Description: This research, based on data from regulatory filings in Ontario, with supplementary information from British Columbia and the United States, examines funding valuation discount rates.

Description: This research examines funding valuation discount rates that reflect the expected return on investments in accordance with the pension plan’s investment policy. The research is based on data from regulatory filings in Ontario, with supplementary information from British Columbia and the United States.

Description: This session discussion is about pension plans and choosing critical assumptions. Also addressed are current activities of the pension Section Council. From Record of Society of Actuaries Vol. 16, No. 4A.

Description: This paper investigates salary functions as they are used in the valuation of pension plans. Pension actuaries may find many of the ideas in this article useful. Moreover, the paper may be interesting to researchers in actuarial science. The main conclusion of this paper is that salary functions, as derived from the parametric models, yield gains and losses that can be quite small and, in some cases, less variable than non-parametric methods. From Actuarial Research Clearing House 1998, Vol. 1.

Description: A listing of publications dealing with health insurance, public pensions and taxes 3 separate abstracts on 3 subjects, not related to each other

Description: This article discusses that mortality tables should reflect improving mortality. The Group Annuity Mortality table GAM-83 is probably the most common table used by pension actuaries—75 percent of the plans in Watson Wyatt’s “2003 Survey of Actuarial Assumptions and Funding” use GAM-83 for funding calculations. However, there are three more recently published tables that warrant consideration for use in pension valuations: UP-94, GAM-94 and RP-2000. From Pension Section News, January 2006, No. 60.

Description: Presenters examine the current draft of the SOA Retirement Plans Experience Committee's work on a new mortality table and study based only on uninsured pension plan experience. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 25, No. 3.

Description: This is a review of the book, 'Guide to the Technical Side,' by Barnet N. Berin. The book was produced for the non-technician in the form of an easy-to-understand review of the technical aspects of pensions. Although this book has relatively little value for someone well-versed in the actuarial mathematics of pensions, Mr. Berin’s book could be useful for the non-pension actuary or the consultant who wants to familiarize himself with this subject. It should certainly prove a helpful volume for administrators of pension plans and for employers.

Description: John Ralfe's response to the Robert T. McCrory/John Bartel discussion of the article Reinventing Pension Actuarial Science by Lawrence Bader and Jeremy Gold. From The Pension Forum, January 2003, Volume 15, Issue No. 1.

Description: SOA Asset Valuation Method Survey Results by Jim Paterson & Larry Pinzur from Pension Section News, June 1999, Issue No. 40.