Description: This is the chairperson's column and suggests ways retirement practitioners can participate in and contribute to the SOA. From Pension Section News, June 2004, Issue No. 55.

Description: This article discusses building new retirement systems. It references an article published in the Economist, 'Actuaries and the pensions crunch: When the spinning stops,' Jan. 26, 2006, and the stir that article created in the pension community. This article suggests that we take our understanding of the global economy, business models, shareholder expectations, employee expectations, employment risks, pre-retirement risks and the emerging retirement paradigm and create a new retirement system. From Pension Section News, April 2006, No. 61.

Description: This article discusses the importance of employer retirement plans. Retirement security in the United States comes from Social Security, employer-sponsored benefits, and personal assets including housing and individual savings. The retirement system today is faced with a lot of change, threat and uncertainty. This article deals with the question: How do employers add value by sponsoring plans? It is positioned to open up a dialogue among actuaries and include embedded questions that are italicized throughout this article. From Pension Section News, January 2006, No. 60.

Description: This article discusses the call for papers entitled Re-envisioning Work and Retirement in the 21st Century which eventually led to the Re-envisioning Retirement in the 21st Century symposium that was held in Washington, D.C. on May 3-4, 2006. From Pension Section News, September 2006, No. 62.

Description: On June 26, 2007, the U.S. Conference Board sponsored a webcast on phased retirement. There were several interesting aspects of the webcast and ensuing discussion including: 1. Polling results, 2. Case studies about how employers have implied phased retirement programs, including examples of how employees are moved from job to job as they entered phased retirement, and 3. Participation by a number of employers indicating their interest in the topic. This article focuses on the first two of these three elements.

Description: Details on the contest for naming the Pension Section newsletter. From the Pension Section News, September 2008, Issue No. 68.

Description: Financial illiteracy has been identified as a major obstacle to effective retirement planning for Americans. Anna Rappaport’s article provides actuaries with helpful ideas about ways to make the public more aware of the increasing need for financial literacy and some of the resources currently available to help individuals.

Description: In her final Chairperson’s Corner, Cindy Levering provides readers an update on some of the initiatives that the SOA and Pension Section Council are engaged in and some recent changes to the Pension Section News.

Description: The article discusses the goals of the section.

Description: Review of ideas and concepts presented at the Living to 100 symposium. The ideas include projections of future longevity, medical breakthroughs that may extend longevity and the potential benefits from slowing the aging process.