Description: The Society of Actuaries Retirement Section is pleased to make available material that addresses the challenges in communicating pension risk to stakeholders.

Description: The two basic considerations in a pension plan valuation are the choice of actuarial cost methods and actuarial assumptions. This paper deals with the assumptions. The concern in this regard is what actuaries are doing and why. There are explicit criteria why particular assumptions are chosen, and these have often been discussed in the pension literature. However, there also are implicit criteria, which, while seldom discussed in the literature, can dominate the valuation. The goal of this paper is to quantify some of these criteria, and thereby provide a basis for further discussion and research.

Description: The purpose of this paper is to describe an actuarially acceptable and mathematically definitive method for allocating gains by source. Followed by a discussion paper submitted

Description: An extension of a paper published in the 1952 Transactions by the same author, describing and classifying various funding methods for defined benefit pension plans. Followed by discussion papers submitted by several authors.

Description: This is a discussion on pensions and if takes a closer look at the Deposit Administration. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1950, Vol. 2, No. 4.

Description: These are discussions of the following research papers: 1. 'Actuarial Functions as Expected Values' by John A. Fibiger and Stephen G. Kellison, and 2. 'A New Look at Gain and Loss Analysis' by Arthur W. Anderson. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1971, Vol. 23, Pt. 1, No. 66 AB.

Description: First demonstrates that the choice of mortality basis in the pre-retirement period is immaterial for a defined benefit plan, valued on the Aggregate method, with a pre-retirement death benefit equal to the present value of the accrued pension. Second, presents comparisons of contribution costs for Aggregate vs. Unit Credit funding methods.

Description: This report includes information on variations in wind-up funding levels and examines differences in required PfADs attributable to differences in plan design.

Description: This paper demonstrates how, under the projected benefit cost methods whereby the gains are reflected in the normal cost rate, gains determined at a given valuation date are amortized over the future working lifetime of the active employees included in the valuation as of that date.

Description: The purpose of this research is to analyze recent court cases that focused on excessive contributions to small defined benefit plans. The implications of the cases is important because it provides insight into appropriate paradigms for the funding of private retirement plans. From the Actuarial Research Clearing House 1994, Vol. 1 .