Description: This 1991 panel discussion: 1. Compares and contrasts standards set by various U.S and Canadian agencies- FASB, CICA, GASB, and IRS- for calculations under the Projected Unit Credit Cost Method, 2. Discusses certain types of retirement and ancillary benefits that are not easily handled under the Projected Unit Credit Cost Method, and 3. Provides insight into the nuances of using the Projected Unit Credit Cost Method for pension expense and funding purposes. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries Vol. 17, No. 3B.

Description: The report presents the results of a survey on asset valuation methods for defined benefit plans. Information was provided on 9,670 pension plans, 9026 US plans, 612 Canadian plans, and 32 other plans. Fair market value is the frequently used method, especially for smaller plans.

Description: The objective of this paper, prepared by the Society of Actuaries Committee on Pension Principles and Related Research, is to examine the advantages and disadvantages of using select and ultimate interest and salary scale assumptions in the valuation of defined benefit pension plans. The technical issues involved and the effect of such assumptions on the incidence of plan cost are also studied. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1985, Vol. 37.

Description: This panel discussion, which occurred at the May 1982 Society of Actuaries meeting in Colorado Springs, presented a discussion on retirement age issues, trends, and assumptions related to pension plans. Also a discussion of factors that affect early retirement elections. Includes discussion of: I. Trends in experience, especially as they may be influenced by: a. Changes in Social Security b. Government regulation, such as Age Discrimination in Employment Act c. Early retirement incentives, such as bonuses or subsidized early retirement factors and d. Cost-of-living supplements to retirees. 2. Plan design for early and postponed retirement. 3. Effects of deferred retirement on actuarial costs. 4. Trends in actuarial assumptions Detailed historical data on UAW, teachers, and Bell company employees' retirement trends is presented.

Description: Background of the Manhart case on sex discrimination in pension rates, summary of the brief prepared for the case by an SOA task force, and text of a letter submitted to the court by SOA members critical of the brief.

Description: This discussion provides an overview of the SOA research process, reviews the new turnover tables and efforts to model probable outcomes of proposed legislation on the U.S. economy. From Record of Society of Actuaries, Vol. 22, No. 3.

Description: This paper reviews the life cycle of a typical pension plan, examines the issues relating to its funding, and proposes a new funding approach that tries to balance the various concerns. From The Future of Pension Plan Funding and Disclosure Monograph, M-RS05-1.

Description: This presentation discusses current trends in pension demographics, focusing on mortality and turnover rates. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries Vol. 18, No. 4A.