In early 2016, ABC Co. made adjustments to its pension plan resulting in $260,000 of prior service costs. Twenty employees will be affected (assume retirements occur at the end of the year): 4 will retire in 2016, 3 will retire in 2017, 7 will retire in 2018, and 6 will retire in 2019. Determine the 2016 amortization of prior service cost using the service method. Why is this method considered conceptually better than the straight-line method?