Description: This paper proposes to discuss the various criteria of actuarial soundness, especially as they apply to the railroad retirement system, and to suggest another measure of the financial condition of the system as of any valuation date. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1954, Vol. 6, No. 14.

Description: This is a discussion of the paper, Measure of Actuarial Soundness in a Pension Plan of the Railroad Retirement Type by Abraham M. Niessen. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1954, Vol. 6, No. 16.

Description: The purpose of this note is to investigate whether, for a given level annual contribution rate, the introduction of a lump-sum benefit in lieu of a part of the pension otherwise payable, can result in a reduction of the mathematical risk due to chance deviations from expectation. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1953, Vol. 5, No. 12.

Description: This is a discussion of the paper, The Mathematical Risk of Lump-Sum Death Benefits in a Trusteed Pension Plan by Hilary L. Seal. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1953, Vol. 5, No. 13.

Description: This section contains multiple book reviews and notices concerning the actuarial profession. Reviews: 'Medical Risks: Patterns of Mortality and Survival' by Singer and Levinson, 'The Theory and Practice of Pension Funding' by Trowbridge and Farr, 'Two Stochastic Processes' by Beekman, 'Disability Income Insurance - Cost Differentials between Men and Women' by New York Insurance Department, 'Social Security and Private Pension Plans: Competitive or Complementary' by McGill, 'A New Look at Accounting for Pension Costs' by Hall and Landsittel, '1977 Annual Reports of the Board of Trustees of the Federal OASDI Trust Funds...,' 'Investigation of Sickness Statistics - Individual Policies, 1971 and 1973' by the Institute of Actuaries and the Faculty of Actuaries, 'The Graduation of Pensioners and of Annuitants Mortality Experience 1967-70' by the Institute of Actuaries and the Faculty of Actuaries, 'Pensions and Survival - the Coming Crisis of Money and Retirement' by Calvert, 'Group Benefits in a Changing Society' by Spencer, 'Experience of Disabled Work Benefits under OASDI 1965-74' by Bayo and Wilkin. Digests also included.

Description: Both company and employee objectives with regard to pension plan funding tend to enhance employee security in its broadest sense, and differences are primarily those of emphasis. Company stress is apt to be on flexible pension contributions within the framework of stable long-range costs, while employee stress- when not on increased benefits- is likely to be on the funding of accrued benefits. The purpose of this paper is to examine certain funding guidelines which reflect both viewpoints in a logical and consistent fashion. It is concerned with principles as well as with the broad impact of actuarial assumptions and cost methods but is not concerned with specific application of the latter. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1966, Vol. 18, Pt. 1, No. 51.

Description: This discussion focuses on group retirement plans and takes a look at the possibility of future problems as a result of offering group annuity plans permitting the employer to choose method of funding. The discussion further seeks to discover what considerations are involved in determining minimum size for group annuity contract of the deposit administration type and if insurance company proposals include cost estimates involving labor turnover rates. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1951, Vol. 3, No. 5.

Description: In this paper, a general model for a pension plan involving growth with respect to the population, salaries, and retirement benefits is used to study contribution patterns that may arise under different actuarial cost methods. Detailed results are presented for the case where the growth of population and the growth of salaries are described by exponential functions. Economic implications are presented and discussed. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1979, Vol. 31.

Description: The purpose of this paper is to provide an introduction to mathematical principles applicable to pension funding under dynamic conditions of population growth, inflation, and automatic adjustment of benefits. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1976, Vol. 28.

Description: This is a discussion of the paper, 'Life Agents' Retirement Plans under New York State Expense Limitations' by Peter M. Tompa. This discussion amplifies the paper with regards to comparison of funding retirement with single premium deferred annuities as opposed to the money purchase method and critiques the table used for valuation of benefits.