Description: Actuaries have been thinking about how to improve North American retirement systems in big and small ways for a number of years. This web page contains Bob Berin’s thoughts on this topic from the September 1990 Pension Section News, followed by Cindy Levering’s update on the Retirement 20/20 initiative.

Description: This panel discussion which was presented at the SOA's 1976 Spring Meeting in Washington D.C. focused on various pension plan issues which have arisen in difficult economic times in the mid-1970's.

Description: This 1982 discussion session addresses three questions: 1. How will continued high rates of inflation affect the financial needs of retired persons, both absolutely and in comparison with other segments of the population?, 2. What effects will there be on the age of retirement and the need for retirement income?, and 3. To what extent will these needs be met from social programs, private plans or individual savings?

Description: In this paper, mortality trends of males and females are examined from the beginnings of the human species until the present. Future projections are also made, and the implications of the widening gap in survival rates of women vs. men is discussed.

Description: This is the presidential address by former President of the SOA, Barnet N. Berin. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1995, Vol. 47.

Description: In this article, the authors describe the flaws in our current determination of the Consumer Price Index CPI and other economic indicators, and propose a series of refinements for improving the CPI calculations. The article emphasizes the importance of accuracy, given the significant influence on business and investment policies, psychological effect on the marketplace, as well as on consumer confidence, and the direct impact on Social Security increases and other benefit plans.

Description: Full version of Pension Section News, November 1998, Issue No. 38.

Description: This session from the 1984 SOA Atlanta Meeting is about the FASB's preliminary views on pension accounting issues and the shortcomings of the views from the actuarial perspective.

Description: Recognizing the increase in the rate of inflation over recent years in the United States, pension plans have been improving benefits for retired employees. In this paper, a planning model is developed for such increases, based on periodic examination of the increase in pension necessary to keep a replacement ratio constant. This ratio is initially related to the private pension plus Social Security benefit, divided by final average salary. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1982, Vol. 34.

Description: This session from the 1995 SOA Vancouver Meeting discusses ethics in general, and then examines the topic of ethics as it relates to professional and corporate planning. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 21, No. 3a.