This report presents the results of Hewitt Associates' global survey of accounting assumptions used for employee benefit plans at 2008 year-end. These results may be useful to companies when setting preliminary assumptions for 2009 year-end and budgets for 2010.
As in previous surveys, we have focused on four economic assumptions that companies select under FAS 87, FRS 17, IAS 19, and other local accounting standards with similar requirements for assumption setting. The assumptions are:
- Discount rate;
- Expected long-term rate of return;
- Salary increase; and
- Pension increase assumptions (for certain countries only).
