The American Academy of Actuaries will host a June 27 Capitol Hill briefing that will examine the financial risks of increased lifespans, and the need for retirees to secure lifetime income. The Academy’s Lifetime Income Initiative is part of its continuing effort to provide objective, unbiased information to serve the public and the United States actuarial profession.

The Academy’s Lifetime Income Risk Joint Task Force, composed of actuaries from the life and pension practice areas, has released its discussion paper, Risky Business: Living Longer Without Income for Life. The discussion paper focuses on the issue of ensuring retirees secure income that lasts their entire lifetime and discusses potential solutions through changes in education, plan design, and federal retirement policy. Read the news release.

The Pension Committee submitted comments to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) regarding its proposed rule on reportable events under ERISA Section 4043.

The Pension Committee submitted comments to the Actuarial Standards Board on revisions to ASOP No. 4, Measuring Pension Obligations and Determining Pension Plan Costs or Contributions.

The Pension Finance Task Force submitted comments to the Actuarial Standards Board on revisions to ASOP No. 4, Measuring Pension Obligations and Determining Pension Plan Costs or Contributions.

Senior Pension Fellow Donald Fuerst testified at a House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee hearing on Social Security that examined bipartisan proposals to adjust Social Security benefits and their impacts on the program’s solvency, beneficiaries, workers, and the economy. Fuerst said that raising the full retirement age could help mitigate Social Security’s long-range financial problems and that addressing Social Security’s solvency now would permit more modest changes to be phased in gradually.

The Academy sent a letter to the president and Congressional leaders today regarding the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission. The letter encourages them to appoint at least one qualified actuary to the newly-established commission. Appointing a qualified actuary would ensure that the commission has among its members an individual who can provide actuarial expertise on policy proposals, especially related to retirement programs.

In a news release, the Academy said it recognizes the importance of the issues addressed by newly introduced Congressional legislation and offered its public policy resources to legislators, regulators and other stakeholders at the federal, state and local levels to assist them in understanding the nature of the risks related to the financial soundness of state and local government public pension benefit plans.

Academy President Cecil Bykerk responds with a letter to the editors of The Wall Street Journal to an April 10 op-ed, “The Pension Rate-of-Return Fantasy,” regarding pension funding and expected rates of return.

The Pension Committee released an issue brief recommending changes that will allow private sector defined benefit plans to raise their normal retirement age above 65 to better align with Social Security. Read the news release.

The Pension Committee sent comments to the Internal Revenue Service regarding its recent guidance related to notice requirements under section 101(j) of ERISA for funding-related benefit limitations in single-employer defined benefit pension plans.

The Academy wrote a letter to The New York Times in response to an op-ed that questioned whether longevity risk was posing new problems for Social Security and if actuaries had taken this into account. In the letter, the Academy said Social Security actuaries assess longevity rates as well as other factors regularly. The larger issue, however, is that the president and Congress should address now Social Security’s long-term solvency.

The Pension Committee submitted comments to the Actuarial Standards Board responding to its proposed revisions to ASOP No. 25, Credibility Procedures. The comments focused on the exposure draft’s expanded scope of ASOP 25 and raises concerns regarding the standard’s application to pension practice.

The Social Security Committee released an issue guide for the general public, policymakers, and the media to use as they evaluate Social Security reform proposals. This guide poses questions that should be asked when policymakers put forth specific proposals to change the Social Security system.

The Social Security Committee updated its 2004 issue brief on means testing for Social Security. Means testing is one option to reform the Social Security program that would reduce or eliminate benefits for wealthy and/or high-income participants and beneficiaries as a means of reducing costs.

The Social Security Committee held a webinar, Social Security: Actuarial Status and Assumptions, on Nov. 27 that attracted over 300 attendees. The webinar focused on the assumptions used to evaluate Social Security’s financial condition and provided an overview of the actuarial status of the program based on the 2012 Social Security Trustees Report. The audio of the presentation is available here.

Gain an actuarial perspective on the 2012 Social Security Trustees Report and the assumptions used in determining Social Security projections. Social Security Administration Chief Actuary Steve Goss will be available to provide additional comments and answer questions. Learn more!

The Public Plans Subcommittee sent comments to the California Actuarial Advisors Panel (CAAP) regarding its Discussion Draft, Version 9c, Model Actuarial Funding Policies and Practices (MAFPP) for Public Pension and OPEB Plans.