Description: OASDI Trust Fund: Principal Economic and Demographic Assumptions from Pension Section News, October 2000, Issue No. 44.

Description: This article reveals the results of a survey by the Pension Section Research Team showing that U.S. Social Security reform is a diverse issue for actuaries. From Pension Section News, April 2006, No. 61.

Description: In Canada, there are three main sources of government-provided retirement income: 1. The Canada/Quebec Pension Plan [C/QPP], which have benefits and contributions based on earnings up to the Yearly Maximum Pensionable Earnings, 2. Old Age Security [OAS], which is a fixed amount for most but does include a 'clawback' of benefits for high-income individuals, and 3. The Guaranteed Income Supplement [GIS], which is designed to supplement those with extremely low income. The annual GIS benefit is reduced, or clawed back, by 50 cents for every dollar of annual income the person has in retirement, including C/QPP and income from Registered Retirement Savings Plans [RRSP] and other savings. OAS benefits are not included in determining the GIS clawback. The result of this is that low-income individuals who attempt to enhance their retirement replacement ratio actually see a decrease in government-provided support the more they save for retirement. In fact, savings in an RRSP can effectively be taxed at more than 100% through corresponding reductions in the GIS, social housing, home care, GAINS [Ontario's Guaranteed Annual Income Supplement], and other benefits which are based on one's personal retirement income. This paper explores a basic GIS exemption, a GIS clawback rate of lower than 50%, and various combinations of the two as alternative policies for the GIS. The goal is to improve the fairness of the GIS and reduce the disincentive to save for retirement, without increasing the overall cost of the program significantly.

Description: This is an Excel spreadsheet, provided by the Society of Actuaries Pension Section, containing Social Security Earnings Base and Payroll Tax Rates, Social Security Wage Index and Maximum PIA, other Social Security program data, Medicare data, Railroad Retirement Earnings Base and Payroll Tax Rates, and the number of recipients and average monthly OASDI benefits.

Description: Letters to the editor of In The Public Interest discussing social insurance articles from the previous issue.

Description: The prospects of longer retirement durations driven by the continued improvement in mortality, changes in social insurance “normal” retirement ages, and/or socio-economic factors, have made several decisions about retirement more important.

Description: News about appointment of new commissioner of Social Security and movement on confirmation of public trustees.

Description: This is an article about the lack of savings by the baby boomers and how it will affect retirement and the ramifications for Social Security. The author believes that baby boomers will choose to continue to work and alleviate some of the burden on social security.

Description: This article discusses information regarding the oldest population and its impact to the social insurance programs.

Description: Feature article from the January 2010 issue of In The Public Interest discussing whether or not the retirement age needs to be increased.