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The telecoms meltdown and pensions
From: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Thu, 21 Nov 2002 05:07:04 -0500
------ Forwarded Message From: CHACHAOK () aol com Date: Wed, 20 Nov 2002 23:26:30 -0500 (EST) To: dave () farber net Subject: The telecoms meltdown and pensions The telecoms meltdown is now affecting retirees from bankrupt companies who are losing health benefits and receiving pared down pension payments. It is also affecting those retirees with companies that are simply threatened with bankruptcy and have had to slash employment to remain solvent. This article amply illustrates the problem - "Another Cloud on the Horizon for Lucent Retirees": http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/20/technology/20LUCE.html?pagewanted=1& todaysheadlines Lucent is paring it's work force to 35,000 employees, yet it's pension fund now supports more than 275,000 retirees. In my view, the final blow for many near bankrupt telecoms companies like Lucent will be the inability to fund massive payments to make up pension fund deficits for a retiree population that is far larger than its current work force. The day of reckoning can be postponed for two or three years through optimistic assumptions allowed under GAAP about the long term rate of return on pension fund investments despite their being at odds with the current negative rates of investment returns. If there is not a major rebound in the investment climate in the next year or two, virtually all ailing telecoms companies like Lucent will go bankrupt. The economic consequences will be far more severe in Europe than in the U.S. since there is no pension fund bankruptcy net in Europe like the one in the U.S. Best regards, Charlie Sands ------ End of Forwarded Message ------------------------------------- You are subscribed as interesting-people () lists elistx com To unsubscribe or update your address, click http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/
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- The telecoms meltdown and pensions Dave Farber (Nov 21)