Description: This article provides a basic introduction to the taxation of qualified annuities held in qualified retirement plans and IRAs. The article has been updated for the SECURE Act and the SECURE 2.0 Act. The article describes the basic types of employer-based plans, provides of overview of the taxation of contributions and benefits when annuities are held in connection with plans and IRAs, explains the required minimum distribution rules, and offers a brief introduction to recent legislation impacting qualified annuities.

Description: Summary of the annual cost-of-living adjustment and changes in other wage-indexed programs parameters for Social Security in 2024.

Description: Non-variable annuity principle-based reserving (PBR) VM-22 has a proposed effective date of January 1, 2026. The change in reserving standards may be impactful to annuity writers due to the transition from formulaic to principles-based reserves.

Description: This article is based on a report titled Public Misconceptions About Retirement Security, which is a project of the Committee on Post-Retirement Needs and Risks and jointly sponsored by LIMRA International, the Society of Actuaries and Mathew Greenwald & Associates. The report is found on the post-retirement needs and risks page, which is located here.

Description: Inspired by the 2023 Living to 100 Symposium, take an incisive look with us at the potential for increased healthy lifespans and the implications for retirement. Issues covered include housing, working longer, running out of money and other risks. Explore results from recent SOA-sponsored research, including a guide to making related decisions late in life. Take advantage of this great opportunity to learn more about the SOA Research Institutes' Aging and Retirement and Mortality and Longevity Strategic Research Programs and to help shape future efforts. You will learn about the latest SOA research on living longer, some of the latest developments in aging research and the decisions individuals may face as they prepare for retirement.

Description: This article provides a Retirement 20/20 update.

Description: Over a short span of two weeks, the financial system has observed the collapse of two mid-sized U.S. commercial banks, California-based Silicon Valley Bank (“SVB”) and New York-based Signature Bank, and a takeover of troubled Credit Suisse by a rival in Europe. Other banks that serve a similar demographic as SVB, such as First Republic Bank and PacWest Bancorp, have also experienced an elevated level of customer deposit withdrawals while their stock prices plummeted. The U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) quickly stepped in and guaranteed all deposits from the failed banks to prevent a broader crisis in the banking system. The current turmoil in the financial system is a stark reminder of the importance of effective risk management and regulation.

Description: The pension risk transfer market has increasingly expanded to include the complexity of deferred participants whom have additional optionality available to them that does not exist for a retiree already receiving their benefit. Assumptions on the timing of benefit commencement and form of payment elected are highly dependent on specific pension plan provisions and the census population. These assumptions can have significant impact on the reserves and cash flows affecting not only the initial price but the future profitability of the deal and require a balance of both pension experience and annuity pricing. Discover more about pension actuaries working in the PRT market and who specialize in the assumption setting process for deferred lives provide considerations for assumptions fit for purpose.

Description: This research examines funding valuation discount rates that reflect the expected return on investments in accordance with the pension plan’s investment policy. The research is based on data from regulatory filings in Ontario, with supplementary information from British Columbia and the United States.

Description: The Society of Actuaries (SOA) and Reinsurance Group of America (RGA) have conducted a study on Asia's shifting demographics and its impact on retirement systems. This research explores retirement planning behaviors, financial awareness, and risk perceptions across different life stages, offering valuable insights for policymakers, financial institutions, and individuals. Discover how these findings can enhance retirement security and uncover new opportunities for innovative financial protection solutions.