Description: This paper presents a history of traditional topics like actuarial cost methods and assumptions, the history of past inquiries into the dynamic and stochastic nature of pension costs, and the perceptions and concerns of pension actuaries of the past. From The Future of Pension Plan Funding and Disclosure Monograph, M-RS05-1.

Description: This 1978 session on classification models included 1. models demonstrating the effect of a classification system superimposed on a merit rating system and 2. models demonstrating the subsidization of poorer risks.

Description: 1994 SOA Spring Meeting, Orlando. This session on credit risk presented a comparative survey of recent and ongoing research related to asset credit risk, and it provided analysis of SOA 1986-89 credit risk data.

Description: This paper examines four and-a-half years of prescription records for an elderly population who have relatively comprehensive out-of-hospital drug coverage under the Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly program in Pennsylvania. The result is a discussion of the determination of non-parametric estimations of the distributions. From Actuarial Research Clearing House 1991, Vol 1.

Description: A mathematical framework for benefits and choices must be created to model benefit selection. This paper creates such a framework by defining benefit plans as reimbursement functions. These are then used with a defined choice function to calculate the cost deviation due to selection. Finally, utility functions can be applied to this framework to predict choice.

Description: Presented at 1983 Actuarial Research Conference. Discussion focuses on improving coordination between practicing actuaries, academic actuaries and non-actuarial academics. The situations in Canada and the UK are also discussed. The emphasis is on research and communications among the different parties.

Description: The purpose of this paper is to discuss modified cost methods that have been proposed for small-plan valuations, The first portion of the paper deals with criteria for choosing a cost method. The next portions deal with small-plan characteristics and the potential shortcomings of conventional cost methods when applied to these plans. The final portion discusses two classes of modified cost methods that have been proposed for circumventing these shortcomings. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1983, Vol. 35.

Description: This paper shows at a relatively low cost, computer assisted instructional techniques can materially improve both classroom instruction and independent study. This discussion is limited to the material used in a Penn State mathematics of finance course. From Actuarial Research Clearing House 1993, VOL. 1.

Description: A mathematical framework for benefits and choices must be created, in order to model flexible benefit selection. This paper creates such a framework by defining benefit plans as reimbursement functions. These are then used with a defined choice function to calculate the cost deviation due to selection. From Actuarial Research Clearing House 1992, VOL. 1.

Description: This article uses a Bayesian approach to persistency to explore pension cost projection variability. The analysis includes the specifications of the model and how the model might be used to generate confidence intervals for pension cost projections.