Catherwood LibraryILR School

New rules introduced by the government may change the way that companies set aside and invest money for employee pensions. Government officials feel that the retirement benefits of Americans are at risk and want companies to put more money into pension plans and rely less heavily on the stock market. Today, most workers are covered by defined-benefit pension plans in which employers put away money years in advance to pay workers a predetermined monthly amount from retirement until death. However, the stock market slump has taken away billions of dollars from the funds, leading to defaults of pension plans. This crisis has led some analysts to argue for a more conservative pension investment strategy, relying on low-risk bonds. Companies are reluctant to switch to this strategy because stocks are a cheaper method of investment.