We've talked about Bitcoin in previous posts. We've wondered what this instrument is in terms of an asset category because we think that the volatility in pricing would suggest that it isn't a currency. Unlike the US $ and other...

We, at Ryan ALM, are pleased to share with you the Ryan ALM Q3'21 Newsletter . In keeping with past newsletters, we provide the reader with a unique perspective on pension liabilities and how they have performed relative to pension...

House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee Chairman John Larson, D-Conn., plans to introduce Wednesday a new bill called Social Security 2100: A Sacred Trust . Importantly, the bill will include a change in the inflation rate index from the...

As the chart below depicts, there has been a massive shift in the asset allocation of DB plans since the mid-50s from mostly fixed income allocations to significant exposure to risk assets.I suspect that most of the motivation has been...

Each quarter, Ryan ALM produces the “Pension Monitor” to reflect how pension liabilities are behaving versus plan assets. We believe that pension plan liabilities need to be measured and monitored regularly. Without knowledge of plan liabilities, the allocation of plan...

The Social Security Administration has just announced that SS recipients would see the greatest annual increase in 40 years. As we reported back in June , the COLA is based on the inflation rate during the three Summer months. It...

The Actuarial Standards Board (ASB) is responsible for setting standards for actuarial practice in the United States and they accomplish that objective through the development of Actuarial Standards of Practice (ASOPs). One such standard, ASOP No. 4 addresses "measuring pension...

Most participants in the US pension industry know that the credit rating downgrade trend has been occurring for quite some time, but they may not necessarily appreciate the magnitude. The US bond market has shifted heavily toward BBB from AA...

According to the Department of Labor, the median wage in the US in 2002 was $38,655 (adjusted for inflation). In 2019, the median wage had "rocketed" all the way to $39,101! Amazingly, we have ONLY seen inflation adjusted wages grow...