Risk measurement and management of defined benefit pension schemes: a stochastic approach

The traditional actuarial valuation for defined benefit pensionschemes operates on the basis of a set of deterministic calculationscombined with actuarial judgment. It has played an importantrole in guiding decision-making as far as the level of fundingis concerned. The paper argues that stochastic methods can addvalue in certain crucial areas, in particular the financialrisk management of such schemes. The traditional approach torisk is to incorporate margins in the valuation assumptions;however, a stochastic approach allows the user to evaluate specificand quantifiable risk and performance measures in respect ofalternative funding and investment strategies. The paper introducesa framework that measures the risks inherent in asset allocationand contribution rate decisions, allowing decisions to be madeon a more informed basis. In doing this, we suggest and applysome potential risk and performance measures. This frameworkprovides the means to explore the trade-offs involved in possiblecontribution and asset allocation decisions and leads to decisionstrategies that are expected to give improved outcomes for thesame level of risk. A realistic case study is used to illustratethe properties of the methodology and how it might be used.