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: 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 paper attempts, in some measure, to get at least the fundamentals of pension funding into actuarial literature. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1952, Vol. 4, No. 8.

Description: This discussion is about interests assumptions that are being used for cost estimates and valuation for trusteed retirement plans and deposit administration plans. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries Vol. 13 pt 2

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 is a discussion of the paper Fundamentals of Pension Funding by Charles L. Trowbridge. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1952, Vol. 4, No. 10.

Description: Discussion of the use of traditional individual insurance products for pension plans of employers with small numbers of employees. Also discusses the new products in use, or under development for such plans. Also discusses the pros and cons of shifting individual policy funded plans to some other basis when the number of participants becomes larger. Finally, a discussion of products and methods under development in contemplation of enactment of a Keogh-type bill to provide retirement benefits for the self-employed?

Description: This is a discussion of 'The Generalized Family of Aggregate Actuarial Cost Methods for Pension Funding' by John R. Taylor. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1967, Vol. 19, Pt. 1, No. 54.

Description: Description of a group annuity contract with a separate investment account designed to provide the flexibility in the type of investment used for advance funding sought by many pension buyers without the complete loss of insurance company guarantees to an individual once he has retired. Followed by 2 discussion papers submitted.