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: Life reinsurance activity in Bermuda has experienced rapid growth in recent years. This article explores the key drivers of this growth.

Description: This article discusses the author’s reactions to the Living To 100 Symposium. He summarizes several sessions and concludes by saying his main takeaway from the symposium is that the debate continues as to whether there is a significant chance of finding a way, over the near- or medium-term, to slow the aging process.

Description: Introduction to longevity insurance, including product design and a market overview

Description: This article discusses how understanding the drivers of mortality and morbidity is essential for identifying and developing suitable business opportunities.

Description: 'This article compares the insurance industry's mortality experience for Japan, Korea, China and Taiwan. The industry's mortality experience that has been analyzed includes the variables of age, policy year, and gender.' From International News, August 2011.

Description: This article by Anna Rappaport and Eric Freden contains a compelling compendium of comments shared by top actuaries working in different roles with retirement systems who attended the fourth triennial “Living to 100” Symposium in Orlando, Fla.

Description: Mortality Improvement Scale MP-2016 is an update to Mortality Improvement Scale MP-2015 that includes three additional years of historical U.S. population mortality data and modification of two input values designed to improve the model’s year-over-year financial stability. The page includes the updated Scale MP-2016, the accompanying Scale MP-2016 document, and an updated RPEC_2014_v2016 Model Implementation Tool for actuaries to create their own mortality improvement scales using RPEC’s model and the updated data set.

Description: The Society of Actuaries’ Pension Section has completed a research effort exploring the value of longevity pooling and its implications.

Description: The purpose of the latest in this series, the 2005 Risks and Process of Retirement Survey, is to evaluate Americans’ awareness of such risks, how their awareness has changed since 2003, and how it affects the way they manage their finances. This report focuses on attitudes toward longevity specifically in the context of planning for and managing the financial risk of outliving assets in retirement, and relates the public’s understanding of these issues to other studies. Three other reports cover in greater depth the process of retirement, other post-retirement risks, and retirement issues of special concern to women. The 2001, 2003 and 2005 studies separately analyzed current retirees and those not yet retired, referred to in these reports as ‘pre-retirees.’