Description: This 1981 discussion session is about public social policies and their impact on public and private retirement plans in the United States and Canada. The key issues discussed pertain to age, sex and marital status, and income level. Also discussed is the possible impact of public social policies on future trends in disability benefits, death benefits, termination benefits, and other factors in private and public retirement plans.

Description: This paper uses data from two longitudinal surveys to examine the relationship between psychological well-being and financial well-being of older women and men, with specific interest in differences by marital status and duration of widowhood. The Wisconsin Longitudinal Study WLS provides a look at the consequences of relatively early widowhood. The Health and Retirement Study HRS has interviewed a representative sample of individuals 50 and older over the last two decades. We use the data from that survey to examine the adjustment to widowerhood over a larger age range, but with likely less precision to measure differences among women of a single age.

Description: This report highlights the findings of the 2009 survey and focuses on issues in the survey specifically as they relate to retirement concerns unique to women.

Description: A Discussion of why female mortality is higher than male mortality at higher ages.

Description: In authorizing blended 1980 CSO mortality tables to compute minimum nonforfeiture values under Norris-affected policies, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners noted that no change was being made with respect to using separate male and female tables for minimum valuation reserves. The purpose of this article is to call attention to how blended cash values relate to reserves.

Description: This article uses a fairy tale to tell a story about life annuities and gender.

Description: This article provides a perspective on the SOA’s Aging and Retirement research reports, and on the types of research that are included. The SOA does a lot of research on different retirement topics, and many people are not aware of the scope of this work. This article offers an overview of the big picture as we think about the future. The article describes longer-term challenges to the US retirement system and recent developments that have affected the system and created uncertainty. It provides an overview of what individuals have said about retirement and their view of post-retirement risks and planning in a variety of consumer research studies. It then reviews some of the research and provides information on summary reports which provide insight on the findings from multiple related research reports. It also provides information about consumer education and what is currently available and in process. It then focuses on how the SOA is helping retirement professionals understand current and expected change and discusses areas of uncertainty as we help those we serve deal with change.

Description: This 1997 presentation from the 32nd Actuarial Research Conference is about the challenges of an aging population on retirement, Social Security, Medicare and long term care. From Actuarial Research Clearing House 1998, Vol. 1.

Description: This paper examines the problem of a growing net benefit reduction for working women who are entitled to benefits in their own right, as well as to benefits as surviving spouses of covered workers.

Description: This edition focuses on three reports from the Society of Actuaries Research Institute by Anna Rappaport, along with comments from various contributors and responses to these comments by Anna. The reports and accompanying discussions highlight key findings on the post-retirement period and post-retirement risks.