The Bogosity Forum

General Bogosity => The Podcast => Nominations for Biggest Bogon Emitter and Idiot Extraordinaire => Topic started by: Altimadark on August 10, 2017, 03:39:33 PM

Title: BBE: Bloomberg News (on American Death Rates)
Post by: Altimadark on August 10, 2017, 03:39:33 PM
Humor me, if you would, and just take a moment to digest the article's headline before reading.

Tweet: https://twitter.com/business/status/894922691098148865
Article: Americans are Dying Younger, Saving Corporations Billions (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-08/americans-are-dying-younger-saving-corporations-billions)

Summary:
[spoiler]There's a stall or very slight upward trend in the otherwise downward-trending age-adjusted mortality rate, and some number of corporations are incorporating this into their retirement pension estimates. There's no simple reason for it, though Bloomberg/John Tozzi (the author) mildly suggests it's due to a lack of socialism (cuts to social safety net)

Nothing at all suggesting the titular corporations are at fault, contrary to the knee-jerk response tweets. And I can't help but presume that was Bloomberg/Tozzi's intent.[/spoiler]

Just... Just wow.
Title: Re: BBE: Bloomberg News (on American Death Rates)
Post by: evensgrey on August 13, 2017, 08:19:26 AM
Does this actually save corporations any money?  I know here in Ontario it wouldn't, as it's been settled here for decades that extra money in a pension plan means that the benefits have to be increased and the corporation isn't allowed to reduce it's payments into the plan.
Title: Re: BBE: Bloomberg News (on American Death Rates)
Post by: MrBogosity on August 13, 2017, 11:45:05 AM
Quote from: evensgrey on August 13, 2017, 08:19:26 AM
Does this actually save corporations any money?  I know here in Ontario it wouldn't, as it's been settled here for decades that extra money in a pension plan means that the benefits have to be increased and the corporation isn't allowed to reduce it's payments into the plan.

In the US, it has to be passed on to the estate and disbursed to the heirs. So yeah, I'm calling myth.