Description: The traditional defined-benefit (DB) plan is a type of plan structured to provide the greatest degree of retirement income security, designed to pay out a guaranteed retirement income for the life of the retiree (and, when applicable, a beneficiary). However, over the last several decades, the number of private-sector employees covered under these traditional plans has decreased dramatically and been replaced by defined contribution (DC) plans. In contrast, public-sector retirement plans, which are exempt from ERISA, have seen a much smaller decline in DB plans. There are many differences in the private and public sector that likely contributed to this phenomenon, but ERISA and the many amendments to it has been a major factor.

Description: This article is about the Society of Actuaries' Education and Examination Research Paper Committee awarding 30 Fellowship credits to Krzysztof M. Ostaszewski, Ph.D., ASA, for his paper, 'Macroeconomic Aspects of Private Retirement Programs.' This is the twelfth such paper approved for Fellowship credit under the SOA’s Future Education Methods program. The paper analyzes possible macroeconomic factors contributing to the decline in the use of defined benefit plans and proposes an alternative hypothesis for the cause of the decline.

Description: This presentation made at the 1975 Spring Cincinnati Joint Meeting of the Conference of Actuaries in Public Practice and Society of Actuaries and it highlights the actuary as the architect in the pension planning field which includes the following tasks: designs the plan, determines its cost, and sees to it that it is put into operation effectively.

Description: This session from the 1983 SOA Spring Meeting discusses the use of variable economic assumptions for pension plans. From Record of Society of Actuaries Vol. 9, No. 2.

Description: Among many purposes, this paper will outline the theory of gain and loss analysis for pension fund valuations, indicate practical problems met in applying the theory to two model plans and show the Fackler accumulation formulas. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1959, Vol. 11, No. 31.

Description: This paper surveys the actuarial techniques connected with salary scale mathematics for the valuation of defined benefit pension plans. Followed by several discussion papers submitted

Description: This paper examines some of the effects of mortality improvements on traditional defined benefit plans. From The Future of Pension Plan Funding and Disclosure Monograph, M-RS05-1.

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: In this video Steve Siegel, a Senior Practice Research Actuary at the Society of Actuaries Research Institute, discusses a study focusing on the retirement planning of 35 to 45 year olds. The study explores how income, family dynamics, and other factors influence retirement decisions. Despite the importance of retirement, many participants hadn’t deeply considered it, and obstacles such as financial stress and uncertainty hindered their saving efforts. The report offers recommendations for future research and tools to help individuals better envision their retirement lifestyles. Contributors: Steve Siegel, ASA, MAAA; Rose Northon; Jon Forster ASA, MAAA