Description: The failure of a few large life insurers in the early 1990's led to public concern about the safety of annuities purchased by qualified retirement plans. As a result, the Department of Labor issued guidelines, known as the 'Safest Annuity Rule,' for selecting annuity providers. This study examines whether the Safest Annuity Rule is significantly changing the market for insured annuities issued to tax-qualified pension plans, particularly upon the termination of defined benefit plans. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1997-98 Reports.

Description: This paper concentrates on the issue of determining interest rates for pricing the guaranteed purchase rates at time of retirement under a group annuity contract, but the technique developed can also be applied to possible variations from expected mortality. A discussion of this paper is included.

Description: This paper looks at using an age adjustment to provide for anticipated future mortality improvements based on Ga-1951 Male Table. The use of a simple setback in age to provide for improving mortality has proven to be quite satisfactory and eliminates the expense of calculation and maintenance of voluminous projected tables. Followed by several discussion papers submitted

Description: 1959 SOA Regional Meetings in Atlanta and San Francisco. These discussions on pensions examined the advantages of funding deferred profit sharing plans through a life insurance company and the problems involved in final average retirement plans.

Description: The purpose of this paper is to outline some of the points to be considered in arriving at a method of making cost estimates and funding calculations and their practical application.

Description: This is a discussion of the title paper by Raymond F. Houseman, which provides some practical aspects of various funding methods. The paper is critiqued, and some alternative methods are discussed.

Description: In March this year a charter for the new corporation, the College Retirement Equities Fund, was granted by the State of New York and it is expected that within a few months the Fund will begin operations as a supplement to TIAA annuities. The purpose of this paper is to describe this rather novel type of corporation, which presents some unusual and interesting actuarial problems. Comparisons of the performance of fixed annuities vs. variable annuities are provided.

Description: The purpose of this paper is to present actuarial tools, based upon group annuity mortality experience, with which the actuary concerned with pension problems may shape or test the mortality basis which, in his judgment, is appropriate to such problems - and presents the Group Annuity Table for 1951, with projections.

Description: This paper is a practical guide to the terminal funding annuity product. Actuarial considerations, investment strategies, administration, and marketing aspects are discussed.

Description: Description of a group annuity contract with a separate investment account designed to provide the flexibility in the type of investment used for advance funding sought by many pension buyers without the complete loss of insurance company guarantees to an individual once he has retired. Followed by 2 discussion papers submitted.