Pensions - Articles - New Aon white paper examines scheme valuation approaches

 In ‘Choosing the right actuarial valuation approach’, Aon has aimed to allow schemes to take a step back in order that they can examine:

 • The purpose of actuarial valuations
 • The range of schemes’ long-term objectives and how this affects strategic decisions
 • How this may affect the valuation approach they adopt for their scheme
 • The pros and cons of different methods

 Jay Harvey, partner at Aon, said: “For something so fundamental to a pension scheme, valuations are a famously complicated area with many factors which need to be considered before a single number is calculated. Among others, these will include the strength of the scheme sponsor, the long-term objectives of the scheme, the resulting investment strategy - and whether there is an appetite to use one of the more technically sophisticated approaches.

 “For all schemes, different valuation approaches are ultimately just measurement tools. But selecting the right one is essential - and not letting the tool drive the decisions is even more important. With this paper we hope those involved with schemes can make certain they do more than just kick the tyres on historic valuation approaches and instead ensure that the valuation tool they use is the right one for their scheme’s future needs.”

 
 Choosing the right actuarial valuation approach