Another product rollout is moving the needle in how sponsorsmanage defined benefit liabilities.

As companies consider various ways to derisk, turning to optionsthat range from annuities to lump-sum buyouts, another option hasentered the market with the Pension Risk Navigator from BuckConsultants at Xerox.

Sponsors of DB plans are already considering a range ofderisking strategies, as pensionliabilities grow with the addition of increased mortalityassumptions, higher premiums for the Pension Benefit GuarantyCorp., and the drop last year in fund ratios.

The Mercer-CFO Research 2015 Risk Surveyhas found that nearly half of DB plan sponsors are considering oneor another form of lump-sum payouts within the next year, and 60percent of respondents to that survey indicated they’ve alreadyexecuted some kind of lump-sum payout to vested employees.

Thirty-six percent said they’re considering a wholesale annuitybuyout either this year or next.

Read: Lincoln Electric to derisk its pension planwith annuity

And Mercer itself came out with its own Pension Risk Exchange,which allows DB plan sponsors to upload specific info on theirplans so that insurers can in turn provide quotes on annuitybuyouts.

This latest entry from Buck Consultants “provides a new approachto monitoring by helping pension fund managers better seize marketopportunities and reduce risk,” according to the firm. “Employerscan now set, monitor and adjust the risk strategy for theirretirement programs in real time, rather than waiting for monthlyor quarterly updates.”

Pension Risk Navigator is a software tool that provides currentinformation on funding and investment strategy to help manage bothexpenses and balance sheet volatility.

The tool analyzes proposed changes in contribution andinvestment strategies, assessing the effect of transferring planliabilities, such as offering lump sums to certain plan participantgroups and illustrates the impact of closing or freezing thepension plan.

Employers can also define goals and estimate the probability ofmeeting pension objectives.