Description: Demographers have typically viewed mortality trends from historical and cross-national perspectives, looking at commonalities in the evolution of mortality. In general, with improving economic conditions mortality has tended to decline and life expectancies to rise. The epidemiological transition from a mortality pattern dominated by infectious diseases to one in which more endogenous causes of death predominate is a central theme.

Description: Discussion of three papers presented at Living to 100 and Beyond symposium. Papers discussed: Paper by Ken Faig on how the Social Security Administration's Master Death File can be used as a resource to investigate mortality at later ages, paper by Kestenbaum and Ferguson on how to improve the quality of the information available on old age mortality, and paper by Gallop on older age mortality in the UK derived from public pension data.

Description: Papers: Quantification and Management of Longevity Risk in China – Johnny Li, FSA, ACIA, Ph.D. - Univeristy of Melbourne, Kenneth Q. Zhou, ASA, ACIA, Ph.D. - Arizona State University, Wai-Sun Chan, FSA, CERA, Ph.D. - The Chinese University of Hong Kong A Value-Based Longevity Index for Hedging Retirement Income Portfolios – Kevin Krahe, Jonathan Ziveyi, Ph.D., Michael Sherris, FSA, FIAA, FIA, Andres M. Villegas, Ph.D. - UNSW Australia

Description: This paper presents select data from Census 2000 as background to the research and discussion in this monograph. From 2005 Living to 100 and Beyond Monograph, M-LI05-1.