension funds have led to greater transparency since 2011. This paper examines, explains, and interprets the historical development over the last 70 years of accounting standards for state and local government pension funds in the United States. Changing accounting standards, along with economic and social change, have led to consequences such as employers transforming their pension programs to avoid substantial costs and significant liabilities, for example by changing from defined benefit to defined contribution plans.

scholarly journals Annuity Pricing in Public Pension Plans: Importance of Interest Rates

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nino Abashidze ◽  
Robert Clark ◽  
Beth Ritter ◽  
David Vanderweide
Keyword(s):  
Interest Rates ◽  
Pension Plans ◽  
Public Pension ◽  
Public Pension Plans

scholarly journals Worker Choices About Payouts in Public Pensions

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert L. Clark ◽  
Janet Raye Cowell
Keyword(s):  
Local Governments ◽  
Pension Plans ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Defined Benefit ◽  
Retirement Plans ◽  
The Public ◽  
State And Local ◽  
State Employees ◽  
State Pension

This chapter reviews available data on the annuity choices offered to retirees who participate in defined benefit (DB) plans. DB plans are most commonly offered by state and local governments to their employees, and information on annuity options is readily available. The authors examine all state pension plans that cover general state employees and teachers, and develop a table showing the similarities and differences across these approximately eighty separate state retirement plans. The authors determine the proportion of retirees selecting each of the annuity options. Where possible, annuity options in the public sector are compared to those offered by private sector employers. The chapter also reviews the empirical literature on who chooses the various annuity options offered in DB plans. Finally, the authors consider the policy implications of plan design and how this affects the types of annuities offered to retirees.

Accounting for non-financial tangible assets: Convergence with IFRS, achievements, challenges, prospects

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 142-165
Author(s):  
Tat'yana Yu. DRUZHILOVSKAYA
Keyword(s):  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Financial Accounting ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
The Public ◽  
Tangible Assets ◽  
Fixed Assets ◽  
Solution Methods ◽  
Commercial Organizations ◽  
The Impact

Subject. This article discusses the problems of accounting for non-financial tangible assets associated with the introduction of new FSBU (Russian Federal Accounting Standards) for commercial organizations and non-profit organizations outside the public sector. Objectives. The article aims to study and systematize the impact of the new FSBU regulations on the accounting for non-financial tangible assets, justify the convergence of this accounting with IFRS regulations, identify problems, and justify the prospects for their solution. Methods. For the study, I used the methods of critical analysis, synthesis, comparison, observation, and the analogy approach. Results. The article describes the impact of the adoption of the new FSBU on the accounting for non-financial tangible assets, such as inventories, fixed assets, investment real estate, biological assets. It identifies the degree to which this accounting is linked to IFRS regulations, as well as the problems associated with the recognition, evaluation and reflection in the reporting of non-financial tangible assets in the reporting of Russian organizations as a result of the introduction of the new FSBU. The article shows the prospects for solving the problematic aspects of accounting for non-financial tangible assets of Russian organizations. Conclusions and Relevance. The introduction of the new FSBU will help significantly bring the accounting for non-financial tangible assets to IFRS requirements. The introduction of the new FSBU does not eliminate all differences from IFRS requirements in accounting for and reporting of non-financial tangible assets of Russian organizations. Solving the problematic aspects of the introduction of regulations of the new FSBU will contribute to the prospects for further reform of the Russian accounting. The results obtained have both applied and theoretical applications in the field of financial accounting.

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