Description: This article focuses on retirement planning and knowledge and how the SOA Research Institute has added to our understanding of what consumers know and how they plan. It is the first of a series that offer insight into where consumers are today, identifies gaps in understanding, planning and managing retirement issues, helps us understand how consumers act at various life stages, highlights consumer information collected by the SOA Research Institute and provides some recommendations for working with different stakeholders to improve retirement planning. This article identifies the components of the research and how they fit together and provides a summary of major findings with regard to gaps in knowledge and planning. The research includes focus groups and in-depth interview, consumer surveys, a conjoint study, a study of future issues by Futurists, and more.

Description: The article discusses the recent final and proposed regulations published by the IRS and Treasury on the required minimum distribution rules for qualified plans, which implement changes made by SECURE 1.0 and SECURE 2.0. The article is intended to identify the important rules in the final regulations, provide a framework for determining how the rules apply to beneficiaries of qualified plans and IRAs, describe the key differences between the earlier 2022 proposed regulations and the final regulations, and it summarizes the SECURE 2.0 provisions contained in the new proposed regulations.

Description: Patrick Ring chaired the Retirement Section Council’s (RSC) Communication Committee for many years before stepping down earlier this year. Learn more about his insights on the RSC Communication Committee's work.

Description: Through this Call for Essays, the SOA seeks to gather perspectives, opinions and data on how to advance the state of effective tools, products, and strategies to assist individuals, financial advisers, employers and other stakeholders.

Description: Pension risk transfer (PRT) involves two distinct disciplines of the actuarial profession, retirement and life insurance. This session is open to all but targeted to retirement actuaries looking to understand the considerations of how PRT is priced by life insurance actuaries and the nature of the risks that life insurers face. If you're a life insurance actuary, you will gain insight into how the retirement side views the PRT insurers, particularly in relation to safety.

Description: Discover an update on recent developments affecting U.S. retirement plans, such as regulatory guidance, new legislative proposals, recent court cases and recent trends. Experienced pension actuaries will share their perspectives on these issues and the impact on plan sponsors. Key learning outcomes include: - Understanding recent legislation and guidance affecting retirement programs

Description: This webinar will discuss and illustrate professionalism standards in an interactive case study format. The session will begin with a lightning round discussion with audience polling on professionalism topics and standards of investment practice. Participants will then work through several case studies in an investment context, each of which will have its own specific professionalism considerations. Audience polling and discussion will be included as part of each case study.

Description: Over the last few years, a significant amount of US annuity and pension business has been reinsured with offshore companies, both affiliated and non-affiliated. Hear experts discuss different reserve and capital regimes between the US and offshore jurisdictions, as well as US regulator concerns and responses. The attendees will learn the reasons companies use offshore reinsurance, and improve their understanding of the discussion of proposals to increase US regulator and consumer comfort with companies outside of US jurisdiction.

Description: This webcast presents findings from a recent report sponsored by the Aging and Retirement Strategic Research Program that explored the savings and retirement planning of 35- to 45-year-olds through a series of focus groups. The motivation for this effort was to gain insight into the attitudes, beliefs, and other factors that influence this age group’s savings and retirement planning. Along with findings from the report, additional context and perspectives on the broader implications of the report will be presented. These implications include its connection to other research sponsored by the Aging and Retirement Strategic Research Program and the current retirement landscape. The perspectives of different stakeholders will be considered.

Description: Majority of Latin American Consumers Worry About Financial Security in Retirement Yet Only 20% Have Done Any Planning: