Employee and Director Benefit Plans

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Employee and Director Benefit Plans [Abstract]

Employee and Director Benefit Plans

NOTE 18. EMPLOYEE AND DIRECTOR BENEFIT PLANS

Cadence maintains a 401(k) savings plan to provide retirement benefits through tax-deferred salary deductions for all of its United States employees. Cadence may make discretionary contributions, as determined by the Board of Directors, which cannot exceed a specified percentage of the annual aggregate salaries of those employees eligible to participate. Cadence total contributions made to the plan during fiscal 2011, fiscal 2010 and fiscal 2009 were as follows:

	2011		2010		2009
	(In thousands)
Contributions to 401(k) savings plan	$	9,350	$	8,775	$	9,021

Executive Officers and Directors may also elect to defer compensation payable to them under Cadence’s Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan, or NQDC. Deferred compensation payments are held in accounts with values indexed to the performance of selected investments. These investments are classified as trading securities in the Consolidated Balance Sheets and gains and losses are recognized as income (expense) in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Net recognized gains (losses) of trading securities during fiscal 2011, fiscal 2010 and fiscal 2009 were as follows:

	2011			2010		2009
	(In thousands)
Trading securities	$	(472	)	$	2,623	$	(1,049	)

Certain of Cadence’s international subsidiaries sponsor defined benefit retirement plans. The total unfunded projected benefit obligation for Cadence’s defined benefit plans was $8.9 million as of December 31, 2011 and $8.0 million as of January 1, 2011, and is recorded in other long-term liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. During fiscal 2010, Cadence recorded a $4.3 million net increase in the unfunded projected benefit obligation for these defined benefit plans with a corresponding decrease in accumulated other comprehensive income. Cadence recorded total expense related to these defined benefit plans during fiscal 2011, fiscal 2010 and fiscal 2009 as follows:

	2011		2010		2009
	(In thousands)
Expense related to defined benefit plans	$	2,175	$	1,832	$	1,058