Description: The impact of bond default risk on retirement benefit obligations describes how the probability default on a bond is similar to the probability of death for an annuitant. Bonds are used to cash flow match retirement obligations cash flows to funding from bond. Just as the probability of non-payment happens on the liability side, we can do the same with selected bonds. The end result may be an adjustment to the discount rates used.

Description: Elizabeth Wells describes the fundamental underpinnings and processes that can help reduce the risk of inequitable division of retirement benefits between divorcing couples.

Description: In this article, the authors focus on the disparities for women and minorities in retirement security with emphasis on issues that may be of particular interest to actuaries. From Pension Section News, October 2011, Issue No. 75.

Description: Report on 2013 committee activities and a cumulative summary of key findings of the research. There ae many consistent themes. Description of major ongoing work project.

Description: Planning for retirement in North America has become much more challenging as the defined benefit system has declined. We must take more responsibility for ourselves. As we plan, many societal forces affect us. Both men and women are disadvantaged because Americans in particular are not very good savers. While pension plans and Social Security, or CPP/QPP/OAS in Canada, generally use the same formulas for men and women, often the results are different. This article focuses on the challenges women face in retirement.

Description: This essay talks about gender differences that affect retirement security and reviews lessons from SOA research. It provides advice for women including traps to avoid. Issues consider include differences in life spans, widowhood, divorce, differences in care patterns and caregiving.

Description: Article suggests future steps with regard to this project and provides information on where to get the essays.

Description: This is an introduction to the SOA call for essays around risk strategies pertaining to the diverse risks found in retirement. We are pleased that these essays can be included in this issue of Pension Section News, along with a short interview with each author.

Description: Overview of ideas about longevity risk management focused in part on plan design and on adjusting retirement ages, the interaction of multiple risks and on collective and multiple entity plans. Key ideas from the 2013 Pension Research Council meeting are included and several sets of resources are cited.

Description: Anna and Maria report on the “Older Women in the Future: Adapting to Longer Lives” session that they jointly presented with Terry Kozlowski at last year’s World Future Society Conference, and provide brief summaries of selected other sessions they found interesting and/or surprising.