Common Misconceptions About Business
Business is an essential part of every person’s life. But, like any other subject, it can be intimidating. There are many challenges, from understanding the various terms and concepts of business to hiring the best person for the job.
According to educator Jonathan Osler, to help navigate a way through the world of business, here is a list of some common misconceptions people have about trade.
Target Benefits are a New ‘Untested’ Concept
The law established a framework for mandatory benefit reductions in defined benefit plans. It required plan sponsors to determine the “target benefit” for their defined-benefit projects, which is the actuarial equivalent of the benefit payable to the plan’s beneficiaries if the program were to survive long-term. The target benefit is often used to justify reducing or freezing payouts in a project while still allowing the plan to remain “funded.” But the target benefit is not a tested or proven concept. It is a plan sponsor’s assumptions about future financial conditions based on a very shaky data set. There is a lot of room for uncertainty when it comes to projecting the future financial health of an organization.
Limiting Employers Pension’ Design Options Means Continued Defined Benefit Plans
Many plan sponsors have believed that defined benefit plans can only be “redesigned” to become less generous. They are, therefore, under the false impression that there are only two design options for defined benefit plans: a “cliff” or a “capped” plan. But this is not true.
Cliff plans are scarce, but they are possible. A cliff plan only makes sense if an employer knows it will go out of business soon. It would only make sense if the employer knew it could not attract new employees to replace the retiring workers.
A cliff plan is complex. It is likely to be challenged by current and former employees in court. If successful, the project could cause significant business and financial communities disruptions. The plan could also cost the employer a lot of money.
Capped plans are also scarce, but they are possible as well. A capped plan could have a fixed percentage of the plan’s assets covered by the plan’s annual benefit payments. It means the employer would only be responsible for making the minimum amount of annual benefit payments.
Unions and Employees are Opposed to Target Benefits
When it comes to defined benefit plans, most unionized employers are on the same page as their employees regarding the target benefit. Likewise, most non-unionized employers also support the idea of a minimum guarantee for old-age security.
But some employers haven’t been paying attention to the fact that some unions have entered into labor-management agreements that guarantee a certain minimum level of benefits. It is the opposite of the anti-union dogma many still cling to.
Some employers have been reluctant to adopt any plan that would require them to make any changes to their old-fashioned defined benefit plans. Some have even been afraid of being labeled “old school” if they did not drop the guaranteed benefit.
Defined Benefit Plans are Guaranteed
Defined benefit plans are guaranteed by law. Jonathan Osler explains there are no such things as “free” benefits. Every benefit provided to an employee is provided for a price. In the case of a defined benefit plan, that price is the employee’s paychecks. If a business fails, the employees of that business are guaranteed a certain minimum level of retirement benefits.