Description: This paper focuses on the Social Security Act. The paper first presents a brief history of the old-age and survivors insurance system and the public assistance program. The provisions of the amended act are compared to the previous version. Actuarial cost estimates underlying the insurance program are given with implications of the financing basis of the program.

Description: Brief discussion of highlights of past Living to 100 Research Symposia, urging readers to attend 2023 symposium

Description: In Canada, there are three main sources of government-provided retirement income: 1. The Canada/Quebec Pension Plan [C/QPP], which have benefits and contributions based on earnings up to the Yearly Maximum Pensionable Earnings, 2. Old Age Security [OAS], which is a fixed amount for most but does include a 'clawback' of benefits for high-income individuals, and 3. The Guaranteed Income Supplement [GIS], which is designed to supplement those with extremely low income. The annual GIS benefit is reduced, or clawed back, by 50 cents for every dollar of annual income the person has in retirement, including C/QPP and income from Registered Retirement Savings Plans [RRSP] and other savings. OAS benefits are not included in determining the GIS clawback. The result of this is that low-income individuals who attempt to enhance their retirement replacement ratio actually see a decrease in government-provided support the more they save for retirement. In fact, savings in an RRSP can effectively be taxed at more than 100% through corresponding reductions in the GIS, social housing, home care, GAINS [Ontario's Guaranteed Annual Income Supplement], and other benefits which are based on one's personal retirement income. This paper explores a basic GIS exemption, a GIS clawback rate of lower than 50%, and various combinations of the two as alternative policies for the GIS. The goal is to improve the fairness of the GIS and reduce the disincentive to save for retirement, without increasing the overall cost of the program significantly.

Description: This session from the 1995 SOA Boston Meeting focuses on the problems with the dominant social pension systems around the world and the potential solutions to the problems in providing retirement income security in the face of aging populations and diminishing resources. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 21, No. 4b.

Description: In this article, the author suggests that Social Security funds could earn better returns if some of the assets were invested in index funds weighted by the market capitalization. Index funds retain the risk and reward of the diversified market as a whole and eliminate the greater risk/reward of investing in a single issue or market segment. They offer a simple way to focus on asset mix where so much of the risk can be managed.

Description: Feature article discussing the National Academy of Social Insurance NASI, its 2011 Annual Conference, and in particular the session on Social Security Reform.

Description: This discussion on Social Security examined questions related to the 1950 amendments including the effect on the beneficiary population, issues with including life insurance agents, and the affect on agent pension plans. Also, prospects for a disability program within Social Security, the impact of the proposed Canadian Old Age Pension program, and problems relative to the British Columbia hospitilization plan are discussed.

Description: This article analyzes the proposals in the recent state of the union address to support Social Security. The recommendation contains two plans - to transfer surplus tax revenue to Social Security and to invest part of the transfers in equities.

Description: The question is frequently raised: Do workers get their money's worth from the payroll taxes that they pay under the U.S. Social Security program? Analyses by nonactuaries are usually faulty because of incorrect methodology and/or incorrect assumptions. This paper presents an analysis of cash retirement benefits for various cases of workers at two earnings levels who attained age 65 and retired in the past and who will attain the normal retirement age and retire at several dates in the future. In summary, the vast majority of workers who retired in the past received, and are receiving, benefits of far greater value than the taxes that they paid. This situation will change in the future, especially if tax rates rise to a level sufficient to support the program over the long run. Many workers who retire in the future will not get their money's worth when the combined employer-employee taxes are considered. This result would be expected eventually for a program that is financed almost entirely by these payroll taxes. However, the vast majority of workers will get their money's worth if only the employee tax is considered. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1992, Vol. 44.

Description: This paper presents and analyzes data on disability and disability termination rates from group waiver of premium, group disability income, individual loss-of-time business and the OASDI system. The paper also presents the differences in disability termination rates between male and female and the possible causes. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1979, Vol. 31.