Description: This panel discussion is from the 1991 Meeting of the Society of Actuaries, held June 3-5 in Colorado Springs. The panelists debunk myths, the conventional wisdom that actuaries have no place in the public policy arena, whether because the profession is too small to influence public policymakers, or legislators just don't want to hear from professionals whose work is so technical in nature and specialized in its application, or that It's not really necessary to become too involved in public policymaking, because what goes on in legislatures just doesn't affect actuaries’ day-to-day working lives. The panelists provide insights on lending actuarial expertise to policymaking debates. Discussion from participants is included. From the Record of Society of Actuaries, Volume 17, No. 3A.

Description: The title for this session is a little ambiguous. The panelists do not say much about the ins and outs of how to tax retirement income plans. Rather, they talk about why tax policy works as it does and how it relates to pension policy. It becomes evident from the discussion that pension policy and tax policy are hard to separate. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries Vol. 17, No. 3B.