Published online by Cambridge University Press: 08 August 2016
To improve the design of the pay-out phase of DC plans, this paper proposes a new approach to structure pension products: the Personal Pension with Risk sharing (PPR). By unbundling and valuing the investment, (dis)saving, insurance and risk-sharing functions of pensions, PPRs allow risk management and (dis)saving to be customized to the specific features of heterogeneous individuals. Unlike variable annuities, PPRs allow investment risks to be combined with longevity insurance without giving rise to high year-on-year volatility in consumption streams or opaque and rigid valuation and smoothing rules. The synthesis of a PPR structure provides new opportunities for product innovation and for the comparison of retirement products.
This paper is written as part of the Seventh Framework Program: MOPACT. Grant agreement number: 320333. Theme: SSH.2012.3.1-1. Work Package 4. The authors thank Casper van Ewijk and Roel Mehlkopf for helpful comments on an earlier draft. Errors and misperceptions remain the exclusive responsibility of the authors.