Description: SOA Asset Valuation Method Survey Results by Jim Paterson & Larry Pinzur from Pension Section News, June 1999, Issue No. 40.

Description: A discussion of the various Pension Plan Asset Valuation Methods. FromThe Pension Forum, August 2001, Volume 13, Issue No. 1.

Description: The motivation for various asset valuation methods and their properties are briefly described. Some smoothed value or market-related methods based on arithmetic averaging and exponential smoothing are considered and their effect on funding is discussed. Suggestions for further research are also made.

Description: ERISA funding requirements for defined benefit pension plans require an asset valuation method which takes reasonable recognition of fair market value. In this article, the author proposes three asset valuation methods in which market values could be averaged to eliminate the detrimental effects of periodic fluctuations in the bond and stock markets.

Description: The mathematical relationship between the interest rate and salary scale in pension valuations.

Description: The article is a summary of Society of Actuaries report entitled “Annuity Market Pricing Approaches” sponsored by the Retirement Section Research Committee. The report examines the Canadian Institute of Actuaries (CIA) methodology of developing solvency valuation assumptions, compares it to methods used in the U.S., and considers if it could be used in other markets, such as U.S. group annuities or individual annuities

Description: This article announces the availability and provides an overview of the Study Note for Course P–461U-Valuation of Pension Benefits for Disabled Participants. From Pension Section News, April 1998, Issue No. 36.

Description: The author of this article notes that “valuing pension or long-term disability plans with Social Security offsets generally requires some assumptions about the future course of the wage base and benefit formula,” and “the usual approach is to select annual percentage increases for these two variables which relate reasonably and well to the valuation salary scale, and then to project Social Security on that basis.” The author goes on to discuss how the actuary and plan sponsor can be comfortable with a particular choice of parameters, given that “costs can be very sensitive to the Social Security projection and recent history offers little guidance.”

Description: Discussion of competing theories for valuing public pension liabilities. Emphasis on revised Actuarial Standards of Practice that focus on the purpose of the measurement.

Description: The Evolution Of Averaging Mechanics Used In The Actuarial Asset Valuation Method Of The New York City Retirement Systems. From The Pension Forum, August 2001, Volume 13, Issue No. 1.