PLANSPONSOR Magazine

COVER

In Defense of Barbara Boxer

When the market mushrooms for any type of investment
vehicle, the effect is like putting it under a microscope:
Warts become craters, and finding a way to remove the
blemishes suddenly is embarrassingly urgent.

Portrait of Retiree |March 1997

Lorenzo Torrez

Retired mine mechanic, 69
Table of Contents |March 1997

Bay State to Centralize Retirement Plans?

Massachusetts lawmakers want to abolish county-level government, a move that could transfer millions in public retirement money to the PRIM fund.
Table of Contents |March 1997

IRS Looks Abroad

Does your company sponsor a deferred compensation trust for foreign employees? A big new tax liability could be on the way.
Table of Contents |March 1997

Retiree Activists Target Companies

A successful push to win benefit adjustments for some GE retirees boosts a new coalition of retiree activists, unions, and advocacy groups.
Table of Contents |March 1997

Going Paperless

If the IRS would just change a few rules, pension administration could become a lot cheaper, say groups lobbying for a change.
Table of Contents |March 1997

Christopher Ailman

Chief investment officer, Washington State Investment Board
Table of Contents |March 1997

Prosperity Up North

In contrast to their US colleagues, Canadian plan officials-both corporate and public-saw healthy increases in compensation last year.
Table of Contents |March 1997

A Wake-up Call From FASB

FASB wants to give investors and analysts a bigger voice in setting accounting standards. But can the standards board convince plan sponsors to pay attention to a process...
Table of Contents |March 1997

FASB Looks at Pension Plans

FASB is kicking off its review of the major footnotes on financial reports with a proposal to revamp pension information included in them.
Table of Contents |March 1997

Outgrowing the Old Definitions

Savvy defined contribution plan participants want more detailed information about their increasingly complex stable value options. Plan sponsors and providers are starting to oblige them.
Table of Contents |March 1997

How Participants Think

Plan sponsors and providers have pushed participants energetically to invest in equities. But some participants may have good reasons for favoring stable value funds instead.
Table of Contents |March 1997

The Duration-Less Strategy

Some managers spot value in bonds through credit, sector, issue selection
Table of Contents |March 1997

Remote Control

The Alaska Permanent Fund creates state-of-the-art MIS and investment data systems
Table of Contents |March 1997

Price War?

Index fund providers are slashing fees in an effort to grab market share from leader Vanguard
Table of Contents |March 1997

MetLife/UAM Alliance

Creating a more "institutional" defined contribution plan provider
Table of Contents |March 1997

Improved Prognosis

Managed care is pushing down retiree health plan costs, more employers are finding.