Description: This article is a review of the 1977 book “The Future of Social Security,” by Alicia H. Munnell, formerly on the staff of the Brookings Institution and now an Assistant Vice President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. The author of this review notes that the financial problems of the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program have drawn considerable public attention during the past few years, and this has produced quite a number of books and papers on the subject with various recommendations as to what should be done about the future of the program. The reviewer thinks highly of this book, which covers the philosophical questions of individual equity vs. social adequacy, and the question of the effect of OASDI on savings and capital accumulation. Note: A detailed review of the book will appear in the Transactions.

Description: In this article the author chides the authors of the 'SUMMARY OF THE 2010 ANNUAL REPORTS SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE BOARDS OF TRUSTEES' for presenting biased 'misinformation and disinformation in their Message to the Public, and for their contribution to public ignorance about Social Security and Medicare financing.' He attributes this to the fact that the Boards are devoid of public trustees, and consist solely of partisan political appointees.

Description: President Bush is to be commended for making social security private account reform a top legislative priority, but the mixed defined-benefit/defined-contribution model that he has in mind has been criticized for transferring too much investment and longevity risk to account holders. In response, President Bush should consider an alternative approach to private account design - indexed benefit offsets - that would retain the existing defined-benefit model and eliminate this risk transfer. From Pension Section News, April 2005, Issue No. 58.

Description: The standard for measuring retirement income adequacy has been the final earnings replacement rate (usually targeted at 70%). But - does it work?

Description: Summary of two SOA/CIA joint Canadian research projects: A REVIEW OF THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE CANADIAN HEALTHCARE SYSTEM AND RETIREMENT SYSTEM RESEARCH.

Description: The Advisory Council to Social Security will soon be replaced by a board to manage a new independent system. This article discusses recent recommendations made by the Council and the role actuaries have played on it.

Description: This paper reviews proposals from the IPSAS- B, the IMF and Eurostat in relation to the reporting of pension liabilities in national accounts.

Description: The article explores the lack of focus of Social Security reform proposals on the the next twenty years and the imminent drawing down of the Social Security Trust Fund sometime near the end of that period.

Description: This article is a review and discussion of the 1976 “Report of the Consultant Panel on Social Security to the United States Congressional Research Service.” The report contains the results of another government-initiated study of the OASDI system which puts forth a second solution to a problem first publicly identified by the 1975 Advisory Council on Social Security, a problem which has come to be known as the “decoupling issue.” Because the solution proposed by the actuaries and economists making up this consultant panel is significantly different from that of the Advisory Council, this report has inspired some degree of friendly debate among actuaries and others interested in the technicalities of the OASDI benefit formula. Panel members are Peter A. Diamond, James C. Hickman, Ernest J. Moorhead, and William C. Hsiao, Chairman.