Top Pension Risk Transfer Companies for Secure Retirement Plans

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As you plan for a secure retirement, it's essential to consider top pension risk transfer companies that can help manage your financial future. One such company is Willis Towers Watson, which offers a range of pension risk transfer solutions.

In 2020, Willis Towers Watson completed a record-breaking $1.4 billion pension risk transfer deal, demonstrating its expertise in this area. This deal involved transferring the pension liabilities of a large employer to an insurance company.

Companies like Mercer and Aon also offer pension risk transfer solutions that can help employers manage their pension costs. Mercer's pension risk transfer services have helped numerous clients reduce their pension liabilities by millions of dollars.

Mercer's experience in this field is evident in its 2019 report, which highlighted the benefits of pension risk transfer for employers.

How PRT Works

Pension Risk Transfer solutions can lessen the burdens of a pension program on your organization by handling the administration and even the liability.

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Our unique combination of a life insurance company and an affiliated investment advisor under one roof gives you choices as you plan to transition and reduce your pension obligations.

The Insurance Company is Western-Southern Life Assurance Company, and the affiliated investment advisor is Fort Washington Investment Advisors, both members of the Western & Southern Financial Group.

Together, they can offer you alternatives, and through the insurance company, you can even replace pension payments with annuity payments in a solution called PensionAssist.

This solution can help your company keep its pension promises to its employees.

For more insights, see: China Southern Asset Management

Expertise and Experience

LCP's expertise and experience in pension risk transfer are unparalleled. They have advised on over 130 buy ins/outs, which is more than the next leading advisory firm by over 50%.

Their team includes professionals with senior positions at insurers and reinsurers, providing valuable insights into the industry. This knowledge is embedded within their transaction processes, making them a trusted partner for clients.

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The team's dedication to pension risk transfer is evident in their numbers: they serve over 200,000 annuity customers from various plan types and industries. They work closely with other LCP specialists to provide holistic advice, covering endgame strategy, data services, and more.

Here are some key statistics highlighting LCP's experience:

  • 130+ buy ins/outs, more than the next leading advisory firm by over 50%
  • Over 100 buy ins/outs
  • 28% market share by volume
  • 45% market share by volume

Insurer-Side Experience

Our team includes people who have held senior positions at insurers and reinsurers, as well as within insurers' administration teams. This means we have a deep understanding of the industry and can provide valuable insights to our clients.

We've supported eight out of nine insurers and ten out of twelve reinsurers, plus recent and prospective entrants to the bulk annuity market. This gives us a unique perspective on the market and allows us to navigate complex transactions with ease.

Our team has developed an excellent reputation amongst insurers for efficient, well-managed and well-executed transactions. This reputation is built on our ability to deliver results and provide a high level of service to our clients.

Here are some key statistics that highlight our insurer-side experience:

Our strong relationships with senior individuals at every UK insurer accelerate sign-off on the best possible price. This means we can deliver results quickly and efficiently, without compromising on quality.

Fiduciary Responsibility

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Our ownership structure is designed to prioritize the interests of our customers, not just our investors. This means we're not beholden to any single entity, giving us the freedom to make decisions that benefit the people who matter most.

We take our investment practices seriously, carefully selecting opportunities that align with our values and promises to our customers. This approach has allowed us to maintain a strong track record of responsible investing.

Our product promises are backed by a commitment to transparency and accountability. We're open about our ownership structure and investment practices, so you can trust that we're working in your best interests.

Intriguing read: Fortress Investment Group

Benefits and Advantages

Pension risk transfer companies offer numerous benefits and advantages to employers looking to de-risk their pension plans. One major benefit is the elimination of plan risks, including interest rate, investment, longevity, early retirement, and volatility risks. This can be a huge relief for employers who want to redirect resources to their primary business activities.

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Employers can also eliminate plan expenses, including PBGC premiums, employer contributions, actuarial, consulting, and investment management fees, and plan reporting and administration costs. This can lead to significant cost savings for employers.

Our Pension Risk Transfer team can provide guidance and support to pension consultants, actuaries, and advisors tasked with an SPGA placement assignment. We can help navigate the course of plan termination, provide meaning and context to group annuity pricing, and develop a suitable RFP and contract.

Employers can also benefit from our expertise in developing accurate, cost-effective contracts for all sizes and types of defined benefit pension plans. We offer a unique combination of a life insurance company and an affiliated investment advisor under one roof, giving employers choices as they plan to transition and reduce their pension obligations.

Here are some of the key benefits of pension risk transfer:

  • Eliminates plan risks, including interest rate, investment, longevity, early retirement, and volatility risks
  • Eliminates plan expenses, including PBGC premiums, employer contributions, actuarial, consulting, and investment management fees, and plan reporting and administration costs
  • Provides a guaranteed, fixed immediate or deferred annuity for each plan member
  • Includes participant administration services
  • Offers a unique combination of a life insurance company and an affiliated investment advisor under one roof

Partners and Support

Aon is a top pension risk transfer company that has been advising on over 488 annuity placements covering over $147 billion of premium since 2012. Their team of experts has strong relationships with every annuity provider.

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Aon's Pension Administration team provides plan sponsors with project management expertise, participant communications, and internally processed participant elections for lump sum settlements. They also offer custom-tailored notices for each plan.

Aon's analytics and actionable outcomes focus on providing plan sponsors with the information they need to assess the merits of acting on de-risking and PRT opportunities. Their analysis includes education, financial outcomes, investment strategies, and a detailed review of data readiness.

You might enjoy: What Does Aon Company Do

How Can Aon Help?

Aon is a trusted partner that can help you manage pension risk and costs. With their expertise, you can develop a plan-specific strategy to address your unique risk and cost management objectives.

Aon utilizes a range of asset/liability management techniques, including plan design review, investment strategy, and liability transfer, to help you manage your pension risk. Their team has a history of conducting robust feasibility analyses of de-risking and PRT opportunities.

Aon's Pension Administration team provides project management expertise, participant communications, and notices to help you navigate the lump sum settlement process. They also have a proven process for annuity placement, with over 488 annuity placements covering over $147 billion of premium since 2012.

See what others are reading: Aon Plc

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Aon has strong relationships with every annuity provider and a deep understanding of the due diligence requirements to assist in executing an annuity purchase. This expertise can help you reduce or eliminate plan expenses and end PBGC premiums, employer contributions, actuarial, consulting, and investment management fees, and plan reporting and administration costs.

Here are some ways Aon can help you with pension risk transfer:

  • Develop a plan-specific strategy using asset/liability management techniques
  • Conduct robust feasibility analyses of de-risking and PRT opportunities
  • Provide project management expertise for lump sum settlement
  • Assist with annuity placement using their proven process

Water and Sewer Management

Western & Southern's approach to risk management is impressive, but how does it translate to water and sewer management? One thing that stands out is their focus on downside protection of key risks, which is also essential in managing water and sewer systems.

They employ a proprietary risk management framework integrated with internal capital modeling to manage balance sheet exposures, which can be applied to managing the financial risks associated with water and sewer infrastructure.

Their rigorous stress testing and liability crediting rate management practices can be used to identify potential vulnerabilities in water and sewer systems and develop strategies to mitigate them.

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Careful liquidity planning and ensuring ample sources of contingent capital are also crucial in water and sewer management, as unexpected events like droughts or floods can quickly deplete resources.

Western & Southern's disciplined enterprise risk management underpins their strategy development and decision-making, which is also essential in water and sewer management.

Their risk measurement and monitoring, capital management, risk ownership and accountability, and incident and crisis response practices can be applied to identifying and addressing potential risks in water and sewer systems.

Here are some key characteristics of Western & Southern's risk management program that can be applied to water and sewer management:

  • Extremely low product risk in the context of capital levels
  • Diversification across product lines, distribution channels and risk categories to further mitigate risk
  • Product margin discipline is maintained and the product portfolio is continuously rationalized
  • Minimal exposure to high risk, long-term product guarantees
  • Robust and defensively focused asset-liability management
  • A long-established practice of accumulating more capital than peers in order to better protect clients and secure future options
  • A long-term focus with a measured tolerance for periodic market volatility
  • Access to multiple sources of additional capital ensures financial flexibility

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the largest pension risk transfer?

The largest pension risk transfer in 2023 involved AT&T's purchase of a nonparticipating single group annuity from Athene Holding Ltd. for approximately $8.05 billion, covering 96,000 participants.

What is the standard pension risk transfer?

A pension risk transfer is the process of transferring a defined benefit plan's risk from an employer to a third-party, typically through a lump sum payout or group annuity purchase. This transfer helps employers manage pension plan liabilities and risks.

What is the trend in pension risk transfer?

The pension risk transfer market in the U.S. has seen a significant 28% increase, with a record $52 billion in premium transactions in 2022. This growth trend suggests a growing demand for pension risk transfer solutions.

Felicia Koss

Junior Writer

Felicia Koss is a rising star in the world of finance writing, with a keen eye for detail and a knack for breaking down complex topics into accessible, engaging pieces. Her articles have covered a range of topics, from retirement account loans to other financial matters that affect everyday people. With a focus on clarity and concision, Felicia's writing has helped readers make informed decisions about their financial futures.

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