Description: This paper examines tandem levels of salary and interest rates and finds that the absolute level of each assumption as well as the differential are significant cost determinants for defined benefit pension plans. In forming best-estimate salary and interest rate assumptions, the actuary must reconcile the difference, if any, between the currently observed rates and the valuation assumptions. Common practice is to choose expected long-term rather than observed rates for valuation purposes. The error in this procedure is analyzed and found to be tolerable for strictly temporary discrepancies between observed rates and valuation assumptions. For situations where these discrepancies are expected to persist for some time, a need is shown for nonuniform, calendar-year assumptions or their equivalent in order to develop best-estimate assumptions. Followed by several discussion papers submitted

Description: This paper explores how change in societal forces can affect the systems for providing security including private pensions, social security, life insurance and health insurance. The societal forces examined are changes in family, role of women, inflation and the age composition of population. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1978, Vol. 30.

Description: This paper develops a family of accrued benefit actuarial cost methods which permits the purchase of retirement income at either an accelerating or decelerating rate. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1967, Vol. 19, Pt. 1, No. 54.

Description: This report provides a framework of analyses and methods that can be use to compare and assess strategies for developing lifetime retirement income.

Description: This report presents findings from the 2013 Risks and Process of Retirement Survey, specifically those relating to retirement risks. It uses quotations from the series of focus groups where appropriate to illustrate the findings and addresses factors relating to the management of retirement risks.

Description: This summary is intended to provide the pension actuary with guidance in interpreting and using the termination and retirement information in the 2003 SOA Pension Plan Termination and Retirement Study. The tables in the study were developed based on 1.7 million life years of data from 112 plans collected primarily from actuarial consulting firms for the period 1995 – 2000.

Description: Appendix B to SOA Research Report: Models for Retirement Policy Analysis. This appendix describes several databases that have been used for study of retirement, pension and social security policy.

Description: This is the report of the findings from the Retirement Plan Preference Survey.

Description: This paper summarizes third millennium pension research available on the Society of Actuaries Website. The research is organized by categories. In some cases research is assigned to more than one category due to overlap. The goal is to enable a pension actuary who is looking for a research resource to ascertain if there is relevant research and if so to be able to find and download the information. For each item, the year the research was released, the form of research e.g. literature search, paper, survey and a brief synopsis are provided.

Description: This paper provides a summary of the report, Back Testing of Investment Performance by Asset Class.