Friday, April 14, 2006


Expert Panel Addresses Financial Impact of Pension Crisis


Valuation and risk professional Dr. Susan M. Mangiero, CFA, AVA, FRM will moderate a panel of esteemed retirement plan experts at the forthcoming 42nd annual meeting of the Eastern Finance Association at the Sheraton Society Hill in Philadelphia on April 20 from 10:15 a.m. to noon. (The hotel is located at 1 Dock Street in Philadelphia.)

Months away from sweeping Congressional reform and accounting standards that will dramatically impact the financial health of Corporate America, a diverse and seasoned panel of experts will talk about plan termination, 401K plan design, pension governance, fiduciary compliance, ERISA litigation trends, liability-driven investing and pension risk management with respect to shareholder value and employee productivity and morale. With over $10 trillion and 100 million plan participants at risk, conference producer Dr. John Finnerty describes this presentation as "an urgent call to our 850 financial members who are helping finance leaders, at all levels, grapple with the real challenges that post-retirement benefits present". Moderator Dr. Mangiero concurs. "CEOs and CFOs alike are quickly realizing how vulnerable they are to pension problems that can force rating downgrades, invite litigation and higher regulatory compliance costs, increase the cost of capital and otherwise impede corporate growth. For more than a few companies, pensions have become a veritable albatross."

Panelists include Mr. I. Lee Falk, Senior Counsel (Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP), Mr. Wayne H. Miller, CEO (Denali Fiduciary Management), Mr. James V. Morris, Senior Vice President (SEI Global Institutional Group) and Mr. Norman Jackson, Deputy Regional Director (United States Department of Labor - Employee Benefits Security Administration's Philadelphia Regional Office).

The general public is invited. There is a nominal fee of $50, payable at the door. The Eastern Finance Association is a non-profit organization. Its members include college and university professors, officers of financial institutions and organizations, and others interested in finance and the objectives of the EFA. The Association sponsors The Financial Review, a journal that publishes original empirical, theoretical, and methodological research providing new insights into issues of importance in all areas of financial economics.
posted by Susan Mangiero at 4/14/2006 12:14:00 AM