Improving Spousal Retirement Plan Protections
Oct. 30, 2025
Time:12:00PM to 1:00PM EDT
REGISTRATION FEES
- Members: $55
- Nonmembers: $110
- Group Registration for Academy Members: $500
- Complimentary registration is available to the following cohorts of Academy members. Contact education@actuary.org to request a discount code to register.
- Government regulators
- Academy volunteers who meet both the below conditions:
- “active” members of an Academy committee, board, subcommittee, task force, or work group; and
- qualified for either a partial or full dues waiver during 2025.
ABOUT THIS WEBINAR
Finding ways to strengthen retirement systems is critical to ensuring financial security for all Americans. Following the recent Actuarial Perspectives and Solutions for Strengthening the U.S. Retirement System symposium, the Academy’s Retirement Policy and Design Evaluation (RPADE) Committee is hosting a conversation to explore gaps in spousal retirement plan protections and proposals to address them.
Retirement plans covered by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) provide protection for spouses experiencing difficult events, such as the death of a plan participant or a divorce. However, changes to the law may not have kept pace with other underlying shifts, including the growth of defined contribution (DC) plans. RPADE’s recent issue brief explores several proposals, and this webinar offers an opportunity to hear from experts at the Academy, the Pension Rights Center, and Mindset in an exploration of the challenges and opportunities in this space. The conversation will highlight key gaps in spousal protections, review the latest state of play on timely spousal protection bills being considered by Congress, discuss updates from a key Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, and share highlights from the Pension Rights Center’s Initiative on Women and Retirement at Divorce.
MODERATOR
Lee Gold, MAAA, ASA, FCA, EA
Chairperson, Retirement Policy and Design Evaluation Committee
American Academy of Actuaries
SPEAKERS
Connie Rydberg, MAAA, FSA, EA
Vice Chairperson, Retirement Policy and Design Evaluation Committee
American Academy of Actuaries
Karen Friedman
Executive Director, Pension Rights Center
Kendra Isaacson
Principal, Mindset
CONTINUING EDUCATION
The American Academy of Actuaries believes in good faith that attendance at this live webinar constitutes an organized activity as defined under the current Qualification Standards for Actuaries Issuing Statements of Actuarial Opinion in the United States, and that attendees may earn up to 1.2 organized continuing education (CE) credits for attending this live webinar.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Registration for this webinar is limited to the first 1,000 registrants. Visit our webinar FAQs to learn more about our webinar policies, including group registration. For more information about this webinar, contact education@actuary.org.