Description: The objective of this paper, prepared by the Society of Actuaries Committee on Pension Principles and Related Research, is to examine the advantages and disadvantages of using select and ultimate interest and salary scale assumptions in the valuation of defined benefit pension plans. The technical issues involved and the effect of such assumptions on the incidence of plan cost are also studied. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1985, Vol. 37.

Description: These discussions at the 1967 New York and New Orleans Regional Meetings are about considerations in choosing interest assumptions and challenges presented when comparing investment yields among companies.

Description: The basic goal of this paper is to develop a generalized statement of aggregate actuarial cost methods and relate to it certain ideas developed by Trowbridge, Nesbitt, and others. A secondary goal is to describe practical methods which bear the same relationship to unit credit funding that the 'usual' forms of frozen initial liability and aggregate bear to entry age normal funding. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1967, Vol. 19, Pt. 1, No. 53 AB.

Description: The purpose of this paper is to describe an actuarially acceptable and mathematically definitive method for allocating gains by source. Followed by a discussion paper submitted

Description: This discussion is about retirement plans and interest assumptions in valuation of pension plans. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1962 Vol. 14 pt 2

Description: This is a discussion of 'The Generalized Family of Aggregate Actuarial Cost Methods for Pension Funding' by John R. Taylor. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1967, Vol. 19, Pt. 1, No. 54.

Description: This paper develops a family of accrued benefit actuarial cost methods which permits the purchase of retirement income at either an accelerating or decelerating rate. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1967, Vol. 19, Pt. 1, No. 54.

Description: This paper addresses how to explain yearly fluctuations and computed pension cost in terms of deviations of actual from expected experience. It presents a method for deriving gain-an-loss analysis formulas directly from the valuation formulas and shows that the analysis is implicitly defined by the valuation formulas, rather than something which can be considered apart from them. This method can be used to attack both individual and aggregate cost methods and the development of exact analysis formulas provides not only the basis for computation but also valuable insight into the mechanisms by which cost methods adjust computed costs to reflect actual experience.

Description: Traditional pension cost methods are based on the actuarial present value of future benefits [which is a mean value]. As a consequence, these cost methods are deficient because they cannot provide plan sponsors with certain valuable information such as the probability that the accumulation of a particular sequence of contributions will ultimately provide sufficient funds to pay benefits, or the size of fund needed to ensure that retirees' lifetime benefits are paid with a specified probability. In response to these deficiencies, a new family of cost methods, called a-percentile cost methods, is developed. These cost methods are based on the probability of adequately covering all participants' benefits. Expressions for the normal cost, the accrued liability and the gain are provided. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1993, Vol. 45.

Description: This discussion explores actuarial assumptions for interest, mortality and disability. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1961, Vol. 13, Pt. 2.