Description: This presentation is an open forum from the 1991 Annual Meeting of the Society of Actuaries, held October 20-23 in Toronto. The speakers, members of the Pension Committee of the Actuarial Standards Board [ASB], present an update on the ASB’s exposure drafts of actuarial standards of practice intended to provide detailed guidance on setting economic assumptions for pension plans. The session is concerned with selecting actuarial assumptions, specifically economic assumptions, for measuring pension obligations. The speakers note that in addition to providing guidance to actuaries, the standards are designed to help users of our work product understand what actuaries consider in determining their assumptions. Discussion from participants is included. From the Record of Society of Actuaries, Volume 17, No. 4B.

Description: 1992 SOA Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C. This session reviewed IRS rulings, regulations and announcements pertaining to pensions which were issued in 1991-1992. Specific areas addressed included: 1. Distribution tables. 2. Non-discrimination regulations. 3. Determination of highly compensated employees. 4. Determination letter program. 5. Rollovers. 6. Distributions. 7. Cash balance plans. 8. New directions in the examination program.

Description: This session from the 1995 SOA Vancouver Meeting discusses minimum funding and the problems related to establishing and amortizing change-in-method amortization bases. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 21, No. 3a.

Description: This session from the 1995 SOA Vancouver Meeting covers discrimination in plan design specifically addressing 401a4 and 410b regulations. It defines what benfits, right and features are, defines and tests current availabiltiy, defines effective availability and reviews some special rules. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 21, No. 3a.

Description: Discussed are some of the major effects of the Retirement Protection Act of 1994 in areas other than funding. Topics included are calculation of lump sums, 415 limits, creation of the missing participants program, elimination of the excise tax for some non deductible contributions, and changes in the variable rate program. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 21, No. 4a.

Description: Presented at October 1996 Annual Meeting. Now that plan sponsors are required to purchase only the “safest available” annuities, companies encounter a number of difficulties when they attempt to terminate a defined-benefit plan. This session addresses the lack of available insurers and the resulting effect on competition, a situation in which the plan sponsor may have difficulty finding any insurer to take plan benefits, the effect on prevalence of lump-sum distributions, and the role of the PBGC as insurer of last resort.

Description: This panel discusses the major effects of the Small Business Job Protection Act SBJPA of 1996 on defined-benefit plans emphasizing: -415 limit changes -nondiscrimination issues, and -taxation of distributions. From Record of Society of Actuaries, Vol. 23, No. 1.

Description: This paper studies the variability of pension costs and fund levels under various funding methods. From Actuarial Research Clearing House 1990, Vol. 1.

Description: This research paper investigates health care costs in the last year of life. This paper looks specifically at the issues of measurement of retiree health care costs when the baseline healthcare costs are measured in terms of the last year of life costs and maintenance costs.

Description: This panel discussion session focuses on approaches to investing pension assets including real estate, foreign investment, gold, and allocation of assets to various investment categories. From Record of Society of Actuaries 1980, Vol. 6, No. 4.