Description: This article summarizes the Wharton Conference focusing on retirement policy and changing retirement policy. From Pension Section News, September 2004, Issue No. 56.

Description: This article discusses the challenges to today's retirement system. As part of the recent Re-envisioning Work and Retirement in the 21st Century symposium, held in Washington, D.C., attendees completed a Delphi survey covering challenges to today's retirement system. This article discusses the benefits of a Delphi survey and the results of this particular one. From Pension Section News, September 2006, No. 62.

Description: Current DC plans do an extremely poor job at managing investment and longevity risk for plan participants. This leads to suboptimal outcomes: retirement income is potentially too low, assets are subject to catastrophic losses and may even run out. Insurance solutions—most notably annuities—address some of these issues, but are expensive and not very much liked by consumers. This paper explores how Enhanced Risk Sharing Savings Accounts (“ERiSSA”), consisting of a combination of individual DC accounts with a collective risk sharing and return redistribution mechanism coupled with deferred annuities, might be able to strike a better overall balance for consumers.

Description: The article endorses broader use of lifetime income in DC plans. It explains why the use of DB plans will continue to decline. The article points out that plans sponsors will not willingly take on additional ERISA fiduciary exposure. The article endorses three regulatory reforms that would increase the use of lifetime income in DC plans. 1. A robust annuity issuer safe harbor that would free employers from fiduciary exposure for putting an annuity provider on the DC platform. 2. A requirement that a plan offer a lifetime income option to qualify for the 404(c) safe harbor. 3. A revision to 404(c) to allow plan sponsors to allocate part or all of the employer match to lifetime income.

Description: Discusses a wide range of issues related to financial decision making and aging. Includes discussion of cognitive decline, fraud and poor decisions. Brings in role of technology and tools.

Description: Tom Toale discusses the importance of behavioral economics

Description: SAVER Summit Looks at Retirement Needs and Savings Plans by Anna M. Rappaport from Pension Section News, August 1998, Issue No. 37.

Description: Interview with Sudipto Banerjee

Description: Interview with Joseph Goodman, vice president at Compass Lexecon.