Description: Review of 2018 changes to retirement-related actuarial standards of practice in the US and Canada.

Description: There is no silver bullet to improving retirement income outcomes for retirees. However, a combination of changes can be of significant value in addressing this overlooked issue. Although QLACs on the surface have potential value, they are not nearly as efficient as they could be. So far, employer plans have provided limited options for retirement income solutions. IRAs may not cost effectively serve the best interest of retirees. Employer plans should be encouraged to become retirement income providers and alternative approaches should be considered. The current prohibition on allowing plans to modify benefit payouts based on mortality experience should be reconsidered to allow for innovative plan income designs. Improvements to the deaccumulation stage of the retiree nest egg are challenging yet necessary.

Description: The International Section Council in conjunction with the Actuaries without Borders section of the IAA and the Azerbaijan Actuarial Association recently sponsored a three-day seminar focused on retirement benefits in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Description: Excellent big picture view for planning a social insurance system with pay-as-you-go, required self-funded, and voluntary plans.

Description: Discussion of the importance of trust law in North American qualified retirement plans.

Description: Canadian employers who sponsor retirement plans have mostly adopted arrangements that qualify for deferral of taxes. It is no longer clear that this is the best choice. Low interest rates and the emergence of Tax-Free Savings Accounts mean that there could be better alternatives for future generations of employees. This research paper re-examines the effectiveness of tax deferral and other fundamental choices.

Description: Securing Supplemental Retirement Arrangements Course P–361C Study Note by C. Ian Genno from Pension Section News, January 1998, Issue No. 35.

Description: Discussion of the Chinese supplemental pension plans, Enterprise Annuities EA.

Description: Highlights and discussion of "Stretching the Corridor: The Effects of Extended Rate Stabilization on Defined Benefit Plan Funding Requirements." The report, produced by the SOA Data-drive In-House Research function, analyzed the effects of extending the pension funding stabilization provisions that were implemented with MAP-21 in 2012.

Description: This article summarizes the presentations by the Society of Actuaries and the Academy of Actuaries at the January 2015 National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI) Roundtables in Washington DC. SOA presented on the 2014 SOA monograph series "The Link between Retirement Security and Long-Term Care."