Description: Presented at October 1997 Annual Meeting. This session presents some of the economic issues associated with worldwide old-age crisis, focusing on the management of cash flows in social security systems and how they affect the country's national economy.

Description: There is growing evidence of a positive correlation between income levels and longevity. In short, high-income earners live longer. That also means that high-income earners get larger retirement-income security benefits from Social Security. This correlation raises a number of questions: if Social Security contributions are a level percentage of earnings, and high-income earners live longer and receive larger Social Security benefits, then is Social Security regressive? If higher-income actually causes enhanced longevity, then would providing more Social Security benefits enhance population life expectancy? This paper analyzes both the OASDI system of the United States and the Canada/Quebec Pension Plans in Canada to see if these systems are 'a good deal' and whether they are regressive or progressive as defined above. From Actuarial Research Clearing House 1998 Vol. 1.

Description: Presented at Living to 100 Symposium, January 2011. The first part of this paper gives background material on the existing Canadian Income Security system, including both government-sponsored systems and private sector supplements. The second part is the report from the Canadian Institute of Actuaries' Task Force on Government-Facilitated Retirement Income Plans published March 2010, which provided actuarial input to the Canadian pension reform debate.

Description: A discussion of the similarities and differences in social security benefit design, indexation, and financing in Canada, the United States and other countries.

Description: Summary of 2000 IRC, PBGC, Federal Income Tax, Social Security, and Medicare Amounts by Heidi R. Dexter from Pension Section News, June 2000, Issue No. 43.

Description: This article explains the issues with Canada's Social Security system, and finds fault with the proposal to pre-fund with bonds.

Description: This paper reviews and compares the Canadian and U.S. Social Security systems as to their adequacy, actuarial equity and progressiveness. It concludes that the Canadian system[s] provide larger minimum benefits and, thus, greater adequacy than the U. S. On the other hand, the analysis indicates more emphasis on actuarial equity in the U.S. system [in total] than in Canada. Finally, both systems are shown to be highly progressive in that lower-wage earners get larger benefits per dollar of contribution than do higher wage earners. The paper concludes by noting that while the systems in these two countries have remarkably different actuarial formulae for determining benefits, and remarkably different structures, that the benefits that result from the two systems are surprisingly similar. From Actuarial Research Clearing House 1999, Vol. 1.

Description: In session 122 IF of the Washington Annual Meeting panelists discuss the results of research that addresses the issue of whether Social Security is a regressive system with respect to both the Canadian and U.S. Social Security programs. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 23, No. 3.

Description: Participants learn about the demographic, economic, and investment aspects of Social Security systems. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Volume 27, No. 2, Session 30PD of the Toronto Spring Meeting.