Pension scheme deficits are rarely out of the headlines. Never in their history have they enjoyed their current notoriety, nor has their importance been more apparent. Over 10,000 pension schemes provide pension benefits that are designed to replace a proportion of the recipient's salary when they retire. These schemes are the flagship of the occupational pensions system – and the vast majority are in deficit, some severely.

This book is designed to take the reader through how this has come about and what is being done to rectify it. The book includes contributions from leading practitioners in their field, who are grappling with the often highly complex issues that deficits produce on a day-to-day basis, in an accessible and understandable format. Featuring practical analysis on a wide range of issues – from traditional methods of addressing a deficit, alternative methods of funding deficit reduction, investment and employment considerations to the Pensions Regulator and the Pension Protection Fund, the emergence of an alternative buyout market and corporate governance – this book will provide you with the only comprehensive guide to dealing with pension scheme deficits in your practice.

Aimed at a broad cross-section of the pensions market, this book will be of great practical use to all who have to deal with a pension fund deficit. Trustees, corporate officers and stakeholders, from chief financial officers and finance directors to pension managers, and the entire range of advisers – accounting, actuarial and legal – will find the book of interest and practical use.