Description: First in a series of articles for Retirement Section News focusing on Defined Contribution issues

Description: This article addresses challenges that arise later on in retirement years related to support systems, physical needs, and living arrangements. It highlights the "Late-in-Life Decisions Guide" published by the Society of Actuaries in 2022.

Description: This article addresses how the ARPA has lessened the financial burden on sponsors of corporate defined benefit plans.

Description: Collective Defined Contribution Plans offer an option in plan design that lies somewhere between defined benefit and defined contribution plans. This is achieved by fixing the contributions to the plan, but allowing benefits to fluctuate based on experience. This article provides a basic summary of how they can be structured. There are limitations to their use in the US, but are gaining in popularity elsewhere around the globe.

Description: The article is an interview with Barbara Hogg who summarizes the results of a survey of Americans about their awareness of financial risks faced in retirement and how they are managing those risks. The survey was commissioned by the SOA and is the 11th iteration of such a survey.

Description: Defined benefit plans have been disappearing from the private sector retirement program landscape. 401k Plans that have taken their place are not designed to provide retiree lifetime income. Individuals seldom work for a single employer and thus have many retirement accounts spread about. This commentary discusses an alternative approach to providing retirement income a voluntary basis in a vehicle that is decoupled from employers.

Description: The article describes the factors that should determine the asset allocation of an employer's QDIA, especially Target Date Funds, and suggests that in general QDIAs have insufficient equity in retirement asset allocations.

Description: This article shows how COVID-19 affected retirement risks, and how retirement planning was impacted by COVID-19. It ties together COVID-19 and its economic consequences with results of two recent consumer surveys that examine retirement risk perceptions and financial well being and a more complete discussion of retirement risks. The Managing Post-Retirement Risks guide divided retirement risks into economic risks, risks and personal planning considerations, and unexpected and unpredictable events. Each of the risks discussed in the guide is discussed in the article with commentary on COVID-19 and its impact, and information about how to manage the risk. For each risk, there is information provided about any insights gained in the two surveys. Results of the two surveys linked to COVID-19 are also discussed.

Description: COVID-19 has changed the lives of most Americans and there are very important issues for retirees and near-retirees to consider.

Description: This article is a summary of the SOA Research Institute report published in April 2023 on Megatrends Impacting the Future of Retirement Plans.