Annual Meeting Sessions
Wednesday, October 28
601 - Your Desert Compass: Navigating Pension Administration
Pension administration comes with many hazards, including complex calculations, administration, HRIS systems, and data quality. This session will provide some tools and approaches to deal with these hazards to improve valuation quality data and reduce administrative errors.
Credits:
CPD Credit: 1.50
EA Core Credit: 1.50
EA Formal Credit: 1.50
602 - Retirement Litigation, Regulatory Developments and Legislative Outlook
The speakers review recent court decisions, ongoing litigation and complaints filed that could affect defined benefit plans or pension actuaries. This year's cases may involve actuarial malpractice, actuarial equivalence, actuarial assumptions, erroneous benefit determinations, recent Supreme Court decisions, and others.
Credits:
CPD Credit: 1.50
EA Non-Core Credit: 1.50
EA Formal Credit: 1.50
603 - AI 2.0 for Retirement Actuaries: Turning up the Heat
This session will explore practical, real-world use cases where AI can improve efficiency and consistency. Case studies will include enhancing communications, supporting data analysis, and assisting with research efforts.
Credits:
CPD Credit: 1.50
EA Non-Core Credit: 1.50
EA Formal Credit: 1.50
604 - Pre-Medicare and Medicare Market Update
Elevated costs and legislative changes have put pressure on employers offering Pre-Medicare and Medicare Eligible coverage. Join us as we discuss some of the drivers of cost, how the market dynamics are changing, and what employers are doing to manage their retiree medical offerings.
Credits:
CPD Credit: 1.50
605 - The Current State of Ancillary Benefits
Ancillary benefits, such as life insurance, disability and leaves of absence, dental, (mission?) and voluntary benefits are an important part of an employee’s healthcare benefits offering. This session will cover the ancillary benefits landscape and focus on recent changes and innovations in this space.
Credits:
CPD Credit: 1.50
606 - Long Term Care - Where are we now and Where are we Going?
One of the most daunting challenges facing our population is how to plan for and afford long term care. This session will review the current environment/options and possible future solutions.
Credits:
CPD Credit: 1.50
EA Non-Core Credit: 1.50
EA Formal Credit: 1.50
607 - Multiple Employer Plans: Cost Sharing vs Agent Multiple
Many statewide governmental plans are comprised of hundreds or in some cases thousands of individual employers. Cost sharing plans typically calculate a single contribution rate for all employers while agent multiple plans will calculate a different contribution rate for each employer based on that employer’s experience. Both approaches can create distinct challenges for both individual employers and the system as a whole. This session will compare and contrast the two approaches with regard to spotting assumptions, funding policies, and compliance with Actuarial Standards of Practice.
Credits:
CPD Credit: 1.50
EA Non-Core Credit: 1.50
EA Formal Credit: 1.50
608 - Stochastic Modeling for Multiemployer Plans
Effective trustee decision-making requires an understanding of the long-term risks and uncertainties associated with pension funding. Stochastic modeling can be a powerful tool, but its value depends on the assumptions and methodologies used – and on the ability to translate results into actionable insights. In this session, panelists discuss modeling techniques, when stochastic analysis can support trustee decisions, and best practices for communicating results.
Credits:
CPD Credit: 1.50
EA Non-Core Credit: 1.50
EA Formal Credit: 1.50
609 - Mergers, Acquisitions, and Divestitures
Interactive session where participants will work through a number of real-world scenarios.
Credits:
CPD Credit: 1.50
701 - Thriving in Your Oasis: Managing Withdrawals and Taxes as You Plan Your Own Retirement
This session will discuss key planning considerations across both the accumulation and documentation phases, including sequence of withdrawals across account types, RMDs, coordination with Social Security and Medicare, tax planning, and the role of inheritance planning and charitable giving in retirement and pre-retirement.
Credits:
CPD Credit: 1.50
EA Non-Core Credit: 1.50
EA Formal Credit: 1.50
702 - Small Plan Terminations
Terminating a qualified small employer retirement plan involves navigating a complex web of IRS and DOL regulations. For financial and tax professionals, guiding a small business client through this process requires a meticulous understanding of timing, compliance testing, participant notifications, and asset distribution. Panelists provide a comprehensive, step-by-step roadmap for executing a successful small plan termination. Participants will learn how to identify common operational pitfalls, manage the winding-down of plan assets, and ensure all regulatory filing requirements are met to avoid costly penalties and plan disqualification. Participants will come away with ability to identify the legal and operational triggers that necessitate a plan termination, outline the timeline and procedural steps to terminate a small employer plan, including the compliance requirements, protocols for finding missing participants, distributing plan assets, and accurately preparing the final regulatory forms specifically focusing on the final form 5500.
Credits:
CPD Credit: 1.50
EA Core Credit: 1.50
EA Formal Credit: 1.50
703 - But it's a Dry Heat: Hot Topics for Nonqualified Plans
Familiarize yourself with the newest issues and trends in nonqualified plans, including market best practices for design, considerations with terminating plans, legislative/regulatory updates and emerging programs gaining traction.
Credits:
CPD Credit: 1.50
EA Non-Core Credit: 1.50
EA Formal Credit: 1.50
704 - SOA Research and the Actuarial Profession in an AI Driven Era
The Society of Actuaries (SOA) Research Institute continues to invest heavily in forward looking research that informs actuarial practice across health, retirement, and financial security—while also preparing the profession for rapid technological change. Presenters highlight select, recent SOA research initiatives, offering insight into how research topics are identified, funded, and translated into practical value for actuaries and their stakeholders.
A central focus of the discussion is expected to be the growing role of artificial intelligence in the actuarial profession. Come to learn how the SOA is addressing AI through research, governance frameworks, and partnerships, and what these efforts mean for actuarial work in healthcare and beyond. Panelists also provide perspective on how actuaries can engage with SOA research—both as consumers and contributors—as the profession evolves.
Credits:
CPD Credit: 1.50
705 - Healthcare on the Hill
Healthcare policies continue to be a hot topic on Capitol Hill. Panelists dive deeper into what policies have already been implemented, what may be in the pipeline for healthcare legislation and regulation, and how midterms could shape what comes next.
Credits:
CPD Credit: 1.50
706 - Professionalism Tools for Consulting Actuaries
Description forthcoming.
Credits:
CPD Credit: 1.50
EA Core Credit: 0.75
EA Non-Core Credit: 0.75
EA Formal Credit: 1.50
707 - Public Plans Workshop
Come share your thoughts as public pension/OPEB actuaries discuss challenges, concerns, and/or perceived solutions to hot topics affecting public plans across the US. Be prepared to participate in polling as well as group discussion.
Credits:
CPD Credit: 1.50
EA Non-Core Credit: 1.50
EA Formal Credit: 1.50
708 - Benefit Suspensions and Return to Work
A refresher on the IRS rules regarding suspension of benefits. The panel will also discuss ways that plans encourage later retirements or allow retirees to return to work to address labor shortages.
Credits:
CPD Credit: 1.50
EA Non-Core Credit: 1.50
EA Formal Credit: 1.50
709 - Will AI Solve All Our (Economic) Problems?
The US economic outlook is made uncertain by negative factors such as aging demographics, exploding public debt, and waning globalization. But there is a chance that AI will be the wildcard factor that allows us to prosper in spite of all this. Speakers discuss the impact of AI on work-related tasks and roles, and review emerging research that attempts to project AI’s impact on economic growth, employment, and capital markets.
Credits:
CPD Credit: 1.50
EA Non-Core Credit: 1.50
EA Formal Credit: 1.50
005 - Presidential Remarks and Capstone Presentation
The 2026 CCA Annual Meeting concludes with the final remarks of the CCA President, the passing of the gavel to the President Elect, and our capstone presentation.
Credits:
CPD Credit: 1.50