Managing the risk of retirement plans on M&A deals

The “Delivering the Deal” spotlight series is where Mercer’s leading experts discuss the most pressing issues facing business leaders and deal professionals in M&A today.

While defined contribution plans are the primary source of retirement benefits in the US, 75% of large employers (i.e. 1000+ employees) have DB pension plans with the majority closed to new employees. In this episode, Scott Jarboe, Mercer Wealth’s Defined Benefit Segment Leader for the US and Alla Iagniatinskaia a Senior Principal in Mercer’s M&A Advisory Services Team share ideas to properly manage retirement plans in a transaction so they do not disrupt your deal.

Interesting moments:

"Buyers who recognise that pensions are long-term commitments and remain focused on pension risk management after the transaction is closed are ultimately the ones who are able to achieve their desired outcome from the deal."
"You want to make sure that all material DB plans globally are reported in the company’s financial statements, that they are evaluated adequately, that you have a complete description of the plan offered, who is eligible for it, and how it is measured. This is critical to avoid any surprise discoveries later. "
"In US, the 401k plan are now the primary source of the retirement benefits. But they do present their own set of risks and challenges for the buyers. There have been a number of ERISA class action lawsuits filed in connection with retirement plans with the top ten settlements for 2021 alone of over $800 million."

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