Description: The purpose of this note is to demonstrate the derivation of unisex single life and joint life annuity values, and early retirement and joint and survivor option factors based on certain assumptions. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1976, Vol. 28.

Description: Comments on Robert North’s paper, a real case study of disclosing MVL in a public employee retirement system.

Description: This paper considers a typical retirement endowment plan where an endowment provides for a monthly payment at retirement and units of life insurance prior to retirement and which the amounts of insurance in later years are net level premium reserves. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1961, Vol. 13, No. 37.

Description: The Evolution Of Averaging Mechanics Used In The Actuarial Asset Valuation Method Of The New York City Retirement Systems. From The Pension Forum, August 2001, Volume 13, Issue No. 1.

Description: In this paper, how various factors affect the mortality of retirees is investigated. It is found that the effect is often different for older ages than for younger ages. The method to develop actuarial models that take into account the factors will be discussed. From Actuarial Research Clearing House, Volume 38, No. 1.

Description: This paper uses a Bayesian approach to persistency to explore retirement cost projection variability. The analysis is divided into two parts. In the first part a subjective population projection model is developed, based on a beta-binomial distribution for the number of participants persisting through a given age. Probability statements regarding such items as the number of participants at a given age and the distribution of retirees are developed. The second part shows how the model might be used to generate confidence intervals for retirement cost projections. Both the single-entry-age case and the multiple-entry-age case are considered. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1979, Vol. 31.

Description: Comments from Eric Friedman on “The Debate over Applying FE Principles to the Funding on Public Pension Plans: A Transition Proposal and Other Ideas,” by Thomas Lowman

Description: Part 2 proposes solutions to the second of three flaws of the current financial model to obtaining the fair value of the public sector employer’s pension benefit liability.

Description: Kevin Binder, chair of the Pension Section Research Team, shares a summary of two recently completed projects that are now posted on the SOA website.The first topic is on the drawing down of retirement savings and the second is on the valuation of pension plan embedded options. From Pension Section News, October 2011, Issue No. 75.

Description: Exploration of sources of volatility in retiree health valuations, noting how volatility arises and might be mitigated, with discussion of valuation parameters more problematic for retiree health benefits than for pensions. Three significant influences on retiree health valuation volatility are covered-- changes in benefit level, fluctuations in cost level, and alterations in eligibility for, or duration of, benefit – and attention focused on the last two. Specific conclusions result in recommendations, which are supported by practical examples contrasting volatile measurement results with those likely from the recommended practices. Theoretical discussion includes health claim variation, health trend usage, financial economics, option pricing, discount rates, and deterministic vs. stochastic modeling.