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The accumulated benefits of retirees who choose to start a fixed monthly pension
are transferred into the Pensions Fund - a segregate bond portfolio that secures
the Plan's pension liability. Monthly pension payments are paid from this Fund.
The Plan offers single and joint life pensions. Pensions provided by the Plan may
receive periodic, ad hoc increases, subject to the solvency of the Pensions Fund
and the policies adopted by the Plan's Board of Directors.
An actuarial valuation of the assets held in the Pensions Fund and of the Plan's
pension liability is required every three years by law. The most recently completed
valuation was conducted December 31, 2006. At that date, the Plan's actuary reported
that the market value of the assets held in the Pensions Fund exceeded the Plan's
pension liability.
Each month long-term bonds are purchased as the assets for the monthly pensions
due to commence in the upcoming month. The pension conversion rate is tied to the
yield on these long-term bonds, such that the higher the yield the higher the pension
conversion rate, and the higher the monthly pension amount for the upcoming retirees.
Here is a table of historical pension conversion rates:
Pension Conversion Rates
| -- |
5.27 |
5.03 |
4.69 |
4.52 |
4.61 |
5.27 |
5.64 |
5.84 |
5.97 |
6.13 |
| January |
5.0 |
5.5 |
4.7 |
4.4 |
4.3 |
5.0 |
5.3 |
5.8 |
5.9 |
5.9 |
6.0 |
| February |
4.9 |
5.5 |
4.8 |
4.5 |
4.4 |
4.8 |
5.2 |
5.7 |
5.8 |
5.9 |
6.2 |
| March |
4.9 |
5.4 |
5.0 |
4.5 |
4.5 |
4.8 |
5.2 |
5.9 |
5.8 |
5.9 |
6.1 |
| April |
-- |
5.6 |
5.0 |
4.5 |
4.5 |
4.9 |
5.1 |
5.9 |
6.0 |
5.9 |
5.9 |
| May |
-- |
5.5 |
5.0 |
4.5 |
4.6 |
4.8 |
5.3 |
6.0 |
5.9 |
6.0 |
6.1 |
| June |
-- |
5.4 |
4.8 |
4.6 |
4.5 |
4.6 |
5.4 |
5.7 |
6.0 |
6.1 |
6.4 |
| July |
-- |
5.4 |
4.9 |
4.8 |
4.7 |
4.4 |
5.5 |
5.4 |
5.9 |
6.1 |
6.4 |
| August |
-- |
5.3 |
4.9 |
4.9 |
4.9 |
4.4 |
5.3 |
5.4 |
5.8 |
6.1 |
6.0 |
| September |
-- |
4.9 |
4.9 |
4.9 |
4.7 |
4.4 |
5.2 |
5.5 |
5.7 |
5.9 |
6.3 |
| October |
-- |
5.0 |
5.5 |
5.1 |
4.4 |
4.3 |
5.4 |
5.4 |
5.8 |
6.0 |
6.0 |
| November |
-- |
4.8 |
5.3 |
4.9 |
4.5 |
4.4 |
5.2 |
5.5 |
5.7 |
6.0 |
6.1 |
| December |
-- |
4.9 |
5.5 |
4.7 |
4.2 |
4.5 |
5.1 |
5.5 |
5.8 |
5.8 |
6.0 |
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