Description: In this article, author Anna Rappaport discusses highlights and wake-up calls from the December, 2009 Annual Retirement Security Symposium.

Description: Highlights of the International Experience Study (IES), a joint research venture of the SOA’s International Section and Research Department, the International Actuarial Association, local actuarial associations and corporate sponsors to provide actuaries around the world with practical experience information in emerging markets.

Description: This article uses a fairy tale to tell a story about life annuities and gender.

Description: Article discusses the how the older population has been treated throughout history with low regard and often as a burden on society.

Description: This article is a follow up to an article in the February, 1977 issue of the actuary, which was a discussion of the article, Sex and the Single Table. This article is a reply by Barbara J. Lautzenheiser, FSA, author of Sex and the Single Table, to a comment her original article generated. This current article again provides an excellent explanation of actuarial risk classification practices, and of the legal and social issues used to argue against risk classification, noting that if society does favor policy that overrides risk classification based on gender, such as promoting unisex tables for determining pension payments, then the implications should be understood.

Description: The article discovers that mortality is higher for females than for males at higher ages, and suggests "stress" as the explanation. It then discusses mental illness research, including recovery therefrom.

Description: This article provides a perspective on the SOA’s Aging and Retirement research reports, and on the types of research that are included. The SOA does a lot of research on different retirement topics, and many people are not aware of the scope of this work. This article offers an overview of the big picture as we think about the future. The article describes longer-term challenges to the US retirement system and recent developments that have affected the system and created uncertainty. It provides an overview of what individuals have said about retirement and their view of post-retirement risks and planning in a variety of consumer research studies. It then reviews some of the research and provides information on summary reports which provide insight on the findings from multiple related research reports. It also provides information about consumer education and what is currently available and in process. It then focuses on how the SOA is helping retirement professionals understand current and expected change and discusses areas of uncertainty as we help those we serve deal with change.

Description: Planning for retirement in North America has become much more challenging as the defined benefit system has declined. We must take more responsibility for ourselves. As we plan, many societal forces affect us. Both men and women are disadvantaged because Americans in particular are not very good savers. While pension plans and Social Security, or CPP/QPP/OAS in Canada, generally use the same formulas for men and women, often the results are different. This article focuses on the challenges women face in retirement.

Description: This article is a review and discussion of the article, “Sex and the Single Table: Equal Monthly Retirement Income for the Sexes? By Barbara J. Lautzenheiser, FSA, appearing in the Fall 1976 issue of Employee Benefits Journal. The author of this article found it to be an informed discussion in the defense of actuarial risk classification practices, and of the legal and social issues used to argue against risk classification based on gender, such as promoting unisex tables for determining pension payments.

Description: This article talks about longevity risk and reinsurance and its global challenges.