Description: This research report on the ability to influence annuity purchases found the following contrast: • Pre-retirees’ intentions to buy a life income annuity appear to be impacted by the interventions tested in this research. There were stronger effects when pre-retirees were provided with basic information, such as life expectancy, and anecdotal evidence. • Retirees’ annuity purchase intentions do not appear to be impacted by the interventions used in the study.

Description: This research report analyzed the effects of different types of informational interventions on annuity-related behavioral intentions and beliefs, such as estimated retirement age and life expectancy.

Description: Replacement rates have historically been a tool to determine the adequacy of retirement income to maintain an individual’s standard of living. Numerous conceptual and methodological issues lie, however, beneath its simple exterior. The purpose of this paper is to examine these underlying issues for the benefit of retirement security stakeholders, pension plan sponsors, advisors, financial product providers, and individuals planning for retirement.

Description: How to make the third pillar of the pension system develop faster is a hot topic in the field of social security research in recent years. Its development is facing three dilemmas: cognitive dilemma, economic transformation dilemma and incentive dilemma. According to the order from easy to difficult, four suggestions are put forward: to build the third pillar system by introducing personal accounts; to separate individual accounts from urban and rural residence insurance and put them in the third pillar; to integrate housing funds into the third pillar; to turn short-term bank savings into long-term pension reserve by improving social welfare.

Description: This survey of emerging risks attempts to track the risk manager population‘s thoughts about emerging risks across time. The top 4 emerging risks from this third iteration of the survey are: 1. US current account deficit/fall in US dollar. 2. Blow up in asset prices/excessive indebtedness. 3. Oil price shock/energy supply interruptions. 4. Chinese economic hard landing.

Description: Research report describing the results of an Emerging Risks Survey conducted in 2010. This survey attempts to track the thoughts of risk managers about emerging risks across time. The new top five are: 1. Fall in value of US Dollar. 2. International terrorism. 3. Chinese economic hard landing. 4. Oil price shock. 5. Failed and failing states.

Description: 1974 SOA Meetings, Dallas and Montreal. This paper is the digest of discussions held at concurrent sessions of the referenced meeting. Topics covered: 1. CORPORATE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT OF STOCK LIFE INSURANCE COMPANIES. 2. PENSION FUNDING ASSUMPTIONS. 3. DIRECTIONS AND GOALS OF ACTUARIAL RESEARCH. 4. VARIABLE LIFE DEVELOPMENTS. 5. LIFE INSURANCE AND CONSUMERISM. From Transactions of the Society of Actuaries 1974, Vol. 26, Pt.2D, No. 75 AB.

Description: This research report sponsored by the SOA's Marketing and Distribution Section gives valuable insights from leaders in the middle income life insurance market.

Description: The SOA concluded surveys that examined the actuarial profession from the perspectives of SOA members and employers. This report presents major conclusions based on the results of these surveys. The analysis has two main objectives: • To compare actuaries’ and employers’ views of actuarial performance on skills that are valuable in today’s market. • To compare actuaries’ and employers’ images of the actuarial profession.

Description: This is the first report in a series on the current state and future opportunity of the retirement market in China. This report, edition one of the series, summarizes the significant outcomes from the study. Also included in this edition is a retirement forecast outlining the drivers of change for China’s retirement market and the resulting opportunities.