Description: Many retirement actuaries have experience developing, implementing, and monitoring Liability Driven Investing (LDI) strategies for plan sponsors. These strategies typically involve modifying a plan’s investment strategy to remove a significant portion of the investment and interest rate risk now or at some point in the future when specific triggers are met. The tactics often involve the use of fixed income assets to cash flow and/or duration match the liabilities. In the spirit of helping actuaries expand their roles in an evolving defined contribution world, this article explores the application of LDI and derisking strategies within defined contribution and individual retirement accounts. The economic theory behind this approach is called the lifecycle hypothesis, or lifecycle finance. The benefits of the lifecycle finance method are that it provides a safe approach to save for retirement and a secure source of floor income during retirement. Similar to pension plans, each individual has his or her own idiosyncratic needs, wants, and risks that should be considered. Actuaries are uniquely situated to help defined contribution plan sponsors, individuals, and even themselves implement the lifecycle finance approach by developing and distributing tools and methods that focus on income (rather than wealth), LDI strategies, and personalization.

Description: Why retirement income replacement ratios are still relevant, even in light of newer retirement planning concepts.

Description: Letter from editor discussing various topics covered in the issue.

Description: This article is an interview of two fraud experts who talk about the feedback on retirement fraud they received from surveying record keepers.

Description: Feature article describing the next steps people should take after they are finished working full time.

Description: Actuaries can be well suited to provide consulting to both DB and DC plans. We focus on DC design and the important nondiscrimination test requirements that need to be at the core of a plan design project. Plan design for DC plans seems easy, but should not be looked at any less seriously than DB plan design. The key steps are the same as DB plan design. We review key concepts that plan design actuaries want to know.

Description: Section chairperson's column describing section membership benefits.

Description: Feature article discussing important issues related to retirement.

Description: Read the chairperson's annual newsletter to learn more about the Retirement Section Council's (RSC) activities and new members of the leadership team, including the 2024 chairperson.

Description: Retirement Section Chair industry and professional observations introducing the content of the newsletter. The current article focuses on the benefits of volunteering within the actuarial profession and acknowledges the contributions made to the outgoing section council members and the outgoing staff fellow for retirement as well as introducing new retirement section council members