Description: This article is a summary of the SOA Research Institute report published in April 2023 on Megatrends Impacting the Future of Retirement Plans.

Description: Many retirement actuaries have experience developing, implementing, and monitoring Liability Driven Investing (LDI) strategies for plan sponsors. These strategies typically involve modifying a plan’s investment strategy to remove a significant portion of the investment and interest rate risk now or at some point in the future when specific triggers are met. The tactics often involve the use of fixed income assets to cash flow and/or duration match the liabilities. In the spirit of helping actuaries expand their roles in an evolving defined contribution world, this article explores the application of LDI and derisking strategies within defined contribution and individual retirement accounts. The economic theory behind this approach is called the lifecycle hypothesis, or lifecycle finance. The benefits of the lifecycle finance method are that it provides a safe approach to save for retirement and a secure source of floor income during retirement. Similar to pension plans, each individual has his or her own idiosyncratic needs, wants, and risks that should be considered. Actuaries are uniquely situated to help defined contribution plan sponsors, individuals, and even themselves implement the lifecycle finance approach by developing and distributing tools and methods that focus on income (rather than wealth), LDI strategies, and personalization.

Description: The traditional defined-benefit (DB) plan is a type of plan structured to provide the greatest degree of retirement income security, designed to pay out a guaranteed retirement income for the life of the retiree (and, when applicable, a beneficiary). However, over the last several decades, the number of private-sector employees covered under these traditional plans has decreased dramatically and been replaced by defined contribution (DC) plans. In contrast, public-sector retirement plans, which are exempt from ERISA, have seen a much smaller decline in DB plans. There are many differences in the private and public sector that likely contributed to this phenomenon, but ERISA and the many amendments to it has been a major factor.

Description: Investigate the concept of value annuities and the potential cost-effective differences when compared to traditional annuities by attending this webcast. Value annuities are an alternative lifetime income solution where longevity and investment risks are born by a pool of annuitants rather than a centralized insurer. Join this webcast for a closer look at the practicalities of designing and administering a value pool. There will also be a focus on the legislative, regulator and supervisory implications.

Description: The Mortality Improvement Model, MIM-2021- V3. Different mortality projection methodologies are utilized by actuaries across applications and practice areas. As a result, the MIM Advisory Group (“Advisory Group”) developed a single framework to serve as a consistent base for practitioners in projecting mortality improvement.

Description: Introducing the New SOA Retirement Practice Community, which is a merger of the old SOA Retirement Section Council and SOA Social Insurance & Public Finance.

Description: Research the impact of illiquid investments on pension plan funding, design, and risk management strategies.

Description: As China’s population officially ages, the government has now escalated reform of China's social security system to a national strategic level. The report of the 19th National Congress further mentioned construction of an old-age security system and social environment, painting a bright future for development of the pension industry. At the moment, development of China's pension industry is beginning a new journey. Learn about the current status and future development of pillar 2 pension, which is core to China's pension system; framework and operation management overview of Enterprise Annuity and Occupational Annuity; possible evolution paths in contribution payment methods’ investment operation models, and development of professional pension managers.

Description: Replacement rates have historically been a tool to determine the adequacy of retirement income to maintain an individual’s standard of living. Numerous conceptual and methodological issues lie, however, beneath its simple exterior. The purpose of this paper is to examine these underlying issues for the benefit of retirement security stakeholders, pension plan sponsors, advisors, financial product providers, and individuals planning for retirement.

Description: The document is a report prepared by the Society of Actuaries in 2012, focusing on surveys conducted in Canada and the United States regarding retirement risks. It compares the findings of the two countries, covering concerns, strategies, and perceptions related to retirement planning and financial security.