Includes “Bill Bergman, director of research for the Chicago-based Truth in Accounting, said the 'safety net' of taxpayers 'can motivate pension plans to concentrate in risky investments, given that plan members get the upside and taxpayers get the downside.' … 'The incentives are underlined by current — and questionable — accounting standards, which call for pension liabilities to use discount rates based on expected rates of investment returns,' he said. 'Higher-risk investments offer higher expected returns, leading to higher discount rates and, in turn, lower reported pension liabilities.'