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Pension and Other Postretirement Employee Benefit Plans
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans Disclosures [Abstract]  
Pension and Other Postretirement Employee Benefit Plans PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS
The Company has noncontributory defined benefit pension plans which cover certain of its U.S. employees. During 2012, all remaining benefit accruals under the U.S. plans ceased. Defined benefit plans from acquisitions subsequent to 2012 are ceased as soon as practical. The Company also has noncontributory defined benefit pension plans which cover certain of its non-U.S. employees, and under certain of these plans, benefit accruals continue. In general, the Company’s policy is to fund these plans based on considerations relating to legal requirements, underlying asset returns, the plan’s funded status, the anticipated tax deductibility of the contribution, local practices, market conditions, interest rates and other factors. In addition to providing pension benefits, the Company provides certain health care and life insurance benefits for some of its retired employees in the United States. Certain employees may become eligible for these benefits as they reach normal retirement age while working for the Company.
The following sets forth the funded status of the U.S. pension, non-U.S. pension and postretirement benefit plans as of the most recent actuarial valuations using measurement dates of December 31 ($ in millions):
 U.S. Pension BenefitsNon-U.S. Pension BenefitsPostretirement Benefits
 202320222023202220232022
Change in pension benefit obligation:
Benefit obligation at beginning of year$(1,909)$(2,528)$(1,168)$(1,811)$(101)$(130)
Service cost— — (30)(35)— — 
Interest cost(97)(54)(46)(22)(5)(3)
Employee/retiree contributions— — (7)(5)(1)(1)
Benefits and other expenses paid155 178 47 45 12 13 
Actuarial (loss) gain (52)495 (99)451 (3)20 
Amendments, settlements and curtailments45 — 13 62 — — 
Foreign exchange rate impact and other— — (59)147 — — 
Benefit obligation at end of year(1,858)(1,909)(1,349)(1,168)(98)(101)
Change in plan assets:
Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year1,857 2,303 772 1,260 — — 
Actual return on plan assets222 (278)24 (321)— — 
Employer contributions10 10 36 36 11 12 
Employee contributions— — 7 5 1 1 
Amendments and settlements(45)— (13)(61)— — 
Benefits and other expenses paid(155)(178)(47)(45)(12)(13)
Foreign exchange rate impact and other— — 36 (102)— — 
Fair value of plan assets at end of year1,889 1,857 815 772 — — 
Funded status$31 $(52)$(534)$(396)$(98)$(101)
The largest contributor to the net actuarial losses affecting the benefit obligations in 2023 U.S. pension, non-U.S. pension plans and the postretirement benefit plans is decreases in the discount rates compared to the rates in the prior year.
Projected benefit obligation (“PBO”) and fair value of plan assets for pension plans and postretirement benefit plans with PBO’s in excess of plan assets ($ in millions):
U.S. Pension BenefitsNon-U.S. Pension BenefitsPostretirement Benefits
202320222023202220232022
Projected benefit obligation$92 $94 $977 $699 $98 $101 
Fair value of plan assets— — 360 214 — — 
The year-over-year change in the amounts above reflects the changes in the benefit plans with a fair value of plan assets in excess of the projected benefit obligation.
Accumulated benefit obligation (“ABO”) and fair value of plan assets for pension plans with ABO’s in excess of plan assets ($ in millions):
U.S. Pension BenefitsNon-U.S. Pension Benefits
2023202220232022
Accumulated benefit obligation$92 $94 $914 $644 
Fair value of plan assets— — 357 204 
The year-over-year change in the amounts above reflects the changes in the benefit plans with a fair value of plan assets in excess of the accumulated benefit obligation.
Weighted average assumptions used to determine benefit obligations at date of measurement:
 U.S. Pension BenefitsNon-U.S. Pension BenefitsPostretirement Benefits
 202320222023202220232022
Discount rate5.1 %5.4 %3.5 %4.0 %5.1 %5.4 %
Rate of compensation increaseN/AN/A3.1 %3.0 %N/AN/A
In 2023, the medical trend rate used to determine the postretirement benefit obligation was 5.9%. The rate decreases gradually to an ultimate rate of 4.0% by 2048 and remains at that level thereafter. In 2022, the medical trend rate used to determine the postretirement benefit obligation was 5.2%, gradually decreasing to an ultimate rate of 4.0% by 2046 and remaining at that level thereafter. The trend rate is a significant factor in determining the amounts reported.
Components of net periodic pension and postretirement benefit (cost) ($ in millions):
 U.S. Pension BenefitsNon-U.S. Pension BenefitsPostretirement Benefits
202320222023202220232022
Service cost$— $— $(30)$(35)$— $— 
Interest cost(97)(54)(46)(22)(5)(3)
Expected return on plan assets124 130 33 35 — — 
Amortization of prior service (cost) credit(1)(1)1 1 2 2 
Amortization of net (loss) gain(12)(35)7 (1)— (1)
Curtailment and settlement gains (losses) recognized— — 1 (7)— — 
Net periodic pension benefit (cost)$14 $40 $(34)$(29)$(3)$(2)
The components of the net periodic benefit (cost) of the noncontributory defined benefit pension plans and other postretirement employee benefit plans other than service cost are included in other income (expense), net in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Earnings.
Weighted average assumptions used to determine net periodic pension benefit (cost) at date of measurement:
 U.S. PlansNon-U.S. Plans
 2023202220232022
Discount rate5.4 %2.7 %4.0 %1.5 %
Expected long-term return on plan assets6.8 %6.8 %4.6 %3.3 %
Rate of compensation increaseN/AN/A3.0 %2.7 %
The discount rate reflects the market rate on December 31 of the prior year for high-quality fixed-income investments with maturities corresponding to the Company’s benefit obligations and is subject to change each year. For non-U.S. pension plans, rates appropriate for each plan are determined based on investment-grade instruments with maturities approximately equal to the average expected benefit payout under the plan.
Included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) as of December 31, 2023 are the following amounts that have not yet been recognized in net periodic pension cost: unrecognized prior service credit of $3 million ($2 million, after-tax) and unrecognized actuarial losses of approximately $534 million ($405 million, after-tax). The unrecognized losses and prior service cost, net, is calculated as the difference between the actuarially determined projected benefit obligation and the value of the plan assets less accrued pension costs as of December 31, 2023.
Included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) as of December 31, 2023 are the following amounts that have not yet been recognized in net periodic postretirement benefit cost: unrecognized prior service credits of $8 million ($6 million, after-tax) and unrecognized actuarial losses of $5 million ($4 million, after-tax). The unrecognized losses and
prior service credits, net, is calculated as the difference between the actuarially determined projected benefit obligation and the value of the plan assets less accrued benefit costs as of December 31, 2023.
Selection of Expected Rate of Return on Assets
For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, the Company used an expected long-term rate of return assumption of 6.75% for its U.S. defined benefit pension plan. The Company intends to use an expected long-term rate of return assumption of 6.75% for 2024 for such plan. This expected rate of return reflects the asset allocation of the plan, and is based primarily on broad, publicly-traded equity and fixed-income indices and forward-looking estimates of active portfolio and investment management. Long-term rate of return on asset assumptions for the non-U.S. plans were determined on a plan-by-plan basis based on the composition of assets and ranged from 0.8% to 6.8% in 2023 and 0.8% to 5.3% in 2022, with a weighted average rate of return assumption of 4.6% in 2023 and 3.3% in 2022.
Pension Plan Assets
The U.S. pension plan’s goal is to maintain between 60% and 70% of its assets in equity portfolios, which are invested in individual equity securities or funds that are expected to mirror broad market returns for equity securities or in assets with characteristics similar to equity investments, such as venture capital funds and partnerships. Asset holdings are periodically rebalanced when equity holdings are outside this range. The balance of the U.S. plan asset portfolio is invested in bond funds, real estate funds, various absolute and real return funds and private equity funds. Non-U.S. plan assets are invested in various insurance contracts, equity and debt securities as determined by the administrator of each plan. The value of the plan assets directly affects the funded status of the Company’s pension plans recorded in the Consolidated Financial Statements.
The Company has certain investments that are valued using Net Asset Value (“NAV”) as the practical expedient. In addition, certain of the investments valued using NAV as the practical expedient have limits on their redemption to monthly, quarterly, semiannually or annually and require up to 90 days prior written notice. These investments valued using NAV consist of mutual funds, venture capital funds, partnerships, real estate, and other private investments, which allow the Company to allocate investments across a broad array of types of funds and diversify the portfolio.
The fair values of the Company’s pension plan assets for both the U.S. and non-U.S. plans as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, by asset category were as follows ($ in millions):
Quoted Prices in Active Market (Level 1)Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)Total
20232022202320222023202220232022
Cash and equivalents$116 $113 $— $— $— $— $116 $113 
Equity securities:
Common stock410 379 — — — — 410 379 
Fixed income securities:
Corporate bonds— — 278 129 — — 278 129 
Government issued— — 25 24 — — 25 24 
Mutual funds112 156 167 118 — — 279 274 
Insurance contracts— — 236 206 — — 236 206 
Total$638 $648 $706 $477 $— $— 1,344 1,125 
Investments measured at NAV (a):
Common/collective trusts906 811 
Venture capital, partnerships and other private investments454 693 
Total assets at fair value$2,704 $2,629 
(a)    The fair value amounts presented in the table above are intended to permit reconciliation of the fair value hierarchy to the total plan assets.
Common stock traded on an active market, as well as mutual funds are valued at the quoted closing price reported on the active market on which the individual securities are traded. Common stock, corporate bonds, U.S. government securities and mutual funds that are not traded on an active market are valued at quoted prices reported by investment brokers and dealers based on the underlying terms of the security and comparison to similar securities traded on an active market. Insurance contracts are valued based upon the quoted prices of the underlying investments with the insurance company.
Common/collective trusts are valued based on the plan’s interest, represented by investment units, in the underlying investments held within the trust that are traded in an active market by the trustee.
Venture capital, partnerships and other private investments are valued using the NAV based on the information provided by the asset fund managers, which reflects the plan’s share of the fair value of the net assets of the investment. Depending on the nature of the assets, the underlying investments are valued using a combination of either discounted cash flows, earnings and market multiples, third-party appraisals or through reference to the quoted market prices of the underlying investments held by the venture, partnership or private entity where available. Valuation adjustments reflect changes in operating results, financial condition, or prospects of the applicable portfolio company.
The methods described above may produce a fair value estimate that may not be indicative of net realizable value or reflective of future fair values. Furthermore, while the Company believes the valuation methods are appropriate and consistent with the methods used by other market participants, the use of different methodologies or assumptions to determine the fair value of certain financial instruments could result in a different fair value measurement at the reporting date.
Expected Contributions
During 2024, the Company’s cash contribution requirements for its U.S. and its non-U.S. defined benefit pension plans are expected to be approximately $9 million and $35 million, respectively. During 2024, the Company’s cash contribution requirements for its other postretirement benefit plans are expected to be approximately $13 million. The ultimate amounts to be contributed depend upon, among other things, legal requirements, underlying asset returns, the plan’s funded status, the anticipated tax deductibility of the contributions, local practices, market conditions, interest rates and other factors.
The following sets forth benefit payments, which reflect expected future service, as appropriate, expected to be paid by the plans in the periods indicated ($ in millions):
U.S. Pension PlansNon-U.S. Pension PlansPostretirement Benefit PlansAll Plans
2024$175 $56 $13 $244 
2025174 63 12 249 
2026173 62 11 246 
2027173 66 10 249 
2028170 66 9 245 
2029 - 2033697 358 39 1,094 
Other Matters
Substantially all employees not covered by defined benefit plans are covered by defined contribution plans, which generally provide for Company funding based on a percentage of compensation.
The Company’s expenses for all defined benefit and defined contribution pension plans amounted to $219 million, $237 million and $203 million for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.