| Abstract | My thesis analyzes the impact of pension freeze on financial reporting of public companies in the US. In recent years, most companies have the tendency to freeze defined benefit plans and switch to defined contribution plans in order to cut costs and transfer risk to employees. My thesis aims to explore the reasons of this switch in greater details and understand the effects (if any) of pension freeze on financial status of companies. Specifically, the thesis analyzes pension expense and pension liabilities five years before and after pension freeze of different companies to evaluate whether pension freeze has any significant impact on financial statements. After conducting detailed analysis, my thesis concludes that pension freeze does not enable companies to reduce their pension obligations significantly five years after the freeze. However, companies are able to stabilize their total liabilities as a result of pension freeze to focus their resources on restructuring their business. This thesis aims to inform companies, employees, and shareholders of the implications of pension freeze by providing them with more insights into the financial impact of pension freeze. |
