$20 billion club strategy: Pension plan strategy through investment, benefits, and funding policies

Adam Field, FSA, EA

Adam Field, FSA, EA

Senior Asset Allocation Strategist




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Defined benefit

Dive into the complexities of pension plan policy strategies and their financial implications. Gain insights from expert analysis and industry trends.

The $20 billion club is a group of pension plans near $20 billion and more in global pension liability. We have been reporting on this group since 2011, pointing out how and why the funded status has changed, and we have been reporting on how these sponsors’ strategies for managing risk have evolved over time.

This paper addresses the major levers that plan sponsors can pull to impact the trajectory of their large defined benefit (DB) plans. These three broad levers are often closely intertwined and pulling one lever can lead to adjusting another. The three key levers are:

  1. Investment policy: This lays out how the assets and contributions go to work for the sponsor
  2. Benefits policy: This directly impacts plan participants' benefit accruals
  3. Funding policy: This determines the contributions made by the sponsor to pay for those benefits
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