Description: This article highlights how Pension Section actuaries are in the forefront of the debate on pension plan funding reform. Over the past year, the SOA Pension Section has been at the forefront of efforts to rethink how employer-sponsored pension plans are funded. Our initiative began in the fall of 2004 with a call for papers, asking members of the consulting, plan sponsor and academic communities to develop proposals that innovatively address the future of pension plan funding—with the goal of creating a better system. In order to provide a forum to discuss the resulting papers and debate various proposals for reform, a symposium was organized for pension experts and stakeholders to meet face-to-face. The symposium, officially titled 'The Future of Pension Plan Funding and Disclosure,' was held in Washington, D.C., on July 14-15, 2005. From Pension Section News, April 2006, No. 61.

Description: This article announces the restructuring of the Retirement Needs Framework Task Force into the Committee on Post-retirement Needs and Risks. Past accomplishments and the new initiatives are outlined.

Description: Provides highlights of the "How Americans Manage their Finances" study and relates results to other SOA research. Researcher for study is at University of Southern California and the SOA is partnering with the Social Security Administration.

Description: This article discusses the importance of employer retirement plans. Retirement security in the United States comes from Social Security, employer-sponsored benefits, and personal assets including housing and individual savings. The retirement system today is faced with a lot of change, threat and uncertainty. This article deals with the question: How do employers add value by sponsoring plans? It is positioned to open up a dialogue among actuaries and include embedded questions that are italicized throughout this article. From Pension Section News, January 2006, No. 60.

Description: In this Pension Section News article from May 2010, Wendy Weiss reflects on her own clients’ retirement savings practices against the backdrop of major industry surveys and studies.

Description: This interview provides information on Retirement Health and Happiness, the first in a new series of publications designed to improve retirement literacy.

Description: Article discusses how middle class Americans are doing in saving for retirement, sources of incomes and results of the Survey of Consumer Finances.

Description: Update on the activities of the Retirement Plans Experience Committee

Description: Retirees and their advisors should construct diversified portfolios of retirement income, allocating among various retirement income classes that include Social Security, annuities, and systematic withdrawals from invested assets. This essay discusses the pros and cons of various retirement income generators and the issues with constructing retirement income portfolios.

Description: The authors present the myriad of issues affecting an individuals retirement decision and highlight studies from Mercer and AARP. They find that Americans are increasingly creating their own personalized phased retirement programs in this evolving area of human resources management.