The Major Difference Between Accounting for Pensions and the Accounting

question 67

Multiple Choice

The major difference between accounting for pensions and the accounting for other postretirement benefits is that firms:

• A) do not need to report an excess of the accumulated benefits obligations over assets in a postretirement benefits fund as a liability on the balance sheet.
• B) do not need to disclose any estimates used in calculating projected benefits.
• C) postretirement benefits are normally not material for most companies and do not need to be disclosed.
• D) do not need to set aside funds for future postretirement benefits as they do for pension benefits.

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Definitions:

Real Wages

wages that have been adjusted for inflation, representing the actual purchasing power of income.

Contract

A legally binding agreement between two or more parties that is enforceable by law.

Income Effect

The variation in a person's or economy's earnings and its impact on the demand levels for a particular product or service.

Substitution Effect

Describes the change in the consumption of goods as a result of changes in their relative prices, holding the consumer's level of utility constant.