Description: This article is the second in a series that offers a concise summary of an extensive body of SOA Research Institute work focused on improving retirement planning and management. The article summarizes findings from consumer research and other reports at different life stages to help the reader understand what households actually do with regard to retirement planning. It points out the challenges of groups such as the financially fragile and those who do not have employer sponsored retirement plans. A repeated finding from this work is that individual actions fit patterns that are different from what the planning methodologies and professional advisors believe they are or should be, creating gaps and significant opportunities to help improve retirement planning and management, particularly since individuals have so much responsibility for their own financial security.

Description: Review of paper describing Collective Defined Contribution Plans. the elimination of traditional pensions by many companies have left employees without easy access to reliable retirement income Collective Defined Contribution plans which are used to a small extent in the US but more broadly used elsewhere offer an option for consideration.

Description: Interview with Brett Dutton, the outgoing chair of the Retirement Section's Continuing Education Team. Brett discusses hot topics and recent developments in continuing education and ends with talking about the impact of his volunteer experience with the Society of Actuaries on his life.

Description: Feature article discussing France's retirement system.

Description: Editorial describing some of the articles in the issue.

Description: Interview with Blaine Aiken to learn about recent developments in fiduciary responsibility and financial and retirement advice. New developments will extend the fiduciary requirements financial advisors are subject to. These developments are linked to changes in the code of ethics that apply to CFPs.

Description: Update of RSC members, planned activities for 2018, retirement 20/20 for public sector plans.

Description: Describes recent call for essays that was issued by the Committee on Post Retirement Needs and Risks focused on securing future retirements.

Description: Interview highlighting FINRA research and key points raised with regard to robo-advisors and spending down of pension assets, fraud, and decision making.

Description: An analysis of financial stress experienced by multiemployer pension plans across the period from 1999 to 2015, using plan metrics calculated from 5500 data.