7. Employee and Agent Benefits

Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost

					Other postretirement
	Pension benefits				benefits
	For the three months ended				For the three months ended
	September 30,				September 30,
	2017		2016		2017		2016
	(in millions)
Service cost	$	16.7	$	16.2	$	—	$	0.6
Interest cost	31.1		33.7		1.0		1.7
Expected return on plan assets	(36.0)		(38.7)		(7.0)		(8.1)
Amortization of prior service benefit	(0.6)		(0.6)		(8.6)		(5.1)
Recognized net actuarial (gain) loss	17.0		19.3		(0.1)		—

Net periodic benefit cost (income)	$	28.2	$	29.9	$	(14.7)	$	(10.9)

					Other postretirement
	Pension benefits				benefits
	For the nine months ended				For the nine months ended
	September 30,				September 30,
	2017		2016		2017		2016
	(in millions)
Service cost	$	50.3	$	48.7	$	0.1	$	1.8
Interest cost	93.3		101.1		3.0		5.0
Expected return on plan assets	(108.1)		(116.2)		(20.7)		(24.4)
Amortization of prior service benefit	(1.7)		(1.7)		(25.9)		(15.2)
Recognized net actuarial (gain) loss	51.0		57.8		(0.1)		0.1

Net periodic benefit cost (income)	$	84.8	$	89.7	$	(43.6)	$	(32.7)

Contributions

Our funding policy for our qualified pension plan is to fund the plan annually in an amount at least equal to the minimum annual contribution required under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (“ERISA”) and, generally, not greater than the maximum amount that can be deducted for federal income tax purposes. The minimum annual contribution for 2017 will be zero so we will not be required to fund our qualified pension plan during 2017. However, it is possible that we may fund the qualified and nonqualified pension plans in 2017 for a combined total of up to $125.0 million. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, we contributed $13.2 million and $83.5 million to these plans, respectively.