Description: Diverse Risks 2016 Call for Essays

Description: All we need is … a §401k - redesigned to • Leverage the fungibility of money • Consolidate to a lifetime, all-in-one plan • Create liquidity without leakage

Description: This is a summary of the employer costs for pension plans published by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as of December 2013.

Description: Recent studies have suggested that teachers would be better off with DC or Cash Balance plans than with DB. Detailed data from CalSTRS support the opposite.

Description: First in a series of articles for Retirement Section News focusing on Defined Contribution issues

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: Discussion about the pros and cons of providing lifetime income options in defined contribution plans, and about the pros and cons of annuitization vs. structured payouts. Discussion triggered by an SOA research report authored by Steve Vernon.

Description: During the past few years, the Society of Actuaries Committee on Post-Retirement Needs and Risks has come to realize that employees are called on to make many decisions about their benefits, and increasingly, as more benefits are provided by their employers, the retirement security of the employee depends largely on the decisions they make. During the last two years, the Committee has moved into a new area – with two projects on the topic of Retirement Financial Advice. The first is a research paper focused on employer approaches to retirement financial advice, and the second is a guide for employers. Greg Ward, CFP®, Think Tank Director at Financial Finesse, served on the Project Oversight Group for the employer guide and the research paper. Greg works with employers and employees to promote financial wellness. This article offers some perspectives on the SOA reports.

Description: The presenters in this session will discuss the simultaneous use of DB and DC plans. With the continued growth of DC assets and the freezing of DB plans, it is increasingly common to see DB participants with a DC plan that is more than just supplemental. Because of this, it is important that retirement professionals see DB and DC plans as not just competitors for contributions, but as partners. The presenters will discuss how that partnership can work and how the presence of a DB plan can influence the design of DC solutions such as target date funds.

Description: Retirement benefits, including health benefits, are increasingly being delivered through a DC structure. The presenters will explore how benefits are delivered and utilized, including consideration of tax implications and ordering. DC plan benefits in both the U.S. and Canada will be discussed.