Description: This study examines reductions in retirement benefits from the decline in defined benefit plans and increases in defined contribution plans during the past 20 years and what effect this has on workforce management. In particular how this change is affecting older workers’ decisions to retire and what effect this could have on companies. An underlying assumption implicit in evaluating the benefit of retirement of older workers is that productivity declines in old age while pay does not, leading to a pay productivity gap that could have an adverse effect on the employer from delayed retirement. The validity of this assumption was also examined.

Description: This is a discussion of the title paper by Raymond F. Houseman, which provides some practical aspects of various funding methods. The paper is critiqued, and some alternative methods are discussed.

Description: In this paper, a general model for a pension plan involving growth with respect to the population, salaries, and retirement benefits is used to study contribution patterns that may arise under different actuarial cost methods. Detailed results are presented for the case where the growth of population and the growth of salaries are described by exponential functions. Economic implications are presented and discussed. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1979, Vol. 31.

Description: This paper presents an analysis indicating that an asset level of 50 to 105 percent of annual OASDI expenditures generally would be sufficient to cover the effects of adverse economic conditions for about 5 to 10 years. A discussion of this paper is included.

Description: This paper improves Chapter 2 of 'Mathematics of Pension Funding' - Part 7 Study Notes. Key formulas are derived in a more general fashion than in the Study Notes.

Description: Updated metrics for measuring financial stress among multiemployer pension plans in the United States.

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.

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: The purpose of this report is to describe our modified approach, provide our rationale, and identify as best we can the alternatives put forward by actuaries who do not share our views.

Description: A supplemental report conducted in 2009 to contrast results of the 2008 study, 'Will Retirement Assets Last a Lifetime'? It discusses retirees confidence in having sufficient assets to fully fund their retirement, their willingness to take risk, efforts to control spending and their use of financial advisers.