Description: In February 2008, the American Academy of Actuaries and and the Society of Actuaries Pension Section Council co-sponsored a lively roundtable discussion of the role of funding, disclosure and investment for public pension plans. This article presents the author’s observations and interpretations of the roundtable discussion.

Description: Responding to Sandy Mackenzie's "Report", these comments primarily suggest additional disclosures for assessing public pension plan financial health.

Description: The article discusses the Texas Pension Review Board's Guidelines for Actuarial Soundness applicable to Texas state public retirement systems (including the system's amortization period), and how these guidelines are consistent with and complementary to both the current GASB 27 ARC disclosure, and the imminent GASB 67 & 68 disclosures. The GASB requirements will change from a de facto funding standard to strictly disclosure requirements, with a focus on plans whose funding trajectory is the poorest.

Description: The author presents an overview of the Conference and highlights the controversy and discussion about the appropriate ways to measure assets and Liabilities for public sector pension plans. From the Pension Section News, September 2008, Issue No. 68.

Description: The SOA hosted the 2009 Public Pension Finance Symposium in Chicago, May 18–19 2009. Tom Lowman provides us with a short and insightful summary of each session from the symposium.